User manual

Overview
4
Application Guidelines
Overcoming Physical
Limitations
This section shows how bridges can be used to overcome common physical
limitations. The next section shows how to do this in such a way that
network performance is improved.
Maximum Network
Length
A bridge can be used to link several networks serially (see Figure 3) in the
same way as a repeater is used. The maximum network length only
applies to individual networks, so that the overall network length is not
bound by any limit. However, because each bridge introduces a small
delay in forwarded traffic, there are practical limits on how many bridges
can be used in this manner.
Maximum Number of
Stations
The maximum number of stations attached to a single network is 1024. As
more stations are added, the number of collisions increases and
performance degrades. Bridges can be used to solve this problem.
Although there is effectively no limit on the number of nodes that can be
attached to a bridged network, there are some practical considerations.
Once again, this is due to the delay introduced by each bridge through
which a frame traverses.
Increasing Network
Performance
This section discusses the clustering nature of network users and how
bridges can take advantage of this to provide dramatic performance
improvements.
Work Groups Most companies are divided into groups. These groups exist at many
levels. At one level there may be separate divisions, and within a division
there are usually teams of people associated with a project or department.
The important thing to realize about these groupings, which are often
referred to as Work Groups, is at the communication between members of
a group is of a much higher bandwidth than that between groups. This
communication includes interpersonal communication as well as transfer
of data between computers. These groups must also be able to
communicate with each other, though this will be of a lower bandwidth.
Figure 3: Extending Network
Length