Configuring Lldp; Terms Used In This Chapter; Lldp Overview - Dell PowerConnect B-RX Configuration Manual

Configuring LLDP

Terms used in this chapter

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) – The Layer 2 network discovery protocol described in the
IEEE 802.1AB standard, Station and Media Access Control Connectivity Discovery. This protocol
enables a station to advertise its capabilities to, and to discover, other LLDP-enabled stations in the
same 802 LAN segments.
LLDP Agent – The protocol entity that implements LLDP for a particular IEEE 802 device.
Depending on the configured LLDP operating mode, an LLDP agent can send and receive LLDP
advertisements (frames), or send LLDP advertisements only, or receive LLDP advertisements only.
LLDPDU (LLDP Data Unit) – A unit of information in an LLDP packet that consists of a sequence of
short variable length information elements, known as TLVs.
MIB (Management Information Base) – A virtual database that identifies each manageable object
by its name, syntax, accessibility, and status, along with a text description and unique object
identifier (OID). The database is accessible by a Network Management Station (NMS) using a
management protocol such as the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).
Network Connectivity Device – A forwarding 802 LAN device, such as a router, switch, or wireless
access point. The terms Station and Network Connectivity Device are used interchangeably in this
chapter and mean the same thing. See Station, below.
Station – A node in a network. It generally refers to a client PC (workstation) rather than a server,
but may include both. Also referred to as Network Connectivity Device, this is a forwarding 802 LAN
device, such as a router, switch, or wireless access point.
TLV (Type-Length-Value) – An information element in an LLDPDU that describes the type of
information being sent, the length of the information string, and the value (actual information) that
will be transmitted.
TTL (Time-to-Live) – Specifies the length of time that the receiving device should maintain the
information acquired through LLDP in its MIB.

LLDP overview

LLDP enables a station attached to an IEEE 802 LAN or MAN to advertise its capabilities to, and to
discover, other stations in the same 802 LAN segments. The advertisements describe the
network's physical topology and associated systems within that topology. For example, a station
can advertise its management address, the address of the entities that manage the device, and
the ID of the port to which the station is connected.
The information distributed through LLDP (the advertisement) is stored by the receiving device in a
standard Management Information Base (MIB), accessible by a Network Management System
(NMS) using a management protocol such as the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).
The information also can be viewed through the CLI, using show LLDP commands.
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