Network bridging is a technique used in pfSense to combine multiple network interfaces into a single logical interface. This can be useful for creating VLANs, load balancing, or improving network connectivity.
Understanding Network Bridging:
- Purpose: Network bridging allows you to combine multiple physical interfaces into a single logical interface, creating a virtual network.
- Bridge Groups: A bridge group is a collection of network interfaces that are combined into a single logical interface.
- VLANs: Bridging can be used to create VLANs by assigning different VLAN tags to the interfaces within a bridge group.
- Configuring Network Bridging in pfSense:
- Create a Bridge Group: Access the “Interfaces” section and create a new bridge group.
- Add Interfaces to the Bridge Group: Add the desired network interfaces to the bridge group.
- Assign a VLAN Tag (optional): If you want to create a VLAN, assign a VLAN tag to the bridge group.
- Configure Firewall Rules: Create firewall rules to control traffic between the bridge group and other network interfaces.
Bridging Use Cases:
- VLAN Creation: Create VLANs by assigning different VLAN tags to interfaces within a bridge group.
- Load Balancing: Distribute traffic across multiple WAN connections by combining them into a bridge group.
- Network Consolidation: Combine multiple physical networks into a single logical network.
Best Practices for Network Bridging:
- Plan Your Network Structure: Carefully plan your network structure and VLANs before configuring bridging.
- Test Thoroughly: Test your network bridging configuration to ensure that it is working as expected.
- Monitor Performance: Monitor network performance and traffic flow to identify any issues or bottlenecks.
- Regularly Update: Keep your pfSense software up-to-date to address security vulnerabilities and improve performance.
