B-Router

Hybrid devices that has the features of both routers and bridges. A bridge router or brouter is a network machine that acts as a router and as a bridge. The brouter transfers packets for known protocols and simply gives all other packets as a bridge could. Brouters acts at both the network layer for transferable protocols and at the data link layer for non- transferable protocols. As networks have to become more complex, a mix of non-routable and routable protocols has goes to the need for the combined features of routers and bridges. Brouters access both routable and non-routable features by performing as routers for routable protocols and bridges for non-routable protocols. Bridged protocols may propagate throughout the network, but methods such as learning and filtering might be used to replace potential congestion. Brouters are needed as connecting devices in the networking system machine, so it performs as a bridge in a network and as a router in an internetwork.