Cabletron Systems SmartSTACK ELS100 - Manual (Page 97)

9032579-03 Virtual LANs (VLANs) 83
APPENDIX D. VIRTUAL LANS (VLANS)
VLANs and Frame Tagging
The ELS100-24TX supports IEEE 802.1Q-compliant virtual LANs
(VLANs). This capability provides a highly efficient architecture for
establishing VLANs within a network and for controlling broadcast/
multicast traffic between workgroups. Central to this capability is an
explicit frame tagging approach for carrying VLAN information between
interconnected network devices.
With frame tagging, a four byte data tag field is appended to frames that
cross the network. The tag identifies which VLAN the frame belongs to.
The tag may be added to the frame by the end station itself or by a
network device, such as a switch. In addition to VLAN information, the
relative priority of the frame in the network can specified by the tag (see
Appendix E, “Class of Service”).
In the example in Figure D-1 below, the workstations attached to the top
switch are members of the same two VLANs as the workstations attached
to the bottom switch. The 802.1Q tags are used to carry VLAN information
in the frames traveling between the two switches.
Figure D-1. Two Switch VLAN Configuration