Cabletron Systems CSX200 User Manual

Also see for SPECTRUM: User guide User guide User guide User guide Guide

Contents

The Special Database Window3-15CSX Bridge ViewThe Special Database WindowMany Cabletron bridges incorporate a special database, which lets you create acustomized set of filters that the bridge uses in filter/forward decisions. You cancreate, configure, and enable filters in the special database. On receipt of a packet,the CSX will first read the packet and check it against special filters.When it receives a packet, the bridge first checks the special database. Looking ateach enabled filter, starting with the lowest numbered filter, the bridge comparesthe following fields to the corresponding fields in the received packet:• Destination address• Source address• Ethernet or Token Ring data type• Up to 16 hex integers (64 bytes) of the data fieldIn addition, a filter can also specify at which port or ports the packet must bereceived for the filter to be applicable. If a received packet matches all the contentsof an enabled filter, the bridge forwards the packet to the defined set of ports: all,some, or none.Filters provide broad configuration flexibility. For example, you can definemultiple scenarios for a single filter by specifying different combinations ofreceive port/destination port. You can use wildcard characters in filter fields toforce a match with particular bits of the received packet’s destination address,source address, or data. You can specify an offset for the data field, to specify thestarting point in the data where the bridge looks for the match. For entries thatdon’t match any of the enabled filters, you can configure the bridge to filter orforward the entry or pass the filter/forward decision to the Filtering Database; seeThe Filtering Database Window, page 3-20.To open the Special Database window:1. Display the Device menu by clicking on the Front Panel button.2. In the Device menu, drag down to Special Database and then right toEthernet and release (Token Ring will be grayed out).