Kernel Korner - Linux as an Ethernet Bridge

It passes packets like a bridge and filters like a firewall. Put extra security and versatility in front of any server or device, without reconfiguring it.
Acknowledgements

The author sends kudos to the guys and girls that wrote the Bridging code and for the authors of the ebtables command set for producing stable, usable tools and releasing them under the GPL.

Resources for this article: /article/8261.

Jim Robinson is President of Linux Solutions Provider, Inc., a consulting company based in Macon, Georgia. He enjoys being a husband and a dad, playing guitar and, of course, using Linux.

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Note to readers: The author

Kevin Borders's picture

Note to readers: The author says many times that brctl causes your machine to act like a HUB. This is incorrect, brctl will make your machine behave like a SWITCH. If a particular MAC address has sent some packets on one of the bridge ports, brctl will only forward packets destined for that MAC address to that one port, not all ports.

Bridge as router

Beginer 's picture

How to configure Bridge as Router?
I have box, which acts as bridge und AP. Internet => Bridge,AP => Laptop WiFi. I have to change MAC Address on Laptop-WiFi (that know my Internet Provider). Bridge is transparent. I want set up MAC Addres on Bridge interface from Internet porvider and to connect to WiFi net with whatever MAC Address.

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