Virtual LANs

You can add a Virtual LAN (VLAN) to any type of Ethernet team as described in IV Configuring Virtual LANs (VLANs) Over a Team.

A VLAN allows you to isolate network traffic for a specific group of network hosts. Using VLANs, you can organize networked systems into logical workgroups, such as Marketing or Engineering, that span a building, complex, or an entire enterprise network. Members of a particular VLAN receive traffic only from other members of the same VLAN.

VLANs are particularly useful for limiting broadcast storms, reducing security problems, and simplifying network management.

There are two types of VLANs:

• Implicit VLANs, which are configured entirely at the switch level. The switch does not alter or tag packets to enforce an implicit VLAN.

• Explicit VLANs, which are configured throughout the network, on each adapter and link partner. Switches identify and route traffic based on a four-byte tag (802.3ac) in each packet header.

To support either type of VLAN, switches on your network must support 802.1Q VLANs. Also, to configure a VLAN on your system, you need to contact your network administrator to obtain the VLAN ID for your workgroup, which must be identical to the VLAN ID programmed into the switches.

In an environment with many VLAN workgroups, you can optionally implement the Generic Attribute Registration Protocol (GARP) VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP) to dynamically create, change, and remove VLANs. To support GVRP, all adapters and switches on your network must have GVRP enabled. For more information about GVRP, follow the links in the online help available on the VLANs tab, see the documentation for your switch, or contact your network administrator.