Cabletron Systems SmartSwitch manual Chapter Bridging Configuration Guide, Bridging Overview

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.

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