IFCFG-BRIDGE(5) Network configuration IFCFG-BRIDGE(5)NAMEifcfg-bridge - ethernet bridge interface configuration
SYNOPSIS
/etc/sysconfig/network/ifcfg-br*
CONFIGURATION
To setup a bridge interface you need a configuration file ifcfg-<inter‐
face-name> with the usual network settings. But you must add additional
variables:
BRIDGE <yes|no>
This option must be set to 'yes' to identify this interface as a
bridge interface.
BRIDGE_PORTS <interface1 interface2 ... interfaceN>
This variable contains a space-separated list of N interfaces
which take part in the bridging.
OPTIONAL VARIABLES
BRIDGE_AGEINGTIME <time>
This option sets the ethernet address ageing time, in seconds.
After <time> seconds of not having seen a frame coming from a
certain address, the bridge will delete that address from the
forwarding database. Setting ageing time to zero makes all
entries permanent.
BRIDGE_FORWARDDELAY <time>
Forwarding delay time is the time in seconds spent in each of
the listening and learning states before the forwarding state is
entered. This delay is so that when a new bridge comes onto a
busy network it looks at some traffic before participating.
BRIDGE_HELLOTIME <time>
Periodically, a hello packet is sent out by the root bridge and
the designated bridges. Hello packets are used to communicate
information about the topology throughout the entire bridged
local area network.
BRIDGE_MAXAGE <time>
If a another bridge in the spanning tree does not send out a
hello packet for a long period of time, it is assumed to be
dead. This timeout can be set with this variable.
BRIDGE_PATHCOSTS <costs1 costs2 ... costsN>
This is a space-separated list of costs corresponding to the
interfaces in BRIDGE_PORTS. Each interface in BRIDGE_PORTS
could have a different speed and this value is used when decid‐
ing which link to use. Faster interfaces should have lower
costs. Use '-' to skip setting of the path costs for a port in
a non-empty cost list.
BRIDGE_PORTPRIORITIES <prio1 prio2 ... prioN>
This is a space-separated list of priorities corresponding to
the interfaces in BRIDGE_PORTS. The priority value is an
unsigned 8-bit quantity (a number between 0 and 255), and has no
dimension. This metric is used in the designated port and root
port selection algorithms. Use '-' to skip setting of the pri‐
ority for a port in a non-empty priority list.
BRIDGE_PRIORITY <priority>
This option sets the bridge's priority to <priority>. The prior‐
ity value is an unsigned 16-bit quantity (a number between 0 and
65535), and has no dimension. Lower priority values are 'bet‐
ter'. The bridge with the lowest priority will be elected 'root
bridge'.
BRIDGE_STP <on|off>
Multiple ethernet bridges can work together to create even
larger networks of ethernets using the IEEE 802.1d spanning tree
protocol. This protocol is used for finding the shortest path
between two ethernets, and for eliminating loops from the
topology. The spanning tree protocol can also be turned off
(for those situations where it just doesn't make sense, for
example when this linux box is the only bridge on the LAN, or
when you know that there are no loops in the topology.)
EXAMPLE
Minimal example for a bridge interface on eth0 and eth1, the bridge
interface itself is configured via dhcp:
ifcfg-br0
STARTMODE='auto'
BOOTPROTO='dhcp'
BRIDGE='yes'
BRIDGE_PORTS='eth0 eth1'
BRIDGE_PORTPRIORITIES='50 20'
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For additional and more general information have a look into
<http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collaborate/workgroups/network‐
ing/bridge>.
BUGS
Please report bugs at <https://bugzilla.novell.com/index.cgi>
AUTHOR
Stefan Scheler <sscheler@suse.de> -- ifup-bridge
SEE ALSOifcfg(5), ifup(8), brctl(8).
sysconfig December 2005 IFCFG-BRIDGE(5)
