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win_net_bridge

Windows provides the capability to connect or bridge two different network connections/adaptors through software.

Windows XP (32bit ONLY)

1. Open Network Connections, click Start, click Control Panel, click Network and Internet Connections, and then click Network Connections.

2. Under LAN or High-Speed Internet select each of the private network connections that you want to be part of the bridge.

3. Right-click one of the highlighted private network connections, and then click Bridge Connections.

Windows Vista (All Versions)

1. Open Network Connections by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Network and Internet, clicking Network and Sharing Center, and then clicking Manage network connections.

2. Hold down CTRL and select each network connection that you want to add to the bridge.

3. Right-click one of the selected network connections, and then click Bridge Connections. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Windows 7

1. Go to Control Panel then click Network and Sharing Center. At this window, click Change adapter settings:

2. Select the adapters that you want to bridge then select bridge connections

Important Notes

You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from completing this procedure.

You must select at least two eligible network connections in order for Bridge Connections to create a bridge.

Adapters that have Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) or Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) enabled cannot be part of the network bridge and will not appear on the Network Bridge checklist. Similarly, the Add to Bridge menu command is available only for adapters that you can add as connections to Network Bridge.

Only Ethernet, IEEE-1394 adapters, or Ethernet compatible adapters such as Wireless and home phoneline adapters (HPNA), can be part of the network bridge.

You cannot create a bridge connection on a computer running Windows 2000 or earlier versions of Windows.

If you remove adapters from the network bridge, and less than two adapters remain, Network Bridge will not perform its intended function, but it will continue to use system resources.

Network bridges with wireless or IEEE-1394 connections support traffic using Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) only.

win_net_bridge.txt · Last modified: 2012/01/21 14:26 by cerberus