Layer 2 Network Discovery

When to Use This Skill

Expert knowledge for Layer 2 network topology discovery and neighbor detection, operating below the IP layer for direct link-level visibility.

Core Expertise

Layer 2 vs Layer 3 Discovery

Why L2 matters:

• Operates without IP routing - works on isolated networks
• Reveals physical topology (which port connects where)
• Identifies network equipment (switches, routers, phones)
• No firewall interference - L2 frames aren't filtered like IP packets

LLDP/CDP Topology Discovery

lldpd Overview

lldpd is an IEEE 802.1AB (LLDP) implementation that also supports:

• CDP - Cisco Discovery Protocol
• EDP - Extreme Discovery Protocol
• FDP - Foundry Discovery Protocol
• SONMP - SynOptics Network Management Protocol

Architecture:

• lldpd - Daemon that sends/receives LLDP frames
• lldpcli - CLI to query daemon and configure settings

Installation

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install lldpd

# macOS (for development/testing)
brew install lldpd

# Start daemon
sudo systemctl enable --now lldpd

Essential lldpcli Commands

# Show discovered neighbors (most common)
lldpcli show neighbors

# Detailed neighbor info with all TLVs
lldpcli show neighbors details

# Show local chassis information
lldpcli show chassis

# Show interface statistics
lldpcli show statistics

# Show all interfaces lldpd is monitoring
lldpcli show interfaces

# Show running configuration
lldpcli show configuration

Neighbor Output Interpretation

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LLDP neighbors:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interface:    eth0, via: LLDP, RID: 1, Time: 0 day, 00:05:32
  Chassis:
    ChassisID:    mac 00:1a:2b:3c:4d:5e
    SysName:      switch-core-01
    SysDescr:     Cisco IOS Software, C3750 Software
    MgmtIP:       10.0.0.1
    Capability:   Bridge, on
    Capability:   Router, off
  Port:
    PortID:       ifname GigabitEthernet0/1
    PortDescr:    Server Room Rack A
    TTL:          120
  VLAN:        100, pvid: yes

Key fields:

• ChassisID - Unique switch identifier (usually MAC)
• SysName - Switch hostname
• PortID/PortDescr - Which port you're connected to
• VLAN - VLAN assignment on that port

Configuration

# Enable CDP reception (for Cisco environments)
lldpcli configure lldp portidsubtype ifname
lldpcli configure cdp status rx-only

# Set system description
lldpcli configure system description "Application Server"

# Set interface description
lldpcli configure ports eth0 lldp portdescription "Primary uplink"

# Disable LLDP on specific interface
lldpcli configure ports eth1 lldp status disabled

Configuration file: /etc/lldpd.conf or /etc/lldpd.d/*.conf

# /etc/lldpd.conf
configure system description "Production Web Server"
configure lldp portidsubtype ifname
configure cdp status rx-only

ARP Scanning for Host Discovery

arp-scan-rs

Fast, Rust-based ARP scanner for local network host discovery.

# Install
cargo install arp-scan

# Basic scan (default interface)
arp-scan -l

# Specify interface
arp-scan -i en0 -l

# Scan specific subnet
arp-scan -i eth0 192.168.1.0/24

# Fast profile (less accuracy, more speed)
arp-scan -p fast -l

# Stealth profile (slower, harder to detect)
arp-scan -p stealth -l

# JSON output for parsing
arp-scan -l --json

# Show only responding hosts
arp-scan -l --alive-only

Scan Profiles

Output Parsing

# Get IPs only
arp-scan -l --json | jq -r '.hosts[].ip'

# Get MAC addresses
arp-scan -l --json | jq -r '.hosts[] | "\(.ip) \(.mac)"'

# Count discovered hosts
arp-scan -l --json | jq '.hosts | length'

arping - Single Host Probe

arping sends ARP requests to a specific host - useful for:

• Checking if host is alive at L2 when ICMP is blocked
• Detecting IP conflicts (multiple responses)
• Waking hosts from sleep states

# Basic ARP ping
arping 192.168.1.1

# Specify source interface
arping -I eth0 192.168.1.1

# Count of requests
arping -c 3 192.168.1.1

# Timeout in seconds
arping -w 5 192.168.1.1

# Duplicate address detection mode
arping -D 192.168.1.100

Common Patterns

Discover Network Topology

# 1. Find all hosts on local segment
arp-scan -l --json > /tmp/hosts.json

# 2. Check LLDP neighbors for switch info
lldpcli show neighbors

# 3. Correlate: which switch port serves which host
lldpcli show neighbors | grep -A 10 "Interface:"

Identify Unknown Devices

# Get MAC vendor info (arp-scan-rs includes OUI database)
arp-scan -l

# Sample output includes vendor:
# 192.168.1.50    00:11:32:xx:xx:xx    Synology Inc.
# 192.168.1.51    dc:a6:32:xx:xx:xx    Raspberry Pi

Check Physical Port Assignment

# On the server, see which switch port you're connected to
lldpcli show neighbors | grep -E "(Interface|PortID|PortDescr)"

Monitor for New Neighbors

# Watch for LLDP changes
watch -n 30 'lldpcli show neighbors'

# Log neighbor events
journalctl -u lldpd -f

Scripted Topology Export

# Export neighbors as JSON (requires lldpd 1.0+)
lldpcli show neighbors -f json

# Parse with jq
lldpcli show neighbors -f json | jq '.lldp.interface[] | {
  local_if: .name,
  remote_chassis: .chassis[].name[].value,
  remote_port: .port[].id[].value
}'

Agentic Optimizations

Quick Reference

arp-scan-rs Flags

lldpcli Commands

arping Flags

Troubleshooting

lldpd Not Receiving Neighbors

# Check daemon is running
systemctl status lldpd

# Verify interface is being monitored
lldpcli show interfaces

# Check for blocked frames (some switches filter LLDP)
tcpdump -i eth0 ether proto 0x88cc

# Ensure interface is up
ip link show eth0

arp-scan Permission Denied

# ARP scanning requires raw socket access
sudo arp-scan -l

# Or grant capability
sudo setcap cap_net_raw+ep $(which arp-scan)

No ARP Responses

# Verify you're on the same L2 segment
ip route get 192.168.1.1

# Check for ARP blocking (rare)
ip neigh show

# Try arping for single-host debugging
arping -c 3 192.168.1.1

Requirements

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install lldpd arping

# macOS
brew install lldpd arping

# arp-scan-rs (all platforms)
cargo install arp-scan