3Com 3Com SuperStack 3 Switch 3800 Family, User Manual

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5
V
IRTUAL
LAN
S
(VLAN
S
)
Setting up Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) on the Switch 3800
eases many time-consuming tasks of network administration while
increasing efficiency in network operations.
This chapter describes the VLAN concepts and explains how to
implement VLANs on the Switch 3800.
Overview of Virtual
LANs
A VLAN is a group of location- and topology-independent devices, for
example a group of users (workstations) and the server to which they
connect, that communicate as if they are on the same physical LAN.
This means that LAN segments are not restricted by the hardware that
physically connects them. The segments are defined by flexible user
groups that you create with the command-line interface.
Benefits Implementing VLANs on your networks has the following advantages:
■
It eases the change and movement of devices.
With traditional networks, network administrators spend much of
their time dealing with moves and changes. If users move to a
different subnetwork, the addresses of each endstation must be
updated manually.
For example, with a VLAN, if an endstation in VLAN Marketing is
moved to a port in another part of the network, and retains its
original subnet membership, you only need to specify that the new
port is in VLAN
Marketing .
SW3800.BK Page 1 Tuesday, May 5, 1998 5:20 PM