SPB - Shortest Path Bridging

What is SPB?

SPB stands for Shortest Path Bridging. It is a network protocol standard (IEEE 802.1aq) designed to simplify the creation and management of large Layer 2 networks by enabling shortest path routing and multipath forwarding.

Why is SPB useful?

  • Enables fast, efficient Layer 2 network forwarding.

  • Supports multipath routing, improving bandwidth utilization.

  • Simplifies network design and management by replacing older protocols like Spanning Tree.

  • Provides loop-free topology with faster convergence.

How it works?

  • Uses IS-IS routing protocol to discover network topology.

  • Calculates shortest paths between all nodes.

  • Uses MAC-in-MAC encapsulation to forward traffic across the network.

  • Provides multiple equal-cost paths, allowing load balancing and redundancy.

Where is SPB used?

  • Large enterprise and data center networks.

  • Service provider networks requiring scalable Layer 2.

  • Environments needing efficient multipath Layer 2 connectivity.

Which OSI layer does this protocol belong to?

  • SPB operates primarily at Layer 2 (Data Link Layer) of the OSI model.

IS SPB windows specific?

  • No, SPB is not Windows-specific.

  • It is implemented in network hardware, not tied to an OS.

IS SPB Linux Specific?

  • No, SPB is not Linux-specific.

  • Implementation depends on network devices, not on the OS.

Which Transport Protocol is used by SPB?

  • SPB uses IS-IS routing protocol over Layer 2.

  • Does not rely on TCP or UDP.

Which Port is used by SPB?

  • SPB does not use TCP/UDP ports.

  • Uses Ethernet frames with specific MAC addresses for control traffic.

Is SPB using Client server model?

  • No, SPB uses a peer-to-peer communication model among switches to maintain network topology.

Topics in this section,

  • In this section, you are going to learn

  • Terminology

  • Version Info

  • rfc details

  • setup

  • setup

  • packet details

  • usecases

  • features

  • Reference links