SmartSwitch Router User Reference Manual 21
Chapter 3
Bridging
Configuration
Guide
Bridging Overview
The SmartSwitch Router provides the following bridging functions:
• Compliance with the IEEE 802.1d standard
• Compliance with the IGMP multicast bridging standard
• Wire-speed address-based bridging or flow-based bridging
• Ability to logically segment a transparently bridged network into virtual local-area
networks (VLANs), based on physical ports or protocol (IP or IPX or bridged protocols
like Appletalk)
• Frame filtering based on MAC address for bridged and multicast traffic
• Integrated routing and bridging, which supports bridging of intra-VLAN traffic and
routing of inter-VLAN traffic
Spanning Tree (IEEE 802.1d)
Spanning tree (IEEE 802.1d) allows bridges to dynamically discover a subset of the
topology that is loop-free. In addition, the loop-free tree that is discovered contains paths
to every LAN segment.