Final answer:
Transparent bridges observe network traffic flow to make future decisions regarding frame forwarding.
Step-by-step explanation:
Transparent
bridges observe network traffic flow and use this information to make future decisions regarding frame forwarding. They do this by examining the destination MAC address of each frame that passes through them. The bridge builds a
Forwarding Database
(also known as a MAC table) which contains the MAC addresses of the devices connected to each of its ports, and uses this database to determine to which port it should forward each frame based on the destination MAC address.
For example, if a transparent bridge receives a frame with a destination MAC address that is not present in its forwarding database, it will flood the frame out on all ports except the one it was received on. This allows the bridge to learn which devices are connected to each port.
Spanning Tree
is another type of bridge that helps prevent loops in a network by disabling certain redundant links. It does not observe network traffic flow or make forwarding decisions based on it.