Preparing for Ethernet Layer-2 Bridging

Take these steps to prepare for Ethernet Layer-2 Bridging configuration.

• Select a physical Ethernet resource to use for layer-2 bridging.
  • Any Ethernet resource that supports line speeds of 1 Gbps or greater is supported, except for Host Ethernet Adapter (HEA) resources. HEA already supports the ability for multiple partitions to use a single physical port by assigning each partition a logical port. For information about using a HEA resource, see the Configuring Host Ethernet Adapter topic collection in the IBM® Power Systems Hardware Information Center.
  • The Ethernet resource must not be in use by any varied-on line description, LAN console, or remote support.
  • An aggregate line description can also be used to bridge traffic to the external network. See Ethernet Link Aggregation for details on creating an aggregate.
• Create a virtual Ethernet resource to use for layer-2 bridging and record its resource name.
  • If using a Hardware Management Console, create a virtual Ethernet adapter for the desired VLAN ID. Check the "Access external network" box to indicate that this virtual Ethernet adapter is used to bridge traffic to the physical network.
  • If using the IBM i Virtual Partition Manager, the virtual Ethernet adapter is automatically created with the ability to access the external network.
• Choose an alphanumeric name, a maximum of 10 characters, for the bridge itself. Make the name unique from any existing bridge names.