Bridging Set-Up Menu - Black Box 5000 series Reference Manual

Bridging Set-Up Menu

Option
1. Spanning tree
2. Bridge forwarding
3. Bridge aging timer
4. Show bridging table
5. Show permanent table
6. Clear bridging table
Enter option number, "=" - main menu, <TAB> - previous menu
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The BRIDGING SET-UP MENU provides access to management of the bridge/router frame-routing functions. These
include Spanning Tree settings, management of the address tables, and adjustment of the aging timer.
1 - Spanning Tree
The Spanning Tree option directs you to the Spanning Tree Menu, where parameters of the Spanning Tree Protocol for
this bridge are set and viewed.
2 - Bridge Forwarding
The Bridge Forwarding option enables or disables the frame forwarding operation of the bridge.
Default: [enabled]
3 - Bridge Aging Timer
The Bridge Aging Timer option sets the interval after which unused, non-permanent entries are removed from the
address table.
Default: [300 sec]
Range: off (disabled), 10 to 1,000,000 seconds.
Considerations:
Increasing the value of the bridge aging timer will remove unused entries less frequently. This will offer an
increase in bridge performance, as the table will not be rebuilt as often when stations come on and off the
LAN.
Decreasing the bridge aging timer will remove unused entries more frequently. This will cause the table to be
rebuilt more often, which may, depending on the size of the network, consequently decrease bridge
performance.
Balancing the bridge aging timer according to the size of the local LAN and the frequency of station usage
and moves can assist in optimizing bridge performance. If a closely managed topology remains stable with
high usage and few station additions or moves, it could be advantageous to initially let the bridge learn all
station addresses and then increase or disable the aging timer. When a station deletion or move occurs, the
timer value can be temporarily reduced to clear the entry from thetable more quickly. In any case, learning
never stops, and the new/moved station will be learned and added to the address table when encountered.
Menus Reference Manual: Bridging Set-Up Menu
BRIDGING SET-UP MENU
Value
menu
[enabled]
[300 sec]
Description
- Configure STP communications
- Enable/disable bridge forwarding
- Set MAC address aging interval
- View MAC address table
- View permanent addresses only
- Delete all non-permanent entries
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