Bridge your way to LAN expansion

Bridges play an important role in data communications networks. Because LANs are limited in the distance that the media can be strung through a building, we use bridges between LAN segments to efficiently and cost-effectively overcome this geographical restriction. This sample chapter from IP Routing Protocols: RIP, OSPF, BGP, PNNI and Cisco Routing Protocols explains how bridges interconnect LANs, with a focus on learning and spanning tree bridges, which perform many of their operations automatically. The chapter looks at examples of how the LLC protocol, configured with the type 2 option, is accommodated in a wide area internet. The chapter also explains the operations of a bridge that connects LANs on a point-to-point link to WANs, known as a half-bridge.

Title: IP Routing Protocols: RIP, OSPF, BGP, PNNI and Cisco Routing Protocols
ISBN: 0130142484
Published: February 2000
Author: Ulysses Black
Chapter: Chapter 4: Bridges
Published by Prentice Hall