Overview

The Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) is a vendor-neutral Layer 2 protocol that allows network devices to advertise their identities and capabilities to neighbors on a local Ethernet network. In a routing environment, LLDP is essential for mapping physical topology and troubleshooting cabling issues without needing physical access to the rack.

Configuration

• Enable LLDP to start a discovery

Clicking on Status, redirects to a page where the following options can be viewed

Neighbor Discovery

This is the most common command used to see what is physically plugged into your interfaces.

Details: Displays the System Name, Chassis ID (MAC), Port ID, and Capabilities (Router, Bridge, etc.) of connected devices.

Interface Status

Use this to verify which local ports are actively participating in LLDP.

Details: Shows the status of local ports, including whether they are currently administrative "up" and sending discovery packets.

Local System Info

Displays how the EC identifies itself to the rest of the network.

Details: Provides the local Chassis ID, System Name, and System Description (e.g., kernel version and hardware model like BPI-R4).

Performance Metrics

Essential for troubleshooting packet loss or protocol mismatches.

Details: Tracks the number of LLDP frames sent, received, discarded, or unrecognized. High discard rates may indicate a mismatched TLV (Type-Length-Value) configuration.

Active Configuration

Displays the global settings currently applied to the LLDP daemon.

Details: Shows global timers (transmit delay, hold time) and which optional TLVs (like Management IP or System Power) are enabled for broadcast.

Current State or Running Configuration

Provides a comprehensive view of the active, in-memory settings.

Details: This outputs the current operational parameters, reflecting any changes made during the current session before they are committed to a permanent config file.