Znyx Networks bh5700 manual Brctl8, Brctl Bridge and Spanning Tree Protocol administration

brctl(8)

NAME

brctl - Bridge and Spanning Tree Protocol administration.

SYNOPSIS

brctl [options]

DESCRIPTION

brctl is used to set up, maintain, and display the bridge configuration in the Linux kernel. brctl is a standard command included with Linux bridge support which includes Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) support.

A bridge is a device commonly used to connect different networks together, so that these networks will appear as one network to the participants.

Each of the networks being connected corresponds to one physical interface, or port in the bridge. These individual networks are bundled into one bigger logical network. This bigger network corresponds to the bridge network interface.

Multiple bridges can work together to create even larger networks using the IEEE 802.1d Spanning Tree Protocol and 802.1w Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol. This protocol is used for finding the shortest path between two networks as well as eliminating loops from the topology. Bridges communicate with each other by sending and receiving Bridge Protocol Data Units (BPDUs).

brctl(8) can be used for configuring certain spanning tree protocol parameters. For an explanation of these parameters, see the IEEE 802.1d specification for detailed information.

OPTIONS

show shows all current bridges.

showbr <bridge>

shows information for the bridge and its attached ports. Check the priority using this command.

showmacs <bridge>

shows a list of learned MAC addresses for the bridge.

setgcint <bridge> <time>

sets the garbage collection interval for the bridge to <time> seconds. This means that the bridge will check the forwarding database for timed out entries every <time> seconds.

stp <bridge> <state>

controls this bridge's participation in the Spanning Tree Protocol. <state> can be “off” or “on”. When turned off, the

Ethernet Switch Blade User's Guide release 3.2.2j page 263