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Operation
Source Route Bridging
Source Route Bridging operates by transmitting frames over a designated route.
Unlike Transparent Bridging, all devices in a Source Route Bridged (SRB) network
“know” the locations of other stations within the network. Using a portion of the
MAC frame header known as the RIF (Routing Information Field), the source
device determines the route for the frames it sends.
In order for source routing to work, the source station must determine the proper
route to reach the desired destination. To accomplish this:
1. The source station sends out frames called All Route Explorer (ARE) or Single
Route Explorer (SRE) frames onto the network. All Source Route Bridges
recognize these frames and forwards them to their outbound ports.
2. The receiving bridges append their own route information to the Route
Information Field (RIF) in the MAC frame header and transmit the frame
again.
3. Eventually, the original source device receives all of the ARE replies from the
other end stations on the network.
4. From this information, the source device can determine a desired route for
each frame it transmits.
Spanning Tree Algorithm
The 9T122-24 promotes maximum network use in multiple-bridge environments.
A bridge learns the bridge topology of its network from bridge protocol data that
it receives from other bridges within the network. The bridges then apply the
Spanning Tree Algorithm (STA) to select a root bridge, and then determine
primary data paths within potential data loop configurations.
Spanning Tree Algorithm is a hierarchy (or tree) of priorities that bridges establish
between themselves. This hierarchy guarantees that primary and redundant data
paths are clearly defined at all times, so that the network is continuously available
to users.
In a multiple-bridge environment, one bridge in the network establishes itself as
the root bridge. As the root, this bridge has priority over all other bridges. In a
Spanning Tree, all of the bridges must determine which bridge is the root, and
then determine their own relative priority within the network.