Types Of Interfaces - ZyXEL Communications UAG4100 User Manual

• Layer-3 virtualization (IP alias, for example) is a kind of interface.

Types of Interfaces

You can create several types of interfaces in the UAG.
• Setting interfaces to the same port role forms a port group. Port groups create a hardware
connection between physical ports at the layer-2 (data link, MAC address) level. Port groups are
created when you use the Interface > Port Roles screen to set multiple physical ports to be
part of the same interface.
• Ethernet interfaces are the foundation for defining other interfaces and network policies.
• VLAN interfaces receive and send tagged frames. The UAG automatically adds or removes the
tags as needed. Each VLAN can only be associated with one Ethernet interface.
• Bridge interfaces create a software connection between Ethernet or VLAN interfaces at the
layer-2 (data link, MAC address) level. Unlike port groups, bridge interfaces can take advantage
of some security features in the UAG. You can also assign an IP address and subnet mask to the
bridge.
• PPP interfaces support Point-to-Point Protocols (PPP). ISP accounts are required for PPPoE/PPTP
interfaces.
• Virtual interfaces provide additional routing information in the UAG. There are three types:
virtual Ethernet interfaces, virtual VLAN interfaces, and virtual bridge interfaces.
• Trunk interfaces manage load balancing between interfaces.
Port groups and trunks have a lot of characteristics that are specific to each type of interface. See
Section 10.2 on page 114
Ethernet, PPP, VLAN, bridge, and virtual--have a lot of similar characteristics. These characteristics
are listed in the following table and discussed in more detail below.
Table 48 Ethernet, PPP, VLAN, Bridge, and Virtual Interface Characteristics
CHARACTERISTICS
Name*
Configurable Zone
IP Address Assignment
Static IP address
DHCP client
Routing metric
Interface Parameters
Bandwidth restrictions
Packet size (MTU)
DHCP
DHCP server
DHCP relay
Connectivity Check
- * The format of interface names other than the Ethernet and ppp interface names is strict. Each name consists of 2-4
letters (interface type), followed by a number (x). For most interfaces, x is limited by the maximum number of the
type of interface. For VLAN interfaces, x is defined by the number you enter in the VLAN name field. For example,
Ethernet interface names are wan1, lan1, lan2; VLAN interfaces are vlan0, vlan1, vlan2, ...; and so on.
** - The names of virtual interfaces are derived from the interfaces on which they are created. For example, virtual
interfaces created on Ethernet interface wan1 are called wan1:1, wan1:2, and so on. Virtual interfaces created on
VLAN interface vlan2 are called vlan2:1, vlan2:2, and so on. You cannot specify the number after the colon(:) in the
Chapter 10 Interfaces
and Chapter 11 on page 152
ETHERNET ETHERNET
wan1 lan1, lan2
No Yes
Yes Yes
Yes No
Yes Yes
Yes Yes
Yes Yes
No Yes
No Yes
Yes No
UAG4100 User's Guide
113
for details. The other types of interfaces--
PPP VLAN BRIDGE
pppx vlanx brx
Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes
No Yes Yes
No Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes
VIRTUAL
**
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No