In STP, what happens to redundant paths to prevent loops?

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In STP, what happens to redundant paths to prevent loops?

STP prevents loops by creating a loop-free path layout and turning off redundant connections. It chooses a root bridge and computes the best path to the root from every switch; those paths are allowed to forward traffic, while any extra, parallel links are put into a blocked state. A blocked port does not forward user frames, so the redundant path cannot cause a looping broadcast. The blocked state is not permanent—if the active path fails, the topology can reconfigure and the previously blocked link can transition to forwarding to maintain connectivity. In this way, redundant paths exist as backups, but they are prevented from forwarding to stop loops.

STP prevents loops by creating a loop-free path layout and turning off redundant connections. It chooses a root bridge and computes the best path to the root from every switch; those paths are allowed to forward traffic, while any extra, parallel links are put into a blocked state. A blocked port does not forward user frames, so the redundant path cannot cause a looping broadcast. The blocked state is not permanent—if the active path fails, the topology can reconfigure and the previously blocked link can transition to forwarding to maintain connectivity. In this way, redundant paths exist as backups, but they are prevented from forwarding to stop loops.

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