Virtualization technologies currently require Layer 2 Ethernet connectivity to function properly. With the increased use of these types of technologies in data centers and now even across data center locations, organizations are shifting from a highly scalable Layer 3 network model to a highly scalable Layer 2 model. What? How can this be? This shift is causing changes in the technologies used to manage large layer 2 environments, including migration away from Spanning Tree Protocol as a primary loop management technology toward new technologies such vPC and Data Center Ethernet. Robert Starmer is a Cisco Data Center Switching Engineer, he joins Robb and Jimmy Ray on set to explain and demonstrate exactly how the technology works. Less