NEC Express5800/320Ma, Manual

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Configuring Ethernet PCI Adapters
Ethernet PCI Adapters 2-13
Virtual LANs
You can add a Virtual LAN (VLAN) to any type of Ethernet team.
N O T E
NEC Solutions (America), Inc. supports VLANs only over
Ethernet teams, not over individual adapters. An
unteamed adapter is a single point of failure that can
cause the loss of a network connection.
A VLAN allows you to isolate network traffic for a specific group of network hosts. Using
VLANs, you can organize networked systems into logical workgroups, such as
Marketing or Engineering, that span a building, complex, or an entire enterprise
network. Members of a particular VLAN receive traffic only from other members of the
same VLAN.
VLANs are particularly useful for limiting broadcast storms, reducing security problems,
and simplifying network management.
There are two types of VLANs:
•
Implicit VLANs, which are configured entirely at the switch level. The switch does
not alter or tag packets to enforce an implicit VLAN.
•
Explicit VLANs, which are configured throughout the network, on each adapter and
link partner. Switches identify and route traffic based on a four-byte tag (802.3ac)
in each packet header.
To support either type of VLAN, switches on your network must support 802.1Q
VLANs. Also, to configure a VLAN on your system, you need to contact your network
administrator to obtain the VLAN ID for your workgroup, which must be identical to the
VLAN ID programmed into the switches.
In an environment with many VLAN workgroups, you can optionally implement the
GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP) to dynamically create, change, and remove
VLANs. To support GVRP, all adapters and switches on your network must have
GVRP enabled. For information about configuring and using GVRP, see the PROSet
online help and the documentation for your switch, or contact your network
administrator.