On Sun, 6 Mar 2005 20:18:24 -0700, "Todd Logan" <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:
> Can anyone tell me if I can create a wireless bridge between different
>subnets?
Hint: A bridge works on ISO layer 2 or the MAC address layer. It
knows NOTHING about IP addresses, which are on layer 3.
> For example, wireless bridge number1 is on the 192.168.1.0 network,
>whereas wireless bridge number 2 is on the 192.168.5.0 network. Can I create
>a wireless bridge between 192.168.1.0 and 192.168.5.0 or do I have to use
>the same subnet?
You can create the bridge but nothing will pass. A network on:
192.168.1.0/24
will not pass traffic to a network on:
192.168.5.0/24
without an IP router (on layer 3). With just a bridge, the only
packets that will pass are broadcasts.
Routers are used to glue together two different IP networks. In this
case, it's done by setting up a static route through a gateway.
A really crude way to connect these two networks is to just enlarge
the netmask to /16. Just change it from 255.255.255.0 to 255.255.0.0
and packets will pass in both directions. Traffic across the bridge
will be limited to only those with destination MAC addresses that are
across the bridge. Not the best of traffic control, but tolerable.
Someone suggested a transparent bridge. That will work with the /16
enlarged netmask. Note that you also have to increase the netmask on
the client computahs to 255.255.0.0 or the clients will not "see" the
machines on the other side of the network. Broadcast packets will go
everywhere and across the bridge.
I can think of several ways to connect these networks. One is a
router at the remote office with a static route to the remote office
network IP block pointing to remote office router IP address
(gateway). Another is to use a VPN which will assign additional IP
addresses delivered from remote systems, to a local machine. Yech.
However, I don't see why you don't simply renumber the network so that
all the machine fit in a single /24 IP block. If these networks are
going to be connected permanently, you might was well make life easy
and share the same /24 IP block. Now, if the remote office were
connected via the internet instead of via a transparent bridge, then a
router would certainly be necessary due to the limitations of a single
IP addresss. However, with a transparent wireless bridge, that can
pass multiple MAC addresses simultaneously, there's no benifit to
using a router.
Incidentally, watch out for transparent bridges with a limited number
of MAC addresses that may be bridged. The current products are 256
MAC addresses and up. However, some of the older devices will only do
as few as 32. That's total MAC addresses for both ends including the
wireless bridge MAC addresses.
--
Jeff Liebermann
(E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D
http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 AE6KS 831-336-2558
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