Specifications

ExtremeWare XOS 11.0 Concepts Guide 81
5 Virtual LANs
This chapter covers the following topics:
• Overview of Virtual LANs on page 81
• Types of VLANs on page 82
• VLAN Names on page 89
• Configuring VLANs on the Switch on page 90
• Displaying VLAN Settings on page 92
• Tunneling (VMANs) on page 93
Setting up Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) on the switch eases many time-consuming tasks of
network administration while increasing efficiency in network operations.
Overview of Virtual LANs
The term VLAN is used to refer to a collection of devices that communicate as if they were on the same
physical LAN. Any set of ports (including all ports on the switch) is considered a VLAN. LAN
segments are not restricted by the hardware that physically connects them. The segments are defined by
flexible user groups that you create with the command line interface (CLI).
Benefits
NOTE
The system switches traffic within each VLAN using the Ethernet MAC address. The system routes
traffic between two VLANs using the IP addresses.
Implementing VLANs on your networks has the following advantages:
• VLANs help to control traffic—With traditional networks, broadcast traffic that is directed to all
network devices, regardless of whether they require it, causes congestion. VLANs increase the
efficiency of your network because each VLAN can be set up to contain only those devices that must
communicate with each other.