3Com AccessBuilder 500 User Manual - Routing Ip and Ipx

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Routing IP and IPX

Running a bridged network allows workstations to communicate 

directly between one another. A PC user wishing to communicate with 

a remote network server is totally unaware of any intervening bridges. 

This is known as transparent operation.

Figure A-3   

Example Network

It is important to understand that in a bridged network the addressing 

structure for both IP and IPX relates to a single network. If the units in 

Figure A-3

 were bridges and not routers, then an IP node on LAN A 

could, for example, have an address 140.56.10.0, the node on LAN B an 

address 140.56.10.2, and the node on LAN C, an address of 140.56.10.3. 

All the nodes, therefore, are able to share the same Class B network 

address, regardless of their location on the bridged network.

However, if there were NetWare nodes throughout the three bridged 

sites, they would also share the same IPX network number. If each of 

the bridged LANs supported a network server, each with its own 

unique network number, and an IPX address is misconfigured, the 

NetWare network server consoles will report the message ‘Router 

Configuration Error – Router XXXXX claims that LAN is XX-XX-XX-XX’. 

(The router it refers to is in fact the network server).