Cisco Discovery Protocol Overview
Cisco Discovery Protocol is a device discovery protocol that runs over Layer 2 (the data-link layer) on all Cisco-manufactured devices (routers, bridges, access servers, controllers, and switches) and allows network management applications to discover Cisco devices that are neighbors of already known devices. With Cisco Discovery Protocol, network management applications can learn the device type and the SNMP agent address of neighboring devices running lower-layer, transparent protocols. This feature enables applications to send SNMP queries to neighboring devices.
Cisco Discovery Protocol runs on all media that support Subnetwork Access Protocol (SNAP). Because Cisco Discovery Protocol runs over the data-link layer only, two systems that support different network-layer protocols can learn about each other.
Each Cisco Discovery Protocol-configured device sends periodic messages to a multicast address, advertising at least one address at which it can receive SNMP messages. The advertisements also contain time-to-live, or holdtime information, which is the length of time a receiving device holds Cisco Discovery Protocol information before discarding it. Each device also listens to the messages sent by other devices to learn about neighboring devices.
On the switch, Cisco Discovery Protocol enables Network Assistant to display a graphical view of the network. The switch uses Cisco Discovery Protocol to find cluster candidates and maintain information about cluster members and other devices up to three cluster-enabled devices away from the command switch by default.
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Cisco Discovery Protocol identifies connected endpoints that communicate directly with the switch.
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To prevent duplicate reports of neighboring devices, only one wired switch reports the location information.
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The wired switch and the endpoints both send and receive location information.