Bay Networks 58000, Installation And Reference Manual

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Planning a Switched Network
2-4 893-878-B
Figure 2-1. Microsegmentation with the Model 58000 switch
Virtual Network Segmentation
With virtual network segmentation, each port connects to a segment that is a
single collision domain. However, network management applications are used
to group multiple ports into a single broadcast domain, called a virtual LAN.
Creating virtual LANs to segment your network involves assigning ports (or, in
effect, the end stations attached to these ports) to different broadcast domains
using a network management application. Creating virtual LANs does not
involve physically reconfiguring the network. It provides the benefits of physical
segmentation, but with more flexibility for future network changes and growth.
Managing and configuring networks through network management software
control is referred to as “virtual networking.”
Figure 2-2 illustrates how you
can use virtual networking to logically divide two areas of a network without
changing the physical network topology.
6287
Servers
10 Mb/s
100 Mb/s
Model 58000 switch
Model 5000 hub
Model 5308P Ethernet
host modules
Backplane
segments
893-878-B Book Page 4 Monday, May 12, 1997 2:06 PM