Linux® For Dummies®, 8th Edition

Step 4: Install Bridging

For your next trick, you need to build a bridge between the wired network card and the wireless network card. No, not a suspension bridge, but a network bridge.

Network bridges are used to bridge a gap in the network. They connect two network systems together on the same router subnet. Routers are used to move traffic between two dissimilar networks, whereas bridges move traffic between to similar networks that must be joined together.

The bridging software required for this project is already prepackaged in a Fedora software package. The bridge-utils package contains all the software components you need to build your network bridge. All you need to do is install the package:

1.	Click ApplicationsAdd/Remove Software. This starts the Package Manager tool. If you’re not logged in as the root user, you’ll be asked for the root password to continue.
2.	Click the Search tab to search for a software package.
3.	Type bridge-utils in the text box, and click the Search button. When the search completes, you’ll see the current bridge-utils package listed in the results window.
4.	Select the bridge-utils entry, and then click Apply to start the installation.

You’ve now completed the software installation: next, you need to use the bridging software to create the bridge.