A bridge(4) iinterconnects different hardware media so that the attached segments can behave as if they were a single network segment. There are valid reasons to bridge multiple segments, and if you lack a switch you may have a valid reason to bridge your NICs.
My Alix boxes are connected to switches; so I have no need or desire to bridge.
As you have noted, only a single NIC's IP address is utilized when you bridge(4). As each NIC is on a separate network, all three will have unique MAC addresses. This is somewhat different from the Linksys box you replaced, which only had a single MAC address for the unshielded twisted pair segment. The Linksys platform contained an integrated switch.
|