Reference Guide

Virtual LANs (VLAN) | 903

Virtual LANs (VLAN)

Virtual LANs (VLAN) are supported on platforms: e c s z

This section contains the following subsections:

• Default VLAN

• Port-Based VLANs

• VLANs and Port Tagging

• Configuration Task List for VLANs

• Enable Null VLAN as the Default VLAN

Virtual LANs, or VLANs, are a logical broadcast domain or logical grouping of interfaces in a LAN in

which all data received is kept locally and broadcast to all members of the group. When in Layer 2 mode,

VLANs move traffic at wire speed and can span multiple devices. FTOS supports up to 4093 port-based

VLANs and 1 Default VLAN, as specified in IEEE 802.1Q.

VLANs provide the following benefits:

• Improved security because you can isolate groups of users into different VLANs

• Ability to create one VLAN across multiple devices

For more information on VLANs, refer to IEEE Standard 802.1Q Virtual Bridged Local Area Networks.

In this guide, see also:

• Bulk Configuration

• VLAN Stacking

For a complete listing of all commands related to FTOS VLANs, see these FTOS Command Line

Reference Guide chapters:

• Interfaces chapter

• Port Authentication (802.1x) section in the Security chapter

•

GARP VLAN Registration protocol (GVRP) chapter

•

Service Provider Bridging chapter

•

Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+) chapter

• For E-Series, see also the

ACL VLAN Group and Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol chapters.