Bridging loops occur when there are multiple active paths between switches or bridge interfaces, causing broadcast storms or MAC table instability. MikroTik RouterOS supports both STP (Spanning Tree Protocol) and RSTP (Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol) to detect and block redundant paths.
* A.#RSTP - Faster and preferred protocol to prevent loops.
* B.#STP - The original protocol, slower convergence but still effective.
* C.#Connection tracking - Not related to Layer 2 loop prevention.
* D.#UDP filter - Filters specific traffic types, doesn't handle loops.
* E.#ICMP filter - Not relevant to Layer 2 loop protection.
Extract from Official MTCNA Course Material - Bridging and STP:
"STP or RSTP must be enabled to prevent bridging loops. RSTP is the recommended version due to faster convergence." Extract from Rene Meneses MTCNA Study Guide - Bridging:
"Always enable STP or RSTP when using bridges with multiple paths to prevent Layer 2 loops." Extract from MikroTik Wiki - STP / RSTP:
"STP and RSTP are loop prevention mechanisms for bridges. They dynamically block redundant links."