SMC Networks SMC6824M manual Introduction

INTRODUCTION

for different VLANs. It simplifies network management, provides for even faster convergence than RSTP by limiting the size of each region, and prevents VLAN members from being segmented from the rest of the group (as sometimes occurs with IEEE 802.1D STP).

Virtual LANs – The switch supports up to 255 VLANs. A Virtual LAN is a collection of network nodes that share the same collision domain regardless of their physical location or connection point in the network. The switch supports tagged VLANs based on the IEEE 802.1Q standard. Members of VLAN groups can be dynamically learned via GVRP, or ports can be manually assigned to a specific set of VLANs. This allows the switch to restrict traffic to the VLAN groups to which a user has been assigned. By segmenting your network into VLANs, you can:

•Eliminate broadcast storms which severely degrade performance in a flat network.

•Simplify network management for node changes/moves by remotely configuring VLAN membership for any port, rather than having to manually change the network connection.

•Provide data security by restricting all traffic to the originating VLAN.

•Use private VLANs to restrict traffic to pass only between data ports and the uplink ports, thereby isolating adjacent ports within the same VLAN, and allowing you to limit the total number of VLANs that need to be configured.

Traffic Prioritization – This switch prioritizes each packet based on the required level of service, using four priority queues with strict or Weighted Round Robin Queuing. It uses IEEE 802.1p and 802.1Q tags to prioritize incoming traffic based on input from the end-station application. These functions can be used to provide independent priorities for delay-sensitive data and best-effort data.

This switch also supports several common methods of prioritizing layer 3/ 4 traffic to meet application requirements. Traffic can be prioritized based on the priority bits in the IP frame’s Type of Service (ToS) octet or the number of the TCP/UDP port. When these services are enabled, the

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