Interconnect and expansion - use Windows XP bridge function

In Windows XP, the "Bridge" function for connecting different network segments is integrated. Its configuration is simple and easy, which greatly facilitates the interconnection and expansion between small and medium-sized LANs.

Precautions

Everyone should pay attention to the following points when configuring the Windows XP bridge:

1. Do not configure domain control when configuring the Windows XP bridge server As long as it is configured as a standalone server.

2. Ensure that the installed network card works properly. The computer that acts as the bridge server has two network cards.

3. The network communication protocol supported by Windows XP Bridge is TCP/IP, which can only forward data packets on a network based on TCP/IP protocol. If your computer is using Linux or another operating system, Windows XP Bridge can work with it as long as the TCP/IP protocol is properly loaded.

Configuration Method

1. Assign different IP addresses to two different network segment interfaces in the computer as a bridge. Since one of the two network segments to be connected is 10.0.0.0, we can select a network card in the computer and assign it a fixed IP address (10.0.0.1) and subnet mask as the network of 10.0.0.0. interface. For the same reason, we also need to specify the IP address of 192.168.0.1 for "Local Area Connection 2" (the second network card), the subnet mask is 255.255.255.0, and the gateway is 192.168.0.1.

2. Start Windows XP Bridge. Right click on "Local Area Connection" (the first network card), select "Create Bridge", and a Network Bridge icon will appear. However, since only one network interface exists in the bridge at this time, the bridge is temporarily unavailable. After we perform the same "Create Bridge" operation on "Local Area Connection 2" (the second network card), we can successfully start the bridge. We can see that the icon of the bridge has changed. Right-click the icon and choose Properties to check the properties of the network interface you just added, such as the network card name and the IP address to which it is bound.

3. After the bridge is started, set the gateway of the computer in the network segment 10.0.0.0 to 10.0.0.1 and the gateway of the computer in the network segment 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.0.1.

At this time, select a computer (such as 10.0.0.2) and Ping 192.168.0.2 in the network segment 10.0.0.0. If the ping is successful, the bridge works normally and the two network segments are connected. Can transfer files to each other.

Supplementary

1. Windows XP bridge is not limited to connecting two network segments, it can connect multiple network segments, of course, use more network cards.

2. Windows XP bridge can only be set manually, so the efficiency is not very high. In large LAN, it can't function as a dedicated router.