Cabletron Systems 2.2 manual Bridging

Bridging

¥The Spanning Tree window shows bridge port information and protocol parameters relating to the Spanning Tree AlgorithmÑthe method of determining the controlling bridge when a series of bridges are placed in parallel; see Spanning Tree, page 2-34,for details.

¥With the Filtering Database window, you can see the contents of the Static and Learned databasesÑthe two address databases which construct the IEEE 802.1 Source Address Table. The bridge uses the contents of these databases to make its packet Þltering and forwarding decisions. You can conÞgure entries in these databases to increase bridging efÞciency across your network. See Filtering Database, page 2-41, for details.

¥The Ethernet Special Filter Database and Token Ring Special Filter Database windows let you conÞgure special Þltering schemes. With these schemes, you can enter Þlter parameters for a frame based on the contents of its source or destination address Þeld, type Þeld, or data Þeld (with offset)Ñthen specify the bridging action to take place at each port when a frame matching your speciÞcations is encountered (see Special Filter Databases, page 2-47).

¥The I/F ConÞguration port-level menu option invokes the Interface ConÞguration window, which allows you to select a bridging method for a Token Ring bridging interface. This window also allows you to select one of three transmission methods that should be used when unknown addresses are received from end stations attached to the selected bridge port. See Using the Novell Translation Window, page 2-97, for details.

¥The Source Route ConÞguration option enables you to conÞgure source routed trafÞc passing between bridge ports; see Source Route ConÞguration, page 2-57, for details.

¥The Bridge ConÞguration option allows you to set address and routing information for all interfaces on a Token Ring bridging device, including the Bridge Number and the Virtual Ring Number. It also allows you to set source route bridging parameters at the device level. See Using the Token Ring Bridge and Port ConÞguration Windows, page 2-65, for details.

¥The Port ConÞguration option allows you to view the address and routing information for an individual Token Ring bridging interface. This window displays information that is set at the device level via the Bridge ConÞguration window, such as the Bridge Number and the Virtual Ring Number. It also allows you to set source route bridging parameters for that port. See Using the Token Ring Bridge and Port ConÞguration Windows, page 2-65, for details.

¥The Duplex Modes window lists each interface on your device and whether or not it is operating in Full Duplex mode. The window allows you to switch full duplex mode on and off for each interface on the device. Full Duplex Switched Ethernet (FDSE) mode allows the interface to transmit and receive information simultaneously, effectively doubling the available bandwidth. See Using the Token Ring Bridge and Port ConÞguration Windows, page 2-65, for details.

2-6 Viewing and Managing Bridging Interfaces