NEXPEED NR304G-4W User’s Manual
NexComm Systems, Inc. 29 PAGE
Note1:
Routing offers advantages over bridging :
- It limits broadcasts to the local LAN segment.
- It limits the protocols that are routed beyond the LAN segment.
- Routed protocols allow networks to grow as large as needed.
- It can provide certain protocol suites(such as RIP,NAT,ARP...) are associated protocols
for routing and provide functions(such as IP filters) for managed traffic flow.
Note2:
Performance Issue :
Be aware that bridges examine all packets on the LAN, so they incur greater processor
and memory overhead than do routers. On heavily loaded networks, the increased
overhead can result in slower performance. From a practical point of view, you should
always route if possible, as routing is more efficient. Bridging is necessary when you
cannot subnet your IP network, and when you need to use non-routable protocols.
Operation Mode
Each interface can operate as one of the following tree mode, based on configuration settings.
Routing-Only Mode : routing is active, bridging is not active
The interface can be configured to perform general routing operation. When only IP
traffic is to be routed and all other protocol traffic is to be ignored. In general, when you
set the IP (including “IP unnumbered”) in the interface, routing is automatically active.
Bridging-Only Mode : routing is not active, bridging is active
The interface can be configured to perform general bridging operation. Allows all
protocols, such as NetBEUI to be bridged. When you set up this mode,
routing
must be
turned to
“disable”
. If not, because the interface is configured as routing and bridging
mode, the IP packets are not outgoing to be bridged.
Note:
In this mode, an IP address for the interface is not positively necessary. But if you
wan to control the router remotely, the IP should be set in the LAN interface. Also, the
remote control of the router via the Internet requires that a default gateway be set.
