Bridging and Switching Basics (2)
Types of bridges
- local and remote
- MAC-layer bridges (Media Access Control) - bridge between homogeneous networks
- LLC-layer bridges (Logical Link Control) - can bridge between for example Ethernet and Token Ring
Switching - replace bridges and complements routers
Switches
- are faster because they switch in hardware based on MAC addresses
- support higher port densities than bridges
- reduce collisions (provide dedicated bandwidth)