User Guide

Table Of Contents
Bridge GUI Guide: Network Configuration
47
In Fortress Bridges equipped with any number of radios, the
standard-equipment Radio 1 is a dual-band 802.11a/g (or
802.11a/g/n) radio. Radio 1’s
802.11g capability typically
indicates its use to provide wireless access to devices within
range.
You can configure the Bridge's network interfaces to meet
various deployment and security requirements. Ethernet port
configuration is covered in Section 3.7. Creating and
configuring radio interfaces are described in Section 3.3.4
(BSS interfaces) and Section 3.3.5 (WLAN client interfaces).
3.2 Bridging Configuration
NOTE: FastPath
Mesh
and STP
Bridging Modes are in-
compatible with the
Bridge’s VLAN func-
tion (Section 3.9).
Each Bridge can maintain simultaneous network links with up
to fifty other Bridges, so that up to fifty-one directly linked
Fortress Bridges can be present on a given network. Many
more Bridges can belong to a more widely deployed mesh
network encompassing nodes linked indirectly through other
nodes.
Networked radios must:
use the same radio frequency band (Section 3.3.2.2)
be set to the same channel (Section 3.3.2.3)
The BSSs that comprise the network must:
be enabled for bridging (Section 3.3.4.3)
be configured with the same SSID (Section 3.3.4.2)
Wireless bridging links must be formed over Fortress-secured
interfaces. When a BSS’s
Wireless Bridge setting is Enabled,
the BSS’s
Fortress Security setting is automatically fixed on
Enabled, the Wi-Fi Security setting is automatically fixed on
Disabled, and the fields are greyed out (refer to Section
3.3.4.3).
When licensed to do so, the Bridge can manage bridging links
and route network traffic using Fortress’s FastPath Mesh (FP
Mesh) tactical mobile networking. Alternatively, Spanning Tree
Protocol (STP) can be used for mesh link management without
a license.
Both protocols enable the deployment of self-forming, self-
healing secure networks, and both prevent bridging loops while
providing path redundancy.
STP prevents network loops by selectively shutting down some
mesh network links.
FastPath Mesh maintains the availability of every mesh
connection and additionally provides optimal path routing of
network traffic, along with independent IPv6 mesh addressing
and DNS (Domain Name System) distribution functions to