.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 ================= Ethernet Bridging ================= Introduction ============ The IEEE 802.1Q-2022 (Bridges and Bridged Networks) standard defines the operation of bridges in computer networks. A bridge, in the context of this standard, is a device that connects two or more network segments and operates at the data link layer (Layer 2) of the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model. The purpose of a bridge is to filter and forward frames between different segments based on the destination MAC (Media Access Control) address. FAQ === What does a bridge do? ---------------------- A bridge transparently forwards traffic between multiple network interfaces. In plain English this means that a bridge connects two or more physical Ethernet networks, to form one larger (logical) Ethernet network. Is it L3 protocol independent? ------------------------------ Yes. The bridge sees all frames, but it *uses* only L2 headers/information. As such, the bridging functionality is protocol independent, and there should be no trouble forwarding IPX, NetBEUI, IP, IPv6, etc. Contact Info ============ The code is currently maintained by Roopa Prabhu and Nikolay Aleksandrov . Bridge bugs and enhancements are discussed on the linux-netdev mailing list netdev@vger.kernel.org and bridge@lists.linux-foundation.org. The list is open to anyone interested: http://vger.kernel.org/vger-lists.html#netdev External Links ============== The old Documentation for Linux bridging is on: https://wiki.linuxfoundation.org/networking/bridge