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Summit 300-48 Switch Software User Guide 63
5 Virtual LANs (VLANs)
This chapter describes the following topics:
• Overview of Virtual LANs on page 63
• Types of VLANs on page 64
• VLAN Names on page 69
• Configuring VLANs on the Switch on page 70
• Displaying VLAN Settings on page 71
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 you create with the command-line interface.
Benefits
Implementing VLANs on your networks has the following advantages:
• VLANs help to control traffic.
With traditional networks, congestion can be caused by broadcast traffic that is directed to all
network devices, regardless of whether they require it. 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.
• VLANs provide extra security.
Devices within each VLAN can only communicate with member devices in the same VLAN. If a
device in VLAN Marketing must communicate with devices in VLAN Sales, the traffic must cross a
routing device.