I’ve been studying Spanning Tree Protocol and I feel like I understand parts of it, but when I try to put everything together in my head, it still feels messy.
I get the general idea
loops are bad
bridges need to agree on one path
one switch becomes the root
ports block or forward depending on cost
But when I read explanations, it looks logical, and then when I imagine it on an actual topology, I get lost again.
Why is this port blocking and not that one
How exactly the root port is chosen when costs are equal
What happens if two switches think they should be root for a few seconds
My brain just melts at some point.
I’m trying to understand it in a simple, visual way
one root
one path per segment
everything else blocked
If anyone has a clean mental model or a way to “feel” STP instead of just memorizing rules, I’m all ears.
Here are the things I’ve been reading so far
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanning_tree
https://pingmynetwork.com/network/ccna-200-301/spanning-tree-protocol
