3Com 1000 - Manual (Page 75)

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A
DVANCED
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ANAGEMENT
Virtual LANs (VLANs)
Setting up Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) on
the Switch 1000 provides you with less time-
consuming network administration and more effi-
cient network operation.
The following sections explain more about the con-
cept of VLANs and explain how they can be imple-
mented on the Switch 1000.
What are VLANs?
A VLAN is defined as a group of location- and
topology-independent devices that communicate as
if they are on the same physical LAN. This means
that LAN segments are not restricted by the hard-
ware which physically connects them; the segments
are defined by flexible user groups that you create
using software.
With VLANs, you can define your network according
to:
■ Departmental groups — For example, you can
have one VLAN for the Marketing department,
another for the Finance department, and
another for the Development department.
■ Hierarchical groups — For example, you can
have one VLAN for directors, another for manag-
ers, and another for general staff.
■ Usage Groups — For example, you can have
one VLAN for users of e-mail, and another for
users of multimedia.
Benefits of VLANs
Implementing VLANs on your network has three
main advantages:
■ It eases the change and movement of devices on
IP networks
■ It helps to control broadcast traffic
■ It provides extra security