3Com 3C840 manual Configuring Bridging

5

CONFIGURING BRIDGING

Introduction	This chapter contains information on configuring bridging for the
	OfficeConnect Remote 840. If you need more information on the
	difference between Bridging and Routing, and which one is best for your
	needs, see Appendix A,“Bridging and Routing”.
	■	“Overview”
	■ “Configuring Bridging for the LAN”
	■ “Configuring Bridging for the Remote Site Connections”
	■	“Bridging IP Traffic”
	■	“MAC-Encapsulated Routing”
	■	“Bridge Firewall”
	■	“Advanced Bridging Options”
	■	“Default Bridge Mode”
	■	“Monitoring Bridging”
	■	“Testing Bridging”
Overview	A bridge connects two or more LANs together at Layer 2 (data link) of

the ISO-OSI 7 layer model. A learning bridge links networks, but also separates network traffic and forwards only the packets that need to be forwarded based on Media Access Control (MAC) address.

The OfficeConnect Remote 840 can be configured as a learning bridge.

Bridges separate traffic by examining the MAC addresses contained in data packets. MAC addresses uniquely identify each machine attached to a network segment. A data packet is not forwarded to another segment if its destination MAC address resides on the same segment as its source.