We have an Exadata X2 system we are supporting at a managed hosted Datacenter facility. One fine day in the datacenter the Juniper switch which allows the Exadata system to communicate to the outside world stopped working. Eventually we found out the hosting facility enabled the bpdufilter on the Juniper switch and in turn we needed to do the same setup on out Cisco switch.
Below is a diagram of the highlevel layout of our setup in our datacenter.
A BPDU filter what is that?
Bridge Protocol Data Unit’s known also as BPDU’s play a fundamental part in a spanning-tree topology.
The Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is a network protocol that ensures a loop-free topology for any bridged Ethernet local area network. The basic function of STP is to prevent bridge loops and the broadcast radiation that results from them. Spanning tree also allows a network design to include spare (redundant) links to provide automatic backup paths if an active link fails, without the danger of bridge loops, or the need for manual enabling/disabling of these backup links.
BPDU’s are sent out by a switch to exchange information about bridge ID’s and costs of the root path. Exchanged at a frequency of every 2 seconds by default, BPDU’s allow switches to keep a track of network changes and when to block or forward ports to ensure a loop free topology. A BPDU filter disables spanning-tree on a port period. It does this by restricting sending and receiving BPDU’s.
Commands to enable bpdu filter.