Virtual Switch Redundancy Protocol
Encyclopedia
The Virtual Switch Redundancy Protocol (VSRP) is a proprietary
network resilience protocol developed by Foundry Networks
and currently being sold in products manufactured by both Brocade Communications Systems
(formerly Foundry Networks) and Hewlett Packard. The protocol differs from many others in use as it combines Layer 2
and Layer 3
resilience – effectively doing the jobs of both Spanning tree protocol
and the Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol
at the same time. Whilst the restrictions on the physical topologies able to make use of VSRP mean that it is less flexible than STP and VRRP it does significantly improve on the failover times provided by either of those protocols.
Proprietary protocol
In telecommunications, a proprietary protocol is a communications protocol owned by a single organization or individual.-Enforcement:Proprietors may enforce restrictions through patents and by keeping the protocol specification a trade secret...
network resilience protocol developed by Foundry Networks
Foundry Networks
Foundry Networks, Inc. was a networking hardware vendor selling high-end Ethernet switches and routers. The company was founded in 1996 by Bobby R. Johnson, Jr. and was headquartered in Santa Clara, California, USA...
and currently being sold in products manufactured by both Brocade Communications Systems
Brocade Communications Systems
Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. , based in Silicon Valley , is a vendor of storage area network hardware and software. The company also designs, manufactures, and sells networking products and management applications for local, metro, and wide area networks...
(formerly Foundry Networks) and Hewlett Packard. The protocol differs from many others in use as it combines Layer 2
Data link layer
The data link layer is layer 2 of the seven-layer OSI model of computer networking. It corresponds to, or is part of the link layer of the TCP/IP reference model....
and Layer 3
Network Layer
The network layer is layer 3 of the seven-layer OSI model of computer networking.The network layer is responsible for packet forwarding including routing through intermediate routers, whereas the data link layer is responsible for media access control, flow control and error checking.The network...
resilience – effectively doing the jobs of both Spanning tree protocol
Spanning tree protocol
The Spanning Tree Protocol 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 ensuing broadcast radiation...
and the Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol
Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol
The Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol is a computer networking protocol that provides for automatic assignment of available Internet Protocol routers to participating hosts...
at the same time. Whilst the restrictions on the physical topologies able to make use of VSRP mean that it is less flexible than STP and VRRP it does significantly improve on the failover times provided by either of those protocols.