CDP sends packets on LANs using the multicast address 0100.0CCC.CCCC
From Cisco's web site: "CDP is a media- and protocol-independent protocol that runs on all Cisco-manufactured equipment including routers, bridges, access and communication servers, and switches. Using CDP, you can view information about all the Cisco devices directly attached to the Catalyst 5000 series switch. CDP enables network management applications to dynamically discover Cisco devices that are neighbors of already known devices, in particular neighbors running lower-layer, transparent protocols. CDP runs on all media that support Subnetwork Access Protocol (SNAP), including LAN and Frame Relay. CDP runs over the data link layer only, not the network layer. Therefore, two systems that support different network layer protocols can learn about each other."
As a media-independent protocol, there is no associated ethernet frame type,
Each device configured for CDP sends periodic messages, known as advertisements, to a multicast address. Each device advertises at least one address at which it can receive SNMP messages. The advertisements also contain time-to-live, or holdtime, information, which indicates the length of time a receiving device should hold CDP information before discarding it. Each device also listens to the periodic CDP messages sent by others in order to learn about neighboring devices and determine when their interfaces to the media go up or down.
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/ios/12_0t/12_0t3/feature/guide/cdpadds.html
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/lan/trsrb/frames.htm#xtocid842812
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/lan/trsrb2/cisnm.htm#xtocid181346
