SSTP: an 802.1s extension to support scalable spanning tree for mobile metropolitan area network

Requirements for broadband mobile communications suggest the importance of the metropolitan area network (MAN) in beyond 3G integration. Beyond 3G accommodates radio systems including 3G, 4G and wireless LANs, and operates all-IP networks. Ethernet technology has become a suitable solution to cover all access points of various radio systems because of its simplicity and flexibility. A MAN by Ethernet, however, still has issues of scalability. The spanning tree protocol requires so much time to rebuild the tree in a change of topology, especially in a large MAN, and eventually causes much packet loss, which is intolerable to real time applications, such as voice and video, during reconfiguration. We propose a scalable spanning tree protocol (SSTP) to realize fast rebuilding of a spanning tree by applying a concept of regions and configure its parameters automatically. Our evaluation shows that SSTP is a solution for future mobile communication networks consisting of thousands of bridges.