Setup guide

Summary
MAC level bridging of Ethernet, Ethernet over IP (EoIP), Prism, Atheros and RadioLAN interfaces
are supported. All 802.11b and 802.11a client wireless interfaces (both ad-hoc and infrastructure
or station modes) do not support this because of the limitations of 802.11 - it is possible to bridge
over them using the Ethernet over IP protocol (please see documentation on EoIP).
For preventing loops in a network, you can use the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP). This protocol
also makes redundant paths possible.
Features include:
• Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
• Multiple bridge interfaces
• Bridge associations on a per interface basis
• Protocol can be selected to be forwarded or discarded
• MAC address table can be monitored in real time
• IP address assignment for router access
• Bridge interfaces can be firewalled
Quick Setup Guide
To put interface ether1 and ether2 in a bridge.
1. Add a bridge interface, called MyBridge:
/interface bridge add name="MyBridge" disabled=no
2. Add ether1 and ether2 to MyBridge interface:
/interface bridge port set ether1,ether2 bridge=MyBridge
Specifications
Packages required:
system
License required: level4
interface bridge
Standards and Technologies: Media Access Control, IEEE801.1D
Hardware usage: Not significant
Related Documents
• Package Management
• IP Addresses and ARP
• EoIP
• Firewall Filters
Description
Ethernet-like networks (Ethernet, Ethernet over IP, IEEE802.11 Wireless interfaces in AP mode)
can be connected together using MAC Bridges. The bridge feature allows the interconnection of
stations connected to separate LANs (using EoIP, geographically distributed networks can be
bridged as well if any kind of IP network interconnection exists between them) as if they were
attached to a single LAN. As bridges are transparent, they do not appear in traceroute list, and no
utility can make a distinction between a host working in one LAN and a host working in another
LAN if these LANs are bridged (depending on the way the LANs are interconnected, latency and