Moxa Technologies EDS-508 Using Virtual LAN, Concept of Virtual LAN Vlan, What is a VLAN?

EDS-508 Series User’s Manual Featured Functions

Using Virtual LAN

Setting up Virtual LANs (VLANs) on your EDS increases the efficiency of your network by dividing the LAN into logical segments, as opposed to physical segments. In general, VLANs are easier to manage.

The Concept of Virtual LAN (VLAN)

What is a VLAN?

A VLAN is a group of devices that can be located anywhere on a network, but which communicate as if they are on the same physical segment. With VLANs, you can segment your network without being restricted by physical connections—a limitation of traditional network design. As an example, with VLANs you can segment your network according to:

#Departmental groups—For example, you can have one VLAN for the Marketing department, another for the Finance department, and another for the Development department.

#Hierarchical groups—For example, you can have one VLAN for directors, another for managers, and another for general staff.

#Usage groups—For example, you can have one VLAN for e-mail users, and another for multimedia users.

Switch A

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

	Backbone connects multiple switches
						Switch B
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8

Department 1	Department 2
VLAN 1	VLAN 2

Department 3 VLAN 3

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 much of their time dealing with moves and changes. If users move to a different subnetwork, the addresses of each end-station must be updated manually. With a VLAN setup, if an end-station 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

3-35