Extreme Networks Summit1 - Manual (Page 87)

S UMMIT S WITCH I NSTALLATION AND U SER G UIDE 5-1
5 Virtual LANs (VLANs)
Setting up Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) on the Summit eases many
time-consuming tasks of network administration while increasing efficiency in network
operations.
This chapter describes the concept of VLANs and explains how to implement VLANs
on the Summit.
O
VERVIEW OF
V
IRTUAL
LAN
S
The term VLAN is used to refer to a collection of devices that communicate as if they
were on the same physical LAN. Any set of ports (including all ports on the switch) is
considered a VLAN. LAN segments are not restricted by the hardware that physically
connects them. The segments are defined by flexible user groups you create with the
command-line interface.
B ENEFITS
Implementing VLANs on your networks has the following advantages:
• VLANs help to control traffic.
With traditional networks, congestion can be caused by broadcast traffic that is
directed to all network devices, regardless of whether they require it. VLANs
increase the efficiency of your network because each VLAN can be set up to contain
only those devices that must communicate with each other.
Summit.bk : 5VLAN.FM Page 1 Thursday, June 18, 1998 9:27 AM