"Other Network Devices"
WHAT ARE THE OTHER NETWORK DEVICES? The Bridge A bridge is a network device that is primarily designed to connect and filter traffic between different segments of a local area network (LAN). Its fundamental purpose is to enhance network performance and efficiency by selectively forwarding data packets based on the hardware (MAC) addresses of devices within the network. Bridges are deployed to segment larger networks into smaller, more manageable segments, thereby reducing the overall network traffic and improving the overall performance of the system. By examining the destination MAC address of each incoming packet, a bridge intelligently determines whether to forward the data to the destination segment or filter it, preventing unnecessary traffic from reaching segments where it is not required. This selective forwarding helps minimize collisions and congestion, optimizing the flow of data within the network. Typically located at the boundary between different network segments, br...