Subject: I-D ACTION:draft-lapuh-network-smlt-00.txt

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 06:13:31 -0500

A New Internet-Draft is available from the on-line Internet-Drafts directories.

	Title		: Split Multi-link Trunking (SMLT)
	Author(s)	: R. Lapuh, D. Mohan
	Filename	: draft-lapuh-network-smlt-00.txt
	Pages		: 13
	Date		: 2002-10-30
	
This document provides a description of Split Multi-Link Trunking 
(SMLT) SMLT is an architecture for reliable and redundant Layer 2 
networks, which allows the full usage of all provisioned links that 
are dual-homing into a pair of aggregation devices in a MAC-bridged 
network. Multi-Link Trunking (MLT) is a link-aggregation mechanism 
similar to IEEE 802.3ad without the LACP(Link Aggregation Control 
Protocol). Typical redundant Ethernet networks consist of wiring 
closet (edge) switches dual-homed to network center aggregation 
(core) switches in a building or campus.  Similarly, in carrier and 
ISP environments, CPE devices may be dual-homed to two SMLT 
aggregation switches at a Service ProviderÆs point of presence 
(POP).  Traditionally, when a loop is created in the Layer 2 network 
by dual-homing devices, Spanning Tree Protocol must block one of the 
redundant network paths. SMLT avoids this by allowing all aggregated 
paths in a dual-homed switch configuration to be active and 
forwarding traffic simultaneously as well as providing very fast 
traffic fail-over in the event of a link failure.

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