Make sure the appropriate computers and crossover cable are working. To make sure the cable works, connect it to both computers. If the port light turns on, you know it's working. If it does not light up, then the cord is inoperative.

Get to work. On both computers, go to the Start menu, open the Control panel and go to the "Network and Internet" section. The LAN icon (local area network connection) should appear with the text “no internet access” in the window.

Create a bridge on the host machine. Go to "Change adapter settings" on the left panel of the host machine. Two or more connections should appear. Select both icons: Local Area Connection and Wireless Network Connection. Right-click on one of the icons you have highlighted. An options menu with only "Bridge Connection" should appear. Click it. Setting up the connection should take a second.

• Is the bridge already operational? Some computer cards automatically assign the necessary network information for you. If this happens, an icon will appear on the client machine's system tray with a monitor and a fork (like a plug) shown next to it. If the icon has a warning sign, it means that the information must be assigned manually.

Perform error checking. It should appear in the window new icon called "Network Bridge". Below the words "Network Bridge" should be the name of the wireless network you are connected to. If not, repeat step 3 to remove the bridge and restart the process.

Access command line. Still on the host machine, open the Start menu and type "CMD" in the search bar. Open Notepad and get ready to write down your network information.

Get information about your computer's network. In the CMD window, enter "ipconfig /all". A large list of information should appear. Go to the beginning and find "Ethernet adapter Network Bridge:" and copy IPv4 Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway and DNS Servers.

Install the client machine. On the client computer, click on "Local Area Connection". A window called "Local Area Connection Status" should appear; select Properties, and in this window double click Open "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)".

Enter the IP address information. To enter network information, select "Use the following IP Address" (Use the following IP address). Three fields should now be enabled. In the "IP address" line, enter the IPv4 address from the host machine, and increase the last block of numbers by 1.

• Example: 192.168.1.179 becomes 192.168.1.180. The "Subnet Mask" line is the same as the one that was copied as "Default Gateway".

In some environments, setting up a full-scale LAN requires creating a network bridge. This will allow you to combine several network adapters into a single structure.

You will need

• Two network cards.

Instructions

1. Traditionally, a network bridge is created to connect several computers to the Internet. If you are using a single-port modem, then to connect other PCs to the Internet you need to create a bridge. First, configure your router or modem to access the Internet.

2. Open the modem settings web interface. Go to the WAN menu. Set the required data transfer type (PPPoE, L2TP, etc.). Enter your login and password to purchase a connection with the provider.

3. Now connect a second PC or network hub to another network card of the main computer on which the network bridge will be configured. Turn on really one computer connected to the first PC. This is necessary to enable the 2nd local network.

4. Open the Network and Sharing Center or simply a list of active local networks. Select the connection to the modem (router) and local network, right-click on one of the icons and select “Create a bridge”.

5. Now another icon with the name “Network Bridge” will appear. This is what you will need to configure. Open the properties of this connection and select the Internet protocol TCP/IP. Click the Properties button.

6. Activate the “Apply further IP address” function. Enter its value, say 145.135.125.1. In the “Backbone gateway” and “Selectable DNS server” fields, enter the modem IP. Save network bridge parameters.

7. Now open the TCP/IP protocol properties of the other computer. Set the following values: 145.135.125.2 – IP address 255.255.0.0 – Subnet mask 145.135.125.1 – core gateway 145.135.125.2 – DNS servers.

8. Configure the settings of the network adapters of the remaining computers in the same way. Go to the network bridge properties. Open up general Internet access to other users by checking the box in the “Access” menu. Save the bridge parameters and reconnect to the Internet. Disable the DHCP function in the modem settings.

Connecting to the network through a dedicated channel has its own characteristics. The process of connecting and setting up programs for working with the Internet occurs in several stages. First you need to decide on a provider. Prices for connection and traffic on home networks can vary significantly. It all depends on the type of connection that the providers provide. For residents of huge cities, most likely, all types of connections will be available. As usual, many “home networks” offer their customers different tariff plans, including a fixed amount of traffic.

Instructions

1. After the contract is completed, you will receive a document from the company that will describe in detail all the parameters you need: - your IP - digital address on the network; - subnet mask; - core gateway - the address of the main computer in your local network, through the one you access Internet; - DNS server - the name of the domain name server, the one that translates alphabetic characters into digital ones that are understandable to the computer. - WINS - server - this digital address is not always indicated; - proxy server - the address of the “intermediary” server, through which that there will be a flow of information received by you from the network; - the address of the provider’s “home page”, as well as the login and password to access your “local” section, to which you will monitor the status of your account.

2. Later than necessary information in your hands, set the parameters for network card. To do this, go to the Network Neighborhood folder of the operating system. From this folder, go to the Show network connections section. Now select your network device from the list of devices map, right-click on it and select Properties.

3. Check the box opposite the line When connecting, display the icon in the notification area - after that, an icon in the form of 2 connected computers will appear in the lower right corner of your Desktop.

4. Now return to the General menu and click on the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) line. The connection settings menu will open in front of you - and this is where you enter virtually all the parameters we have listed. Specify the names of DNS and WINS servers in special tabs that will open after clicking the Additional button.

Video on the topic

Helpful advice
Carefully check all the addresses you entered - a mistake in any number will make your work with the network unthinkable!

Tip 3: How to set up an Internet connection via a local network

The majority of users create a home local network with only one final goal - to provide access to Internet all computers and laptops of this networks. To accomplish this task, you need to be able to correctly configure a local network.

You will need

• Network hub.

Instructions

1. You can come up with a huge number of schemes for building a local network with universal access to the Internet. We will consider a situation in which a network hub will be used to connect computers with each other, and one of the PCs that are part of the network will act as a server and a router.

2. I would like to point out right away that this method one of the most inexpensive, but not the most comfortable. Purchase an additional network card for your computer and a network hub to create a network.

3. Place the hub in a particularly comfortable location. Remember that you will need to connect it to the network alternating current. Connect all computers and laptops that will be part of the local network with a network hub.

4. Combine the computer to which you connected the additional network card with an Internet access cable. Set up your connection in accordance with your provider's recommendations.

5. Open the properties of the Internet connection you made. Select the Access tab. Allow you to use this computer’s Internet connection for the local network. Indicate the network that was built using a hub.

6. Go to the network connection properties. Open the TCP/IPv4 data transfer protocol. Set a static IP address, the value of which should be 192.168.0.1.

7. Configure the network adapters of the remaining computers in the same way. At the same time, change the last digit of the IP address every time, and enter the IP address of the main computer in the “Selected DNS server” and “Backbone gateway” fields.

8. If you did everything positively, then all computers on the local network will have access to the Internet. An indispensable condition for this: the router computer must be turned on. Of course, his Internet connection must be strong.

Many people are increasingly using wireless devices to create local home networks. But not everyone knows that you can synchronously connect a DSL modem and a Wi-Fi router to create a combined network.

You will need

• – network cables.

Instructions

1. If your provider provides DSL Internet services, then you can buy an appropriate Wi-Fi router, or use this device with a WAN port together with a DSL modem. Quite often the modem is installed too closely, so focus on the second option.

2. If you have a multiport DSL modem, then, most likely, several computers are closely connected to it. To create a wireless access point while maintaining a wired network, connect the router to the LAN port of a modem.

3. Definitely the 2nd end network cable connect to the WAN (Internet) connector of the router. Connect a laptop or non-movable computer to its LAN (Ethernet) port. Launch an Internet browser on the selected equipment and enter address bar IP Wi-Fi router.

4. Configure device settings. Open the WAN menu. Specify the IP address of the DSL modem as the access server. You do not need to enter a login and password to access the provider’s server; they are already defined in the modem.

5. Now make a wireless network. Be sure to choose a security type and set a strong password. This will help keep your computers secure. Connect your laptop to the access point you made. Connect one or more fixed computers to the router's LAN connectors.

6. Now open the additional settings of your Wi-Fi router. Select Bridge Connection. Specify the wireless network adapter of this router and the network card of one of the computers connected to its LAN port. Please note that many new router models mechanically create a bridge between these devices. You can register additional routes by opening the “Routing Table” menu.

7. Save your Wi-Fi router settings. Reboot your device by unplugging it from AC power for a few seconds. Wait for the equipment to load. Check the functionality of the bridge.

Video on the topic

During the synchronous use of several network adapters on one computer, certain problems may arise with access to the Internet or local network. More often than not, similar problems are caused by incorrect metric settings.

You will need

• Manager account.

Instructions

1. If, when connecting the cable to the 2nd network card on this computer The Internet connection is lost, change the priority of the adapters. In Windows Seven, open Control Panel by selecting the desired link in the Start menu.

2. Find the Network and Sharing Center submenu and open it. Now open the link “Metamorphosis of adapter parameters” located in the left column.

3. If you are using Windows XP, then to access the specified menu, select “Network Connections” by clicking the “Start” button in advance. Find the icon for the network adapter through which your computer accesses the Internet.

4. Right-click on it and open the properties of this network card. In the menu that opens, find the item “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)” and open its parameters. In Windows Seven, you need to prefer the TCP/IPv4 protocol.

5. After opening the network adapter settings, click the "Advanced" button. Uncheck the “Mechanical purpose of the metric” checkbox. Manually set the value to 1. Press the Ok button several times to use the parameters.

6. Follow this procedure for a different network card. Of course, put the number 2 in the “Metric Value” field.

7. You can also change the metric through the console Windows management. Open the Start menu and go to Programs. Find the “Programs” submenu and click on the “Command Prompt” item.

8. Type the route print command and press Enter. Find out the core gateway and interface number for both network cards. Enter the command route -p add 0.0.0.0 mask 0.0.0.0 192.168.0.1 metric 1 if 10. Press Enter. In this example, the number 10 indicates the interface number of the first adapter.

9. Similarly, change the metric of another network card, replacing the line metric 1 with metric 2. Of course, the gateway address must also be changed.

Network bridge

Network Bridge simplifies the installation and configuration of small networks that use different connection types (for example, a wireless network connection and an Ethernet cable connection) by connecting different types of networks.

Network Bridge provides small businesses with additional flexibility in choosing their network type and eliminates the need to purchase additional bridges and routers.

A network bridge is used to connect LAN segments cheaply and easily. A local network segment is a part of a network medium that connects a group of computers. Most often, the network consists of several LAN segments. Before the advent of Windows XP operating systems;, Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition and Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, two methods were used to create a network containing multiple LAN segments: IP routing and bridging. IP routing requires purchasing hardware routers or setting up computers and assigning IP addresses to each computer on each network segment, as well as configuring each network segment as a separate subnet. Bridge equipment does not require such complex settings, but in this case additional equipment for bridges will be required. If you use different network media types, you will need to create a separate subnet for each media type.

However, in Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, and Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, you have the convenient ability to connect LAN segments by selecting the Bridged Connections menu command. There is no configuration required, no need to purchase additional hardware such as bridges or routers. A network bridge automates the configuration required to route traffic between multiple network segments consisting of one or more media types.

Using a network bridge, you can connect an Ethernet network adapter, an HPNA network adapter, and a wireless adapter on PC1. Using a network bridge, you can direct traffic from one LAN segment to another and enable all computers to communicate with each other.

But what should we do if, let’s say, in such an “average network” we have a switch (three desktop computers, a couple of laptops and handhelds), but no router and access point? And I don’t really want to buy them.

That is two different networks- wired, which has Internet access, and wireless (without it). The networks do not see each other. How to link all computers together?

We will consider the second method of connecting wired and wireless clients, using the bridge-type mechanism built into Windows XP.

To do this, we only need to insert into the computer, which is a router and has two network adapter(one looking into the local network, the second - into the Internet) the third network adapter, this time wireless.

It's time to activate the bridge. This mechanism will allow us to establish a "bridge" between our wired and wireless networks, so that computers from these networks can see each other.

Speaking in simple language, A bridge is a mechanism that transparently (for running clients) connects disparate network segments. In our case, heterogeneous segments mean a wired network and wireless network.

We configure the future computer-router. We switch local interfaces to bridge mode:
LAN - looking into a wired local network
Wireless - looking into a wireless local network

Only a bridge, by definition, operates between at least two interfaces.

Therefore, we select both local interfaces, right-click and in the menu that appears, select the “Bridge connection” item.

Windows begins the bridge creation process.

After this process is completed, another connection appears in the network connections - Network Bridge. And in the information on network adapters on which bridge mode is set, the status “Connected” appears.

The bridge is presented as a separate device; most of its parameters are the same as those of network adapters.

True, in the “properties” section there is an additional section with a list of adapters that currently belong to the bridge (there can be two or more adapters).

Actually, at this stage, all the networks that these (assigned to the bridge) adapters look at see each other directly, without routing. That is, it is as if the clients in these networks are sitting in one large homogeneous network (in other words, as if connected to one switch).

The bridge is assigned its own IP address, which is the same for all adapters assigned to the bridge connection.

Of course, there are no IP addresses in the properties of the adapters themselves. The adapter, as such, no longer exists at the logical level - there is only a bridge (with an IP address) that includes two (or more) adapters.

A network bridge manages network segments and creates one subnet for the entire network. There is no configuration required, no need to purchase additional hardware such as bridges or routers. If the IP network consists of a single subnet, IP addressing, address distribution and name resolution are greatly simplified

To connect the computers on separate LAN segments together, there are two solutions:

Create multiple network segments and connect them with routers. In this solution, each LAN segment becomes a network segment, also known as a subnet. A network segment is a portion of a network that shares the same network identifier and is bounded by routers. With multiple network segment, nodes on separate network segments send packets to a router, which forwards the packets to the destination node.

Create a single network segment using a bridge. In this solution, the separate LAN segments are bridged together to create a single network segment. With a single network segment, neighboring nodes on separate LAN segments send packets directly to each other and bridges forward the packets to the destination node on the appropriate LAN segment.

Windows XP Network Bridge

Windows XP includes the Network Bridge, a feature of the Network Connections folder that allows a computer with multiple network adapters installed to act as a bridge, connecting multiple LAN segments together to form a single network segment.

With the Network Bridge, there is no need to purchase an additional hardware-based bridge device. However, the computer running Windows XP must have network adapters installed for all the LAN segments that it is connecting together.

How to Manage Bridged Connections

To bridge LAN segments of the connections together, hold down the Ctrl key and click all the connections that correspond to all the LAN segments you want to bridge together. Then, right-click one of the selected Local Area Connection objects and click Bridge Connections

Types of Networking Connections Supported for Bridging

The Network Bridge supports all networking technologies whose device driver installed in Windows XP advertises itself as Ethernet. This includes the following types of networking technologies commonly used in home networks:
Ethernet (10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, and Gigabit Ethernet).
IEEE 802.11b wireless (also known as Wi-Fi).
Phoneline-based connections.

Additionally, the Network Bridge supports connections using IEEE 1394.

How it works

To create a single network segment from multiple LAN segments, the Windows XP Network Bridge uses the following technologies:
Layer 2 bridging.
Layer 3 bridging.

Layer 2 Bridging

Layer 2 bridging in the Network Bridge is an implementation of transparent bridging. With transparent bridging, the Network Bridge places the network adapters of the bridge in a special listening mode known as promiscuous mode. In promiscuous mode, the network adapter processes all frames received. Normally, the network adapter only processes specific frames received.

By processing all frames received on all interfaces, the Network Bridge learns which nodes are on which LAN segments by tracking the source address of received frames. The Network Bridge maintains a table of node addresses and the adapter from which the node is reachable. When a frame is received, its destination address is checked against the bridge table and if found, is forwarded without change to the LAN segment that contains the node with the destination address. If the destination address is not found, the frame is copied out all adapters except the adapter from which the frame was received, an operation known as flooding. All broadcast and multicast traffic is flooded.

The end result of the Network Bridge"s operation is that nodes on separate LAN segments can send frames directly to each other while broadcast and multicast traffic is received by every node. These are the same conditions that exist when all the nodes of the network segment are connected to the same LAN segment. Thus, the Network Bridge transparently connects multiple LAN segments and makes it logically appear as the same LAN segment.

The flooding operation of transparent bridges can cause problems when multiple bridges are configured to form a loop. One problem is a forwarding storm where a frame with an unknown destination address is forwarded endlessly between bridges. To prevent these problems, the Network Bridge implements the industry standard IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree Algorithm (STA) to determine which network adapters on the bridges can forward frames. The result of the STA is that bridges automatically configure themselves so that you have a loop-free bridged environment at all times. There is no configuration for STA for the Network Bridge, it is enabled by default and is self-configuring.

Layer 3 Bridging

For network adapters that do not support promiscuous mode or network technologies that do not support a broadcast-based transmission method, the Network Bridge acts as a Layer 3 bridge. With Layer 3 bridging, TCP/IP hosts on different LAN segments are transparently connected by the bridge computer.

Layer 3 bridging differs from Layer 2 bridging because the frame is changed as it is forwarded by the bridge computer. Layer 3 bridging differs from routing because a Layer-3 forwarding table, not a routing table, is used for the forwarding decision.

For Layer 3 bridging, the Network Bridge also provides special handing of DHCP packets so that nodes on Layer 3-bridged LAN segments can obtain a DHCP configuration from an ICS computer.

Introduction

Network Bridge is a new feature of Windows XP that uses Layer 2 and Layer 3 bridging to transparently combine multiple LAN segments to form a single network segment. A LAN segment is collection of network nodes on the same Data Link layer link. For example, all of the computers that are connected to the same Ethernet hub comprise a LAN segment. A network segment is a collection of network nodes that share the same Network layer address. For example, a TCP/IP network segment is a subnet. All nodes on the same TCP/IP subnet share the same IP network identifier.

Layer 3 bridging

Layer 3 bridging is used if the network adapter does not support promiscuous mode. Layer 3 bridging does not require any special network adapter functionality. Layer 3 bridging only works for TCP/IP traffic. For broadcast and multicast IP traffic, a packet that is received by the Network Bridge is retransmitted out through all ports except the port on which the packet was received.

For unicast traffic, Layer 3 bridging is based on the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP). ARP is used by TCP/IP nodes to resolve the MAC address that corresponds to the next-hop address of an outbound IP packet. If the destination of the outbound IP packet is on the local subnet, the next-hop address is the destination address and ARP is used to resolve the MAC address of the destination node. If the destination of the outbound IP packet is not on the local subnet, the next-hop address is the default gateway address and ARP is used to resolve the MAC address of the default gateway (assuming that this is a typical host configuration).

A Network Bridge acts as an ARP proxy, answering ARP requests from a node on one LAN segment on behalf of a node on another segment and transferring unicast packets between nodes on different LAN segments.

The Network Bridge (Node B) connects Segments 1 and 2 and has a single IP address (IP_B). When Node A sends an IP packet to Node C, it first sends an ARP request that contains Node A"s MAC address (MAC_A), Node A"s IP address (IP_A), and Node C"s IP address (IP_C). Node B receives the broadcast ARP request and checks its Layer 3 forwarding table.

The Layer 3 forwarding table is maintained by the Network Bridge and contains entries with the following information: node IP address, node MAC address, and port (the network adapter on which the node is located). An entry for the sender of an ARP request in the Layer 3 forwarding table is created when it is received. Entries are refreshed upon each use. Unused entries are timed out after 5 minutes. In this example, the Network Bridge either creates or refreshes the following entry in the Layer 3 forwarding table: IP_A, MAC_A, Port 1.

If an entry for the target IP address of the ARP request is found in the Layer 3 forwarding table and is on a different port, the Network Bridge responds to the ARP request with an ARP reply, which contains its own MAC address for the port on which the request was received. If an entry for the target IP address of the ARP request is found in the Layer 3 forwarding table and is on the same port, the sending and destination nodes are on the same LAN segment and the ARP Request is ignored.

In this example, the Network Bridge unicasts an ARP reply to Node A with the following information: Node B"s MAC address on port 1 (MAC_B_1), Node C"s IP address (IP_C), Node A"s MAC address, and Node A's IP address (IP_A). When Node A sends packets to Node C"s IP address, they are sent to Node B"s MAC address on port 1 (MAC_B_1).

If the destination IP address of a received unicast IP packet is assigned to the Network Bridge, it is passed to IP and upper layers for processing. If the destination IP address of a received unicast IP packet is not assigned to the Network Bridge, it must determine which of the following is true:
1.The destination is a node on another LAN segment of the local subnet.

2.The destination is a node on another subnet and the packet is being forwarded to the Network Bridge because it is an IP router.

3.The destination is a node on another subnet and the packet is being forwarded to a router on another LAN segment of the local subnet.

The Network Bridge uses the following algorithm to determine which of these cases is true:
Look up the destination address in the Layer 3 forwarding table.
If an entry is found, forward the packet to the destination (Case 1 above).
If an entry is not found, use the IP routing table to determine the next-hop address for the destination address.
If a next-hop address is determined, look up the next-hop address in the Layer 3 forwarding table.
If an entry for the next-hop address is found, forward the packet to the node that corresponds to the next-hop address (Case 3 above).
If an entry for the next-hop address is not found, send the packet to IP and upper layers for processing (Case 2 above).
If a next-hop address is not determined, send the packet to IP and upper layers for processing (Case 2 above).

In this example, Node B receives the packet that is forwarded by Node A to the destination IP address (IP_C). Because the Layer 3 forwarding table contains an entry for Node C (the entry IP_C, MAC_C, Port 2), the Network Bridge forwards the packet from the MAC address MAC_B_2 (which corresponds to port 2 on the Network Bridge) to the MAC address MAC_C .

If the Network Bridge receives an ARP request and the target IP address is not found in the Layer 3 forwarding table, the Network Bridge stores the contents of the ARP request in an ARP Pending table. The Network Bridge then sends its own ARP request message out all ports except the port on which the original ARP request was received. When a unicast ARP reply to the Network Bridge"s request is received, it is matched to the entry in the ARP Pending table. The Network Bridge then sends a unicast ARP reply to the original requestor. The entry in the ARP Pending table is eventually timed out.

Windows XP Home Networking: Building Network Bridges

Network Bridge, this is a feature of the Network Connections folder that allows a computer with multiple network adapters to act as a bridge, connecting different local area network (LAN) segments. A Network Bridge is required, for example, to connect different networking technologies such as a wired Ethernet segment and a wireless 802.11b segment.

You don"t need to be connecting two networks to get value from bridging. Bridging is also useful for connecting a laptop with a built in 802.11b (wireless) card to a cabled network when you don"t have a wireless access point-add a wireless card to any other computer on your network and it can bridge the wireless onto the cabled network.

Bridging Requirements

To connect several computers, install a network card in each and run CAT5 network cabling to connect all of them to a hub (and thus each other.) The computer that will be used for bridging will need both a regular network card for the cabled connection and a wireless network card that will make the connection to the wireless access point (WAP) or gateway on the second network-in our case a Linksys WAP-11 connected to the main upstairs network. When the two networks have been bridged, the downstairs machines will be assigned IP addresses by the DHCP server and will have access to the Internet.

Among ordinary users, there are not many who know that installed network equipment (network cards on computers and routers) allows you to create bridge-type connections. What it is, what it is needed for, and how to configure it will be discussed further. Let's start with what is the point of creating and setting up such a connection.

What is a network bridge and why is it needed?

As you know, to create network connections and access the Internet, two types of connections can be used - wired and wireless. The first type provides more stable communication for each terminal connected to the network. But the second involves connecting several machines at once by connecting computers into a network via Wi-Fi (you can even create a virtual network via the Internet).

A Network Bridge is essentially a tool that allows you to combine both connections into one. What is it for? Suppose user computer connected to one network via an Ethernet network card, and to the second via Wi-Fi. It is clear that the networks do not touch each other (in a wired network, when trying to identify a terminal with a wireless connection, you will only see the router). When creating a bridge, this problem is eliminated quite simply, plus the stability of the connection increases.

The same applies to cases when a single-port modem is used as network equipment, to which only one computer can be connected. What to do with the remaining terminals? In this case, they must be connected through the main computer, which will act as a host machine. Below we will discuss the actions performed for two computers. If there are more of them, then the configuration will need to be done on all client machines.

Creating a bridge on the host terminal

Now let's move on to practical actions. I would immediately like to please all users who are not particularly versed in network settings that there is nothing particularly complicated here, and the creation and configuration of a network bridge is completed within a couple of minutes. If two computers are used, they must be connected with a crossover cable with RJ-45 connectors that are inserted into the network cards.

So, in Windows network The bridge can be configured through the standard section of networks and the Internet (“network control center”), which is located in the “Control Panel”. In it, you need to follow the hyperlink to change the properties of the adapter, after which the window will display the two types of connections that were indicated above.

Now you need to select both icons (for example, with a regular click while holding down the Shift key) and select “Bridge Settings” using RMB.

In just a second, the Network Bridge icon will appear in your network connections. In theory, an icon will appear in the system tray on the client machine, but only if the system provides for automatic assignment of parameters. Otherwise, the bridge icon will have a cross on it, indicating that the network bridge will need to be configured manually.

Address verification

The bridge has been created and, in theory, works, but the computers cannot yet communicate with each other. On the host terminal, open the command prompt and enter the ipconfig /all command. A window will appear with a bunch of information.

In the presented parameters, find and write down the IP and DNS addresses. It is not necessary to remember the Default Gateway, since it always has the same value (255.255.255.0).

IPv4 protocol settings on the client machine

At the next stage, to connect the network bridge on the client terminal, you need to configure the IPv4 protocol options.

To do this, through the connection properties, enter the protocol parameters and enter the static IP that you found out on the main machine, increasing the last digit or number by one. In other words, if there was, for example, a two at the end of the address, enter a three.

DNS Options

Network devices using bridges will not work without specifying DNS server addresses.

If automatic receipt of addresses is specified, deactivate it and for the preferred server enter the combination received on the host terminal, and for the alternative - the same address, but with the last number or digit increased by one, as was done for the IP address. When the settings are complete, check the box next to Confirm settings when exiting and click OK. At this point, the creation of the bridge can be considered complete.

Note: Please note that if the connection does not work for DNS addresses, the use of free configurations, for example, from Google, is not possible, since only strictly defined combinations should be used when creating such a connection.

Setting up a network bridge in a VirtualBox virtual machine

In use, creating and configuring a bridge looks even simpler. In this case, you can use several virtual adapters. In the program itself, you first need to select the created virtual machine (menu on the left), and in the right window click on the network section.

In the properties window, the first thing you need to do is specify the adapter type (it is best to choose PCnet-Fast III, since it will have fewer problems with configuration). It is also necessary to activate the fields for enabling the adapter itself and connecting the cable.

Now in the network connections of the “Control Panel” via RMB on wireless connection go to properties and make sure that the VirtualBox Bridged Networking Driver adapter appears in the list. On the access tab, you need to activate both fields (allow Internet connection and manage sharing for other computers). In the warning, remember the IP address and click “OK”. Now, using RMB on the VirtualBox connection, we select and compare the original and existing IP. If they match, then everything was done correctly and the bridge is operating normally.

Now you need to go to the settings in the program itself (with the virtual machine deactivated) in the adapter menu, clicking on the button marked with a screwdriver icon, and once again make sure that the settings are correct. Next, with a static IP, on the DHCP tab, make sure that the server is disabled. Upon completion, just in case, you can check the ping by entering ping in the command line followed by a space IP virtual machine. If the exchange of packets has started, then everything is in order. In theory, the address of the guest terminal in the last numbers will have a value from the range 1-254 and correspond to real address network adapter.

Brief summary

That, in fact, is all that concerns the creation and configuration of a “bridge” connection. As an afterword, I would like to advise you to be as careful as possible when entering addresses, since just one incorrectly entered number will negate all your efforts. Otherwise there shouldn't be any special problems. If for some reason you need to get rid of the created connection, in the adapter properties section you can either deactivate it or completely delete it using the RMB menu items.

2016-02-14T01:27:18+01:00

In the situations under consideration, all computers had installed operating system Windows XP.

In the first case, the cable modem was connected directly to the computer's network adapter (1). Connection to the Internet was carried out without dialing, i.e. via DHCP. I created Internet Connection Sharing for this connection. The second network device on this computer was wireless. USB adapter Edimax. Read about setting up a home wireless network in my.
While creating public access in the Internet (ICS), the second network device, in our case the wireless adapter, was automatically assigned an IP address of 192.168.0.1 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. In addition, I manually assigned my ISP's DNS server addresses.
I connected the second computer (2) using a network card to the homeplug, which, in turn, connected, as expected, to the mains. I gave this computer an IP address of 192.168.0.3, a Gateway address of 192.168.0.1, and a DNS server address of 192.168.0.1

The laptop (3), I connected via an ethernet adapter to the second device with a home plug and a wireless USB adapter. Read about setting up a wireless adapter in my . Now we need to create a Network bridge for these two devices in order to combine all three computers into one network.
So, to create a network bridge you must have at least two network adapters. Go to Network Connections, select both with the mouse network devices and using the right click call context menu, where we select the Network Bridge option.

We now have a third connection for which we now need to configure our network settings.