Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ucbvax!ACC-SB-UNIX.ARPA!chris From: chris@ACC-SB-UNIX.ARPA (Chris VandenBerg) Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip Subject: Re: Vitalink Bridges.. Message-ID: <8712120403.AA18224@ACC-SB-UNIX.ARPA> Date: 12 Dec 87 04:03:29 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Distribution: world Organization: The ARPA Internet Lines: 17 In response to Percy Irani and his obvious disgust for MAC-level bridges I would just like to emphasize(as I do to potential Customers when I talk to them) that bridges are not THE solution for every problem. But they certainly DO have their uses and to deny that is a blatant system adminstration power play. I would like to believe that an approach different from Percy's is not "ignorant" but just that, different! Not all network managers want to open each day with a careful scrutinization of the routing tables(how shall we route traffic TODAY?). Many just want to plug it in and forget it(at least at the LAN level. Bridging to the great, big world is another issue entirely...). Many customers must feel this way because ACC and others are selling LOTS of MAC-level bridges. I think most people would agree the BROUTER question may not be resolved for quite a while. It's all clear as mud to me... Chris VandenBerg Applications Engineer Advanced Computer Communications (chris@acc-sb-unix.arpa)