Hi
A bridge will forward any packet that hits it, <...>
Nope, by definition a bridge will only forward packets to the subnet where the destination is listening. A repeater would forward any traffic.
Right, but AFAIK a bridge knows nothing about (IP-) subnets but only about (Ethernet) Segments which might be coincident. A bridge only looks at Ethernet headers, only a router looks at IP headers.
True, but a bridge or (layer 2) switch still performs routing. On level 2, yes, but that's still routing. The algorithms are typically different between layer 2 (spanning tree) and layer 3 (distance vector, OSPF, etc.), but routing can be and is performed on both layers.
But these days most "real" devices are mixtures of both.
Really? My impression is that 'layer 3 switches' are still pretty new. They're being pushed, yes, but I presume that they're still quite a bit more expensive than pure layer 2 managed switches (with VLAN abilities, perhaps), which in turn cost more than unmanaged switches and those more than hubs (multi-port repeaters). Cheers Tobias
Can we please kill this thread as what is being discussed is not security related (it can be, but since we're not dicussing it that way, it's offtopic). You might want to buy a basic networking book or try the excellent documentation online at various sites such as ldp.org. This list is quite busy enough as is. Kurt
True, but a bridge or (layer 2) switch still performs routing. On level 2, yes, but that's still routing. The algorithms are typically different between layer 2 (spanning tree) and layer 3 (distance vector, OSPF, etc.), but routing can be and is performed on both layers.
Definition: Bridging is 'Routing' on ISO-OSI layer 2. ;-) Tschoe, Holger ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Holger van Lengerich paderLinx - Neue Informationsmedien GmbH Diplom-Informatiker Cheruskerstrasse 2b, 33102 Paderborn Holger.van.Lengerich@paderlinx.de Fon: +49 5251 8994 - 16 Fax: -20 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Definition: Bridging is 'Routing' on ISO-OSI layer 2. ;-)
Nope. Bridging is forwarding packages on layer 2 using only the MAC-addresses. Routing is forwarding packages on layer 3 using the MAC-Address of the next router (or receiver) AND checking the destination-IP-Address to find the best route in the memory to this destination. Of course your definition is partly correct, but not really right. BTW: Agree to Kurt... is this threat really necessary on this list ? --- Stephan
participants (4)
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Holger van Lengerich -
Kurt Seifried -
OKDesign oHG Security Webmaster -
Reckhard, Tobias