CS 1302
Data Communications &
Networking
BRIDGES
Introduction
LAN may need to cover more distance than the
media can handle effectively, or
Number of stations may be too great for efficient
frame delivery or management of the network
An internetwork or internet is two or more
networks connected for exchanging resources
Common devices used: repeaters, bridges,
routers and gateways
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16.1 Connecting Devices
Five types:
Repeaters
Hubs
Bridges
Two- and three-layer switches
Repeaters and hubs – layer one of Internet model
Bridges and two-layer switches – first two layers
Routers and three-layer switches – first three
layers
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Connecting Devices
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Repeaters
Operate only in physical layer
Connects two segments of the same LAN
Both segments must be of the same protocol
Only forwards frames; does not filter
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Repeaters
Solves attenuation issues by extending the
physical length of the network
Receives signal before too weak or corrupted,
regenerates the original pattern, sends a
refreshed copy
Positioned so signal reaches it before any noise
changes the meaning of the bits
Does not amplify; creates a copy, bit for bit, at the
original strength
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Hubs
Actually a multiport repeater
Connects stations in a physical star topology
Also may create multiple levels of hierarchy to remove
length limitation of 10Base-T
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Bridges
Operate in both physical and data link layers
Used to divide a network into smaller segments
May also relay frames between separate LANs
Keeps traffic from each segment separate; useful
for controlling congestion and provides isolation,
as well as security
Checks address of frame and only forwards to
segment to which address belongs
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Bridges
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Function of a Bridge
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Transparent Bridges & Learning
Bridges
Builds table by examining destination and source
address of each packet it receives
Learning bridges
If address not recognized, packet is relayed to all
stations
Stations respond and bridge updates routing table
with segment and station ID info
Changes on the network are updated as they occur
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Learning Bridges
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Spanning Tree
Redundant bridges may be installed to provide
reliability
To prevent infinite looping of packets between
bridges, a spanning tree algorithm is used to
identify any redundant paths
Path with lowest cost will be identified and used
as the primary route that communications will be
routed through; in the event of blocking or bridge
failure, secondary routes may be used
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Source Routing
Sender of packet defines bridges and routes that
packet should take
Complete path of bridge IDs and destination
address is defined within the frame
Bridge routing table is not used
Designed to be used with Token Ring LANs
Not as common today
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Issues with Bridges Connecting
Different LANs
Frame format – differences in frame structure,
fields used (e.g. Ethernet to Token Ring)
Payload size – size of data encapsulated in the
frame may differ
Data rates – differences in data rates supported by
different protocols; buffering may be necessary
Address bit order – differs between protocols
Other – differences in handling ACKs, collisions,
priority, security, multimedia support, etc.
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Two-Layer Switch
Performs at the physical and data link layer
A bridge with many ports designed for faster
performance
Allocates unique port to each station
No competing traffic
Routers and three-layer switches covered later
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19.2 Backbone Networks
Allows several LANs to be connected
No station is directly connected to the backbone
Stations are part of a LAN and the backbone is a
LAN itself
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Bus Backbone
Topology is a bus
Used in networks such as 10Base5 or 10Base2
Normally used to connect different buildings or to connect
multiple floors within a single building
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Star Backbone
Collapsed or switched backbone
Backbone is just one switch that connects LANs
Used as distribution backbone inside a building
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Connecting Remote LANs
Remote bridges acting as connecting devices to connect
LANs and point-to-point networks, such as leased
telephone lines or ADSL lines
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16.3 Virtual LANs
Local area network configured by software, not by
physical wiring
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Virtual LANs
Divides a LAN into logical, instead of physical,
segments
No need to change a physical configuration if
changes in workgroups are necessary
Even allows grouping of stations connected to
different switches in a VLAN
Supports broadcast domains, just as if stations
belong to the same physical segment
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Switches in a VLAN Backbone
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VLAN Membership
May be classified by
Switch port numbers
MAC addresses
IP addresses
IP multicast addresses
Combination of two or more
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VLAN Configuration
Manual – network admin manually assigns
stations to VLANs at setup and in migration
Automatic – stations are automatically connected
and disconnected based on criteria defined by
admin
Semiautomatic – initialization may be done
manually, with migrations automatically
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Communication Between Switches
Must know which station belongs to which VLAN
as well as membership of stations connected to
other switches
Tables may be updated by broadcast frames and
may be periodically sent amongst switches
Frame tagging may be used to define the
destination VLAN
TDM may be used to segment channels for each
VLAN
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Advantages of VLANs
Cost and time reduction in moving stations from
one group to another
Creation of virtual workgroups
Security
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