Brocade Mobility 5181 Access Point Product Reference Guide (Supporting software release 4.4.0.0) - Manual (Page 109)

Brocade Mobility 5181 Access Point Product Reference Guide 95
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Configuring the LAN interface
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6. Click Apply to save any changes to the LAN Configuration screen. Navigating away from the
screen without clicking the Apply button results in all changes to the screen being lost if the
prompts are ignored.
7. Click Undo Changes (if necessary) to undo any changes made. Undo Changes reverts the
settings displayed on the LAN configuration screen to the last saved configuration.
8. Click Logout to securely exit the Mobility 5181 Access Point applet. A prompt displays
confirming the logout before the applet is closed.
Configuring VLAN support
A Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) is a means to electronically separate data on the same
Mobility 5181 Access Point from a single broadcast domain into separate broadcast domains. The
Mobility 5181 Access Point can group devices on one or more WLANs so that they can
communicate as if they were attached to the same wire, when in fact they are located on a different
LAN segment. Because VLANs are based on logical instead of physical connections, they are
extremely flexible. By using a VLAN, you can group by logical function instead of physical location. A
maximum of 16 VLANs can be supported on the access point (regardless of the access point being
single or dual-radio model). An administrator can map 16 WLANs to 16 VLANs and enable or
disable dynamic VLAN assignment.
VLANs enable organizations to share network resources in various network segments within large
areas (airports, shopping malls, etc.). A VLAN is a group of clients with a common set of
requirements independent of their physical location. VLANs have the same attributes as physical
LANs, but they enable system administrators to group Clients even when they are not members of
the same network segment.
NOTE
A WLAN supporting a mesh network does not need to be assigned to a particular VLAN, as all the
traffic proliferating the mesh network is already trunked. However, if Clients are to be connected to
the Mesh WLAN, the WLAN will need to be tied to a VLAN.
The Mobility 5181 Access Point assignment of VLANs can be implemented using Static or Dynamic
assignments (often referred to as memberships) for individual WLANs. Both methods have their
advantages and disadvantages. Static VLAN membership is perhaps the most widely used method
because of the relatively small administration overhead and security it provides. With Static VLANs,
you manually assign individual WLANs to individual VLANs.
Although static VLANs are the most common form of VLAN assignments, dynamic VLAN assignment
is possible per WLAN. Configuring dynamic VLANs entail the Mobility 5181 Access Point sending a
DHCP request for device information (such as an IP address). Additional information (such as
device MAC address information) is sent to the Mobility 5181 Access Point. The Mobility 5181
Access Point sends this MAC address to a host housing a copy of the Dynamic VLAN database. This
half duplex Select this option to transmit data to and from the access point, but not at
the same time. Using a half duplex transmission, the access point can send
data over its LAN port then immediately receive data from the same
direction in which the data was transmitted. Like a full-duplex transmission,
a half-duplex transmission can carry data in both directions, just not at the
same time.
full duplex Select this option to transmit data to and from the access point at the same
time. Using full duplex, the access point can send data over its LAN port
while receiving data as well.