A means of configuring devices (PCs) so that they can communicate as if they were attached to the same wire, when in fact they are located on a number of different LAN segments. Because VLANs are based on logical instead of physical connections they are extremely flexible, provide security through utilizing virtual private networking, and can be used to connect remote locations.
A mature network technology that allows local area networks (LANs) to overlap on a single backbone architecture. VLANs allow different departments in a building to "share" the same switch and not have special hardware dedicated to it.
A group of computers on a network whose software has been configured so that they behave as if they were on a separate Local Area Network (LAN). Computers on VLAN do not have to be physically located next to one another on the LAN. A VLAN can be set up as a temporary solution to allow a workgroup to use less network bandwidth and communicate more privately.
Individual workstations, rather than being directly connected to a shared media, are instead connected to an intelligent device such as a switch which has the capability through software to define LAN membership. This permits a systems administrator to resegment the LAN without changing the physical arrangement. It also allows, with some switching technologies, the ability to support multiple subnets on a single switch where a series of router interfaces were previously required.
(Also VLAN) partitioning available network resources into independent groups to insulate related traffic and reduce management complexity.
A switched network that is logically segmented into virtual local-area networks on a physical or geographical basis, or by functions, project teams, or applications.
A VLAN is a network of computers that behave as if they are connected to the same wire, even though they may be physically located on different segments of a LAN. VLANs are configured through software rather than hardware, which makes them extremely flexible. When a computer on a VLAN is physically moved to another location, it can stay on the same VLAN without any hardware reconfigurations.
A logical grouping of hosts on one or more LANs that allows communication to occur between hosts as if they were on the same physical LAN See also: host; local area network (LAN)
