There are two kinds of communications mode in IEC 61850 standard, including client/server communication(C/S) and peer-to-peer(P2P) communication, the latter is also called horizontal communication. As a highlight of IEC 61850, the generic object-oriented substation event(GOOSE) employs P2P mode and many other new communication technology and network technology, which make it possible for many brand-new applications in substation. Some issues regarding the GOOSE protocol and its application are researched, such as the virtual local area network(VLAN) configuration, time testing and auxiliary test tools.