Bridging
2.The receiving bridges append their own route information to the Route Information Field (RIF) in the MAC frame header and transmit the frame again.
3.Eventually, the original source device receives all of the ARE replies from the other end stations on the network.
4.From this information, the source device can determine a desired route for each frame it transmits.
Spanning Tree Algorithm
The
Spanning Tree Algorithm is a hierarchy (or tree) of priorities that bridges establish between themselves. This hierarchy guarantees that primary and redundant data paths are clearly defined at all times, so that the network is continuously available to users.
In a multiple bridge environment, one bridge in the network establishes itself as the root bridge. As the root, this bridge has priority over all other bridges. In a Spanning Tree, all of the bridges must determine which bridge is the root, and then determine their own relative priority within the network.