Explain Bridging

Question

Give a brief introduction of the term Bridging?

Answer 1

Bridging is a forwarding method employed in packet-switched computer networks. Unlike routing, bridging creates no assumptions about where in a network a specific address is located. Instead, it based on flooding and examination of source addresses into the received packet headers to locate unidentified devices. Once a device has been located, its location is recorded in a table where the MAC address is stored so as to prevent the requirement for other broadcasting. The usefulness of bridging is limited through its dependence on flooding, and is therefore only employed in local area networks.

Bridging commonly refers to learning bridging or transparent bridge operation that dominates in Ethernet. Any other form of bridging, Source route bridging, was created for token ring networks.
A network bridge connects numerous network segments at the data link layer (or Layer 2) of the OSI model. In Ethernet networks, the word bridge formally states a device which behaves according to the IEEE 802.1 D standards. A bridge and switch are extremely much similar; a switch being a bridge with several ports. Switch or Layer 2 switch is often employed interchangeably with bridge.

Bridges are same to network or repeaters hubs, devices which connect network segments at the physical layer (or Layer 1) of the OSI model; but, with bridging, traffic from one network is managed rather than basically rebroadcast to adjacent network segments. Bridges are much complex than hubs or repeaters. Bridges can analyze incoming data packets to determine if the bridge is capable to send the given packet to any other segment of the network.