Managing Network Datalinks in Oracle® Solaris 11.2

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Updated: September 2014
 
 

How a Bridged Network Works

When a packet is received by the bridge, its source address is examined. The source address of the packet associates the node from which the packet was sent with the link on which it is received. Thereafter, when a received packet uses that same address as the destination address, the bridge forwards the packet over the link to that address.

The link that is associated with a source address might be an intermediate link that is connected to another bridge in the bridged network. Over time, all of the bridges within the bridged network “learn” which of the links sends a packet toward a given node. Therefore, destination address of the packet is used to direct the packet to its final destination by means of hop-by-hop bridging.

A local “link-down” notification indicates that all nodes on a given link are no longer reachable. In this situation, packet forwarding to the link is halted and all forwarding entries over the link are flushed. Older forwarding entries are also flushed over time. When a link is restored, packets that are received over the link are treated as new. The learning process begins again, based on the source address of a packet. This process enables the bridge to properly forward packets over that link when the address is used as the destination address.