468 Dell PowerConnect 55xx Systems User GuideFILE LOCATION: C:\Users\gina\Desktop\Checkout_new\Maintenance Projects\DellContax\sources\CxUGSwitching_VLAN.fmD E L L C O N F I D E N T I A L – P R E L I M I N A R Y 1 0 / 3 0 / 1 3 - F O R P R O O F O N LYVirtual LAN OverviewA VLAN is a switched network that is logically segmented on anorganizational basis, by functions, project teams, or applications rather thanon a physical or geographical basis. For example, all workstations and serversused by a particular workgroup team can be connected to the same VLAN,regardless of their physical connections to the network, or the fact that theymight be intermingled with other teams. Reconfiguration of the network canbe done through software rather than by physically unplugging and movingdevices or wires.A VLAN can be thought of as a Broadcast domain that exists within a definedset of switches. A VLAN consists of a number of end systems, either hosts ornetwork equipment (such as bridges and routers), connected by a singlebridging domain. The bridging domain is supported on various pieces ofnetwork equipment; for example, LAN switches that operate bridgingprotocols between them with a separate bridge group for each VLAN.VLANs are created to provide the segmentation services traditionallyprovided by routers in LAN configurations. VLANs address scalability,security, and network management. Routers in VLAN topologies providebroadcast filtering, security, address summarization, and traffic flowmanagement.None of the switches, within a defined group, will bridge any frames, not evenbroadcast frames, between two VLANs.
