User Documentation

User Manual Managed Switches
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Benefits of VLANs
The main benefit of VLANs is that they provide a network segmentation system that is far more
flexible than traditional networks. Using VLANs also provides you with three other benefits:
 VLANs ease the relocation of devices on networks: With traditional networks, network
administrators spend most of their time dealing with moves and changes. If users move to a
different subnetwork, the addresses of each host must be updated manually. With a VLAN setup,
if a host on VLAN Marketing, for example, is moved to a port in another part of the network, and
retains its original subnet membership, you only need to specify that the new port is on VLAN
Marketing. You do not need to carry out any re-cabling.
 VLANs provide extra security: Devices within each VLAN can only communicate with other
devices on the same VLAN. If a device on VLAN Marketing needs to communicate with devices
on VLAN Finance, the traffic must pass through a routing device or Layer 3 switch.
 VLANs help control traffic: With traditional networks, congestion can be caused by broadcast
traffic that is directed to all network devices, regardless of whether or not they need it. VLANs
increase the efficiency of your network because each VLAN can be set up to contain only those
devices that need to communicate with each other.
VLANs
Your Weidmüller switch provides support for VLANs using IEEE Std 802.1Q-1998. This standard
allows traffic from multiple VLANs to be carried across one physical link. The IEEE Std 802.1Q-1998
standard allows each port on your Weidmüller switch to be placed in:
 On a single VLAN defined in the Weidmüller switch
 On several VLANs simultaneously using 802.1Q tagging
The standard requires that you define the 802.1Q VLAN ID for each VLAN on your Weidmüller switch
before the switch can use it to forward traffic:
Managing a VLAN
A new or initialized Weidmüller contains a single VLAN—the Default VLAN. This VLAN has the
following definition:
 VLAN Name—Management VLAN
 802.1Q VLAN ID—1 (if tagging is required)
All the ports are initially placed on this VLAN, and it is the only VLAN that allows you to access the
management software of the Weidmüller switch over the network.
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Switch A
Switch B
Backbone connects multiple switches
Department 1
VLAN 1
Department
2
VLAN 2
Department
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VLAN 3