Why not plant a Spanning-Tree?

2011-06-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

Good night all, hop all is well, I have been a networking "admin" for a while and I notice that most places I work at the managers won't deploy the Spanning-Tree-Protocol on the campus with many switches. I agree in a network with two switches an engineer should not waste the processor threads with such a miniscule task Now, before I get a mouthful from some other network admin who will state "Spanning-Tree creates outages and to disable it causes less outages and issues." Or "Spanning-Tree just creates loops on the network...so we just disable it." I believe this is in juxtapose to the definition of the protocol as defined as follows:
The Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is a network protocol that ensures a loop-free topology for any bridged Ethernet local area network.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanning_Tree_Protocol
The definition says:"network protocol that ensures a loop-free topology for any bridged Ethernet local area network." A loop free topology! which means if you CONFIGURE it properly, it WILL work as designed.

So why is it disabled by so many "seasoned" veterans of the networking industry. Can you imagine if service providers took the same attitude so many of us veterans have by not following the rules defined by the protocol? None of our packets would would leave our cable modems! Please let us stop being so lazy and enable the protocols and treat them for what they were defined for. You eggheads please do not send me some crazy comments attempting to prove the protocol wrong, please read the rules and definitions of Spanning-tree basics. If someone can prove why it should not be enabled I am all ears. Please inform instead of marginalize and castigate. The inquisitions were over in the medieval ages. Please step into the modern world.

Thank you.