Vlan (Virtual Local Area Network); Features - D-Link DGS-1248T Manual

Switching LAN technology is a marked improvement over the previous
generation of network bridges, which were characterized by higher latencies.
Routers have also been used to segment local area networks, but the cost of a
router, the setup, and maintenance required make routers relatively impractical.
Today switches are an ideal solution to most kinds of local area network
congestion problems.

VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network)

A VLAN is a group of end-stations that are not constrained by their physical
location and can communicate as if a common broadcast domain, a LAN. The
primary utility of using VLAN is to reduce latency and need for routers, using
faster switching instead. Other VLAN utility includes:
Security: Security is increased with the reduction of opportunity in
eavesdropping on a broadcast network because data will be switched to only
those confidential users within the VLAN.
Cost Reduction: VLANs can be used to create multiple broadcast domains,
thus eliminating the need of expensive routers.

Features

48×10/100/1000Mbps Auto-negotiation Gigabit Ethernet ports
4 x 1000Mbps SFP(Mini GBIC) (Auto-Sense) for optional SFP(Mini
GBIC) transceiver to extend distance, share with 4 1000BASE-T ports
All RJ-45 ports support auto MDI/MDIX, so there is no need to use
cross-over cables or an up-link port
Half-duplex transfer mode for connection speed 10Mbps and 100Mbps
Full-duplex transfer mode for connection speed of 10Mbps, 100Mbps,
and 1000Mbsps
Wire speed reception and transmission
Store-and-Forward switching scheme capability to support rate
adaptation and ensure data integrity
Up to 16K unicast addresses entities per device, self-learning, and table
aging
1632KBytes packet buffer
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