ZyXEL Communications Prestige 480 - Manual (Page 117)

Prestige 480 Dual BRI ISDN Router
Bridging Setup 7-1
Chapter 7
Bridging Setup
This chapter shows you how to configure the bridging parameters of your Prestige.
7.1 Bridging in General
Bridging bases the forwarding decision on the MAC (Media Access Control), or hardware address, while
routing does it on the network layer (IP or IPX) address. Bridging allows the Prestige to transport packets of
network layer protocols that the Prestige does not route, e.g., SNA, from one network to another. The caveat
is that, compared to routing, bridging generates more traffic for the same network layer protocol and it also
demands more CPU cycles and memory.
For efficiency reason, do not turn on bridging unless you need to support protocols other than IP and IPX on
your network. For IP and IPX, enable the respective routing if you need it; do not bridge what the Prestige
can route.
7.2 Bridge Ethernet Setup
Basically, all non-local packets are bridged to the WAN; however, your Prestige applies special handling for
certain IPX packets to reduce the number of calls, depending on the setting of the Handle IPX field.
From Menu 3 - Ethernet Setup, enter option Bridge Setup and Menu 3.4 - Bridge Ethernet Setup
displays as shown next.
Menu 3.4 - Bridge Ethernet Setup
Handle IPX= Client
Press ENTER to CONFIRM or ESC to CANCEL:
Press Space Bar to Toggle.