Brocade BigIron RX Series Configuration Guide - Manual (Page 367)

BigIron RX Series Configuration Guide 289
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Overview of Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs)
11
Protocol-based VLANs
Interfaces that belong to a port-based VLAN can further be divided into Layer 3 broadcast domains
using protocol-based VLANs. Protocol-based VLANs accept broadcasts of a specified protocol type.
For example, an IP subnet VLAN accepts only broadcasts for the specified IP subnets. This feature
enables you to limit the amount of broadcast traffic to end-stations, servers, and routers.
In a device, you can configure the following protocol-based VLANs within a port-based VLAN:
• AppleTalk - The device sends AppleTalk broadcasts to all ports within the AppleTalk protocol
VLAN
• IP - The device sends IP broadcasts to all ports within the IP protocol VLAN
• IPX - The device sends IPX broadcasts to all ports within the IPX protocol VLAN
• IPv6 - The device sends IPv6 broadcasts to all ports within the IPv6 protocol VLAN
NOTE
You can configure a protocol-based VLAN as a broadcast domain for IPv6 traffic. When the
device receives an IPv6 multicast packet (a packet with 06 in the version field and 0xFF as the
beginning of the destination address), the device forwards the packet to all other ports in the
VLAN except to the port that received the packet.
Protocol-based VLANs can be configured to have static or excluded port memberships. Static ports
are permanent members of a protocol-based VLAN. They remain active members of the
protocol-based VLAN regardless of whether they receive traffic for the VLAN’s protocol.
NOTE
The dynamic port membership is not support on the BigIron RX.
If there are ports in a port-based VLAN that you want to exclude from protocol-based VLANs, the
protocol-based VLAN can be configured to explicitly exclude those ports.
User-configured port-based VLAN
T = 802.1Q tagged port
T T
T T
T
T
Segment 1
Segment 2
T
Segment 2 Segment 1
Tagging is required for the ports
on Segment 1 because the ports
are in multiple port-based VLANs.
Without tagging, a device receiving
VLAN traffic from the other device
would not be sure which VLAN the
traffic is for.
Tagging is not required for the ports
on Segment 2 because each port is
in only one port-based VLAN.