C H A P T E R 2

Using the Intel Express 460T Standalone Switch

Virtual LANs (VLANs)

A Virtual LAN is a logical network grouping you can use to isolate network traffic so members of the VLAN receive traffic only from other members. Creating a VLAN is the equivalent of physically moving a group of devices to a separate switch (creating a Layer 2 broadcast domain). The advantage of a VLAN is that you can reduce broadcast traffic for the entire switch, and increase security, without changing the wiring of your network.

The 460T switch supports three types of VLANs: port-based, MAC-based, and tag-based. See Chapter 5 for more information about creating and configuring VLANs.

Port-Based VLANs

This is the simplest and most common form of VLAN. In a port-based VLAN, the system administrator assigns the switch’s ports to a specific VLAN. For example, the system administrator can designate ports 2, 4, 6, and 9 as part of the engineering VLAN and ports 17, 19, 21, and 23 as part of the marketing VLAN. The advantage of port-based VLANs is that they are easy to configure and, because all changes occur at the switch, they are transparent to the users. The 460T supports up to 12 port-based VLANs. A port can belong to only one VLAN at a time.

Using the 460T

Module A

Intel Express 460T Standalone Switch

These devices are members of VLAN 1

VLAN 1:

Engineering

These devices are members of VLAN 2

VLAN 2:

Marketing

If a user relocates, the system administrator reassigns the port to the new VLAN. Another advantage is if a hub is connected to a port that is part of a VLAN, all devices connected to the hub are also part of the VLAN. The disadvantage is that there is no way to exclude an individual device on that hub from becoming part of the VLAN.

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Intel 460T manual Virtual LANs VLANs, Port-Based VLANs