Cisco Certified Network Professional Practice Test 2025 – Your All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

In the context of Layer 2 networks, the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is specifically designed for loop prevention. Networks that operate primarily at Layer 2, where devices are interconnected with switches, can create physical loops in the topology. Such loops may cause broadcast storms, multiple frame copies, and ultimately, network congestion or outages.

STP addresses this challenge by creating a loop-free logical topology from a physical topology that may indeed contain multiple connections that could lead to loops. It does so by determining which switch ports should be put into a blocking state to prevent loops while ensuring that there is still redundancy in the network. This way, if the active path fails, the protocol can activate a previously blocked port, maintaining network connectivity without creating loops.

Other protocols mentioned, such as RIP, OSPF, and EIGRP, are primarily Layer 3 routing protocols and are used for routing and determining the best paths between different networks rather than controlling loops within Layer 2. Thus, STP is the most appropriate choice for loop prevention in Layer 2 environments.