Cabletron Systems 7C04-R User Manual

6-1

A brief explanation of bridging methods; a tour of the Bridge Traffic View; using the Detail View; 
monitoring bridge operation; using the Filtering Database; configuring bridge operating parameters; 
setting forwarding thresholds, statistics, and notification options; setting polling parameters; enabling 
and disabling bridge interfaces

The SPECTRUM Portable Management Application (SPMA) Bridge View 
presents a series of windows that describe the bridging services available via the 
modules installed in your 7C0x SmartSwitch chassis. You can monitor bridge 
activity and performance and manage bridge configuration through the Bridge 
Traffic View and other related windows. 

Bridges are used in local area networks to connect two or more network segments 
and to control the flow of packets between the segments. Ideally, bridges forward 
packets to another network segment only when necessary. Bridges are also used 
to increase the fault tolerance in a local area network by creating redundant 
bridge paths between network segments. This is so that in the event of a bridge or 
bridge segment failure, an alternate bridge path will be available to network 
traffic, without significant interruption to its flow. 

The method a bridge uses to forward packets, choose a bridge path, and ensure 
that a sending station’s messages take only one bridge path depends on the 
bridge’s type: Transparent or Source Routing. This chapter describes viewing and 
configuration options related to Transparent bridges.