#29 STP Port Roles Explained | Root, Designated & Alternate Ports

In this video, we break down the STP port roles used by Spanning Tree Protocol: Root Port, Designated Port, Alternate Port, and Backup Port. We'll understand what each role means, how STP chooses the preferred path toward the Root Bridge, and how redundant paths help prevent loops. Topics covered: 00:00 Intro 00:26 Recap of Root Bridge + STP Blocked Pathways 03:13 Port Roles 04:18 Root Port and Designated Port 11:10 Alternate Port 13:17 Backup Port (brief overview) 15:09 Outro Prerequisites: Before watching this video, it helps to understand the basics of STPs, Loops and Root Bridge (check previous episodes in this playlist). This video focuses on building an intuitive mental model of STP port roles before moving into Path Costs. #STP #SpanningTreeProtocol #Networking #CCNA #NetworkEngineering #Cisco #Ethernet #Switching #VLAN #NetworkFundamentals