GE Multilink ML810 Instruction Manual page 166

VLAN DESCRIPTION
CONSOLE
POWER
CONSOLE
POWER
10–2
The following figure illustrates a VLAN as two separate broadcast domains. The top part of
the figure shows two "traditional" Ethernet segments. Up to 32 VLANs can be defined per
switch.
SEGMENT 1
VLAN 1
FIGURE 10–1: VLAN as two separate broadcast domains
A group of network users (ports) assigned to a VLAN form a broadcast domain. Packets are
forwarded only between ports that are designated for the same VLAN. Cross-domain
broadcast traffic in the switch is eliminated and bandwidth is saved by not allowing
packets to flood out on all ports. For many reasons a port may be configured to belong to
multiple VLANs.
As shown below, ports can belong to multiple VLANs. In this figure, a simplistic view is
presented where some ports belong to VLANs 1, 2 and other ports belong to VLANs 2,3.
Ports can belong to VLANs 1, 2 and 3. This is not shown in the figure.
SEGMENT 1
VLAN 1
FIGURE 10–2: Ports assigned to multiple VLANs
By default, on the MultiLink ML810 Managed Edge Switch, VLAN support is enabled and all
ports on the switch belong to the default VLAN (DEFAULT-VLAN). This places all ports on the
switch into one physical broadcast domain.
If VLANs are entirely separate segments or traffic domains - how can the VLANs route
traffic (or "talk") to each other? This can be done using routing technologies (e.g., a router
or a L3-switch). The routing function can be done internally to a L3-switch. One advantage
SEGMENT 2
VLAN 2
MULTILINK ML810 MANAGED EDGE SWITCH – INSTRUCTION MANUAL
CHAPTER 10: VLAN
SEGMENT 2
VLAN 2
SEGMENT 3
VLAN 3