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Setting Up a Network Bridge
3 minute read.
Last Modified 2024-03-15 13:07 EDTIn general, a bridge refers to various methods of combining (aggregating) multiple network connections into a single aggregate network.
TrueNAS uses bridge(4) as the kernel bridge driver. Bridge(8) is a command for configuring the bridge in Linux. While the examples focus on the deprecated brctl(8) from the bridge-utilities package, we use ip(8) and bridge(8) from iproute2 instead. Refer to the FAQ section that covers bridging topics more generally.
Network bridging does not inherently aggregate bandwidth like link aggregation (LAGG). Bridging is often used for scenarios where you need to extend a network segment or combine different types of network traffic. Bridging can be used to integrate different types of networks (e.g., wireless and wired networks) or to segment traffic within the same network. A bridge can also be used to allow a VM configured on TrueNAS to communicate with the host system. See Accessing NAS From a VM for more information.
Prepare your system for interface changes by stopping and/or removing apps, VM NIC devices, and services that can cause conflicts:
- Stop running apps before proceeding with network interface changes.
- Power off any running virtual machines (VMs) before making interface IP changes. Remove active NIC devices.
If you encounter issues with testing network changes, you might need to stop any services, including Kubernetes and sharing services such as SMB, using the current IP address.
To set up a bridge interface, go to Network, click Add on the Interfaces widget to open the Add Interface screen, then:
Select Bridge from the Type dropdown list. You cannot change the Type field value after you click Save.
Enter a name for the interface. Use the format bondX, vlanX, or brX where X is a number representing a non-parent interface. You cannot change the Name of the interface after you click Save.
(Optional but recommended) Enter any notes or reminders about this particular bridge in Description.
Select the interfaces on the Bridge Members dropdown list.
Click Add to the right of Aliases to show the IP address fields, and enter the IP address for this bridge interface. Click Add again to show an additional IP address fields for each additional IP address you want to add.
Click Save when finished. The created bridge shows in Interfaces with its associated IP address information.
Click Test Changes to determine if network changes are successful.
After TrueNAS finishes testing the interface, click Save Changes to keep the changes. Click Revert Changes to discard the changes and return to the previous configuration.
