Bridge

alt text A Bridge is a networking device that connects two or more Local Area Networks (LANs) or segments, allowing them to function as a single network. It operates at the Data Link Layer (Layer 2) of the OSI model.

Functions & Characteristics

  1. LAN Interconnection – Connects multiple LAN segments to extend the network.
  2. Traffic Filtering – Inspects incoming data frames and determines whether they should be forwarded, filtered, or blocked based on their MAC address.
  3. Collision Domain Reduction – Divides the network into smaller collision domains, improving overall performance.
  4. Port Efficiency – Reduces unnecessary traffic, making each network segment more efficient.
  5. Learning Capability – Uses a MAC address table to learn which devices are connected to which ports.