Examination of the applicability of router and bridging techniques

Bridges are compared to routers from a number of perspectives. Routers are systems that interconnect networks based on information contained in layer 3, the networking layer, of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. Bridges use layer 2 (data link layer) information to determine whether packets should be passed from one network to another. This type of interconnection strategy use node address data only and thus is independent of the protocol used for OSI layer 3 and above. Processing requirements of bridges and routers are compared, highlighting the more complex processing needs of the latter. The greater functionality and flexibility of routing, which accompanies this increased complexity, is discussed. In particular, the focus is on the ability of routers to interconnect different local area network techniques, deal with heavy traffic, and control topology.<>