Ethernet Bridging Features
The KarlBridge is the core of all of KarlNet's products,
and is equipped with advanced filtering features as well
as standard Ethernet bridging.
The KarlBridge can filter and forward packets at full
100 Mbps. As an 802.1d compliant transparent learning
bridge, it builds a table of Ethernet addresses as it
learns which network nodes (computers) are connected to
each of its interfaces. Once the bridge learns that a
particular node is connected to one of its interfaces,
then it will route Ethernet packets appropriately. Since
it is a transparent bridge, the KarlBridge forwards (passes)
Ethernet packets of any protocol (i.e. Novell IPX, Apple
Talk, IP, LAN Manager, etc). Protocol
filtering is also available in our standard KarlBridge
systems.
The KarlBridge is an intelligent bridge, and will not
forward a packet destined for a specific Ethernet address
(a unicast packet) if the packet can reach its destination
without the bridge forwarding it. This prevents the network
from being needlessly saturated with packets that have
already reached their destination. Broadcast and Multicast
packets are forwarded unconditionally, although they may
also be filtered using the KarlBridge's MAC
address filters. Spanning
Tree is also supported.
All of KarlNet's products are available with any of the
features listed below. Click on any feature for a detailed
description.
Standard Bridging Features:
Protocol Filtering:
