braden@ISI.EDU.UUCP (03/20/87)
Is this a real requirement? Ignoring the Bridge product, suppose that two departments each set up independent ethernets. They properly register their IP addresses so there is no conflict. Later they decide to attach the two segments together either directly or thru a repeater. This seems a common enough occurrence to me. If TCP/IP requires that they renumber all their hosts then this sounds like a significant flaw in the addressing and routing scheme. Is it a flaw in the design of a rake that it does not perform very well as a shovel?? The Internet architecture includes gateways to connect different networks. One of the essential advantages of a gateway over a level-2 bridge is the separation of address spaces. If you need a rake, buy a rake, don;t complain that your shovel cannot be adapted. Perhaps the moral is... beware of the glib tongues of shovel salesmen. Bob Braden