International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882

Volume 4, Issue 10, October 2015

Implementation of Virtual Local Area Network using network simulator

Sarah Yahia Ali
Department of Computer Engineering Techniques, Dijlah University College, Iraq

ABSTRACT
Large corporate environments, and for that matter
healthcare sites, comprise multiple departments which
can be segmented into separate layer-2 LANs. An
efficient and cost effective means of accomplishing this
is through the use of inter-connected VLANs. A virtual
local area network (VLAN) is defined as a local area
network configured by software, not by physical wiring.
VLAN's also allow broadcast domains to be
defined without using routers. Bridging software is used
instead to define which workstations are to be included
in the broadcast domain. VLANs represent an alternative
solution to routers for broadcast containment, since
VLANs allow switches to also contain broadcast traffic.
With the implementation of switches in conjunction with
VLANs, each network segment can contain as few as
one user (approaching private port LAN switching),
while broadcast domains can be as large as 1,000 users
or perhaps even more. This paper present, in details,
exactly what a VLAN is and how VLAN memberships
are used in a switched network.
Keywords - VLAN, Router, Switch, Network, Routing,
Hosts.

I.

Figure (1) Flat network structure

Now check out Figure (2), It pictures a switched

network and shows Host A sending a frame with Host D
as its destination. Whats important is that, as you can
see, that frame is only forwarded out the port where Host
D is located. This is a huge improvement over the old
hub networks, unless having one collision domain by
default is what you really want.
Now you already know that the largest benefit you
gain by having a layer 2 switched networks is that it
creates individual collision domain segments for each
device plugged into each port on the switch. This
scenario frees us from the Ethernet distance constraints,
so now larger networks can be built. But often, each new
advance comes with new issues. For instance, the larger
the number of users and devices, the more broadcasts
and packets each switch must handle [2].

INTRODUCTION

By default, switches break up collision domains and

routers break up broadcast domains. By creating virtual
local area network (VLAN), broadcast domains break up
in a pure switched internetwork. A VLAN is a logical
group of network users and resources connected
administratively defined ports on a switch. When
VLANS created, it will be the ability to create smaller
broadcast domains within a layer 2 switched
internetworks by assigning different ports on the switch
to different sub networks. A VLAN is treated like its
own subnet or broadcast domain, meaning that frames
broadcast onto the network are only switched between
the ports logically grouped within the same VLAN. By
default, hosts in a specific VLAN cannot communicate
with hosts that are members of another VLAN, so for
inter-VLAN communication router is needed [1].

In Figure (1) we see Host A sending out a broadcast

and all ports on all switches forwarding it all except
the port that originally received it.

Figure (2) the benefit of a switched network

VLAN implementation combines Layer 2 switching and

Layer 3 routing technologies to limit both collision
domains and broadcast domains, and can also be used to
provide security by creating the VLAN groups according
to function and by using routers to communicate
between VLANs.
A physical port association is used to implement
VLAN assignment. And the communication between
VLANs can occur only through the router. This limits
the size of the broadcast domains and uses the router to
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International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
Volume 4, Issue 10, October 2015

determine whether one VLAN can talk to another VLAN

[3].
If create a virtual LAN (VLAN), then can solve
many of the problems associated with layer 2 switching
with VLANs [4]. VLANs simplify network
management:

be physically located together. Users on different

floors of the same building, or even in different
buildings can now belong to the same LAN [5].

Network adds, moves, and changes are achieved

with ease by just configuring
a port into the
appropriate VLAN.
A group of users that need high level of security
can be put into its own VLAN so that users
outside of the VLAN cannot communicate with
them.
As a logical grouping of users by function,
VLANs can be considered independent from
their physical or geographic locations.
VLANs greatly enhance network security.
VLANs increase the number of broadcast
domains while decreasing their size [1].

Figure (3) Physical view of a LAN

II.

DEFINITION OF VLAN

In a traditional LAN, workstations are connected to each

other by means of a hub or a repeater. These devices
propagate any incoming data throughout the network.
However, if two people attempt to send information at
the same time, a collision will occur and all the
transmitted data will be lost. Once the collision has
occurred, it will continue to be propagated throughout
the network by hubs and repeaters. The original
information will therefore need to be resent after waiting
for the collision to be resolved, thereby incurring a
significant wastage of time and resources. To prevent
collisions from traveling through all the workstations in
the network, a bridge or a switch can be used. These
devices will not forward collisions, but will allow
broadcasts (to every user in the network) and multicasts
(to a pre-specified group of users) to pass through. A
router may be used to prevent broadcasts and multicasts
from traveling through the network.
The workstations, hubs, and repeaters together form a
LAN segment. A LAN segment is also known as a
collision domain since collisions remain within the
segment. The area within which broadcasts and
multicasts are confined is called a broadcast domain or
LAN. Thus a LAN can consist of one or more LAN
segments. Defining broadcast and collision domains in a
LAN depends on how the workstations, hubs, switches,
and routers are physically connected together. This
means that everyone on a LAN must be located in the
same area that shown in Figure (3) [5].

VLAN's allow a network manager to logically

segment a LAN into different broadcast domains,
see Figure (4). Since this is a logical segmentation
and not a physical one, workstations do not have to

(Physical View)

(Logical View)

Figure (4) Physical and logical view of a VLAN

VLAN's also allow broadcast domains to be defined

without using routers. Bridging software is used
instead to define which workstations are to be
included in the broadcast domain. Routers would
only have to be used to communicate between two
VLAN's [5].
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International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
Volume 4, Issue 10, October 2015

III.

TYPES OF VLAN'S

Port-based VLAN

VLAN membership can be defined in several

different ways, which is one of the reasons they can
be confusing. The simplest way is to assign specific
ports on a switch to VLANs. For example, ports 1,
2, 7, and 8 on an 8-port switch make up VLAN A,
while ports 3, 4, 5, and 6 make up VLAN B. If an
assigned switch port is connected to a shared
segment - one with multiple nodes - all those nodes
will be part of the VLAN, along with the nodes on
other ports assigned to that VLAN. This VLAN
segmentation is basically a matter of electronically
isolating the ports of each VLAN.
Port grouping is the most popular method of
defining VLAN membership, and configuration is
fairly straightforward. However, the primary
limitation of defining VLANs by port is that the
network manager may have to reconfigure VLAN
membership when a user moves from one port to
another [6].
MAC Address-based VLAN
MAC address-based VLAN has a different set of
advantages and disadvantages. In this method,
switches maintain tables of MAC addresses with
their VLAN membership. With this form of
membership, the nodes on a shared segment need
not belong to the same VLAN. Because MAC
addresses are hardwired into the Network
Information Cards (NICs), this Layer 2 VLAN
definition has the advantage of portability.
Wherever a workstation or laptop is plugged in
across the switched network, the switches will
recognize it as a member of the assigned VLAN.
This is especially useful for a WIFI connected
switch port.
The disadvantage of MAC address-based VLAN
solutions is the requirement that all users must
initially be configured to be in at least one VLAN.
Only after that initial manual configuration, the
automatic VLAN grouping of users is possible. The
manual VLAN configuration has to be repeated, if
more than one switch is used. The disadvantage of
having to configure VLAN membership becomes
apparent in very large networks where thousands of
users must each be explicitly assigned to a

particular VLAN [6].

Layer 3-based VLANs
VLANs can also be defined by their network or
Layer 3 addresses. Many network managers,
frustrated by the administrative overhead that comes
with highly changeable networks configured with
IP, could happily replace their existing subnet
structure with VLANs. Once the node's VLAN
membership is defined, the VLAN handles
everything, even if the node is moved to a port
connected to a different subnet or if the IP addresses
need to be reassigned.
Layer 3-based VLANs take into account protocol
type (if multiple protocols are supported) or
network-layer address (for example, subnet address
for TCP/IP networks) in determining VLAN
membership. There are several advantages to
defining VLANs at Layer 3. First, it enables
partitioning by protocol type. This may be an
attractive option for network managers who are
dedicated to a service - or application-based VLAN
strategy. Second, users can physically move their
workstations without having to reconfigure each
workstations network address a benefit primarily
for TCP/IP users. Third, defining VLANs at Layer 3
can eliminate the need for frame-tagging in order to
communicate
VLAN
membership
between
switches, reducing transport overhead [6].
IV.

BENEFITS OF VLANS

Performance

In networks where traffic consists of a high

percentage of broadcasts and multicasts, VLAN's
can reduce the need to send such traffic to
unnecessary destinations.
Formation of Virtual Workgroups
It is common to find cross-functional product
development teams with members from different
departments such as marketing, sales, accounting,
and research. These workgroups are usually formed
for a short period of time. With VLAN's it is easier
to place members of a workgroup together. Without
VLAN's, the only way this would be possible is to
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International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
Volume 4, Issue 10, October 2015

physically move all the members of the workgroup

closer together.
Simplified Administration
Seventy percent of network costs are a result of
adds, moves, and changes of users in the network.
Every time a user is moved in a LAN, recabling,
new station addressing, and reconfiguration of hubs
and routers becomes necessary.
Some of these tasks can be simplified with the use
of VLAN's. If a user is moved within a VLAN,
reconfiguration of routers is unnecessary. In
addition, depending on the type of VLAN, other
administrative work can be reduced or eliminated.
Reduced Cost
VLAN's can be used to create broadcast domains
which eliminate the need for expensive routers.
Security
Periodically, sensitive data may be broadcast on a
network. In such cases, placing only those users
who can have access to that data, on a VLAN can
reduce the chances of an outsider gaining access to
the data. VLAN's can also be used to control
broadcast domains, set up firewalls, restrict access,
and inform the network manager of an intrusion [5].
V.

VLAN TRUNKING PROTOCOL (VTP)

VTP is a Layer 2 messaging protocol that maintains

VLAN configuration consistency by managing the
addition, deletion, and renaming of VLANs within a
VTP domain. A VTP domain (also called a VLAN
management domain) is made up of one or more
network devices that share the same VTP domain name
and that are interconnected with trunks [7].
The basic goals of VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP) are
to manage all configured VLANs across a switched
internetwork and to maintain consistency throughout that
network VTP allows you to add, delete, and rename
VLANs information that is then propagated to all other
switches in the VTP domain. Heres a list of some of the
cool features VTP has to offer:

Consistent VLAN configuration across all

switches in the network
VLAN trunking over mixed networks, such as
Ethernet to ATM LANE or even FDDI

Accurate tracking and monitoring of VLANs

Dynamic reporting of added VLANs to all
switches in the VTP domain
Plug and Play VLAN adding.

Before can get VTP to manage VLANs across the

network, must have to create a VTP server. All servers
that need to share VLAN information must use the same
domain name, and a switch can be in only one domain at
a time. So basically, this means that a switch can only
share VTP domain information with other switches if
theyre configured into the same VTP domain. By use a
VTP domain if have more than one switch connected in
a network, but if have got all switches in only one
VLAN, just dont need to use VTP. Do keep in mind
that VTP information is sent between switches only via a
trunk port [2].
Before create VLANs, you must decide whether to
use VTP in your network. With VTP, you can make
configuration changes centrally on one or more network
devices and have those changes automatically
communicated to all the other network devices in the
network [7].

VI.

DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF

VLAN

The designed network is the model of the college

consists of several sections. Each section represents
VLAN, where engineering department represents
VLAN4
with
IP
address
192.168.10.0
255.255.255.0 (Eng.) and the department of Law
represents VLAN5 have IP address 172.16.1.0
255.255.0.0 (law) while the department of Business
Administration represents VLAN6 with IP address
10.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 (manage.) and finally the
department of Science represents VLAN 7 with IP
address 192.168.20.0 255.255.255.0 (snc.).
This network is shown in the Figure (5) consist of
four switches whereas the connector line among
them called trunk. The trunk which is located
between switch 1 and switch 2 have VLAN 1 with
IP address 192.1.100.0 255.255.255.0 , while the
trunk which is located between switch 2 and switch
3 have VLAN 2 with IP address 192.30.100.0
255.255.255.0 and the trunk which is located
between switch 2 and switch 4 that have VLAN 3
with IP address 172.16.100.0 255.255.0.0

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International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
Volume 4, Issue 10, October 2015

Figure (5) Network Design

VII.

Where it is selected each node of the switch to

configure VLAN as shown in the groups below:
Department of Engineering VLAN4

PC1:

IP

192.168.10.1

Subnet

255.255.255.0

PC4:

IP

192.168.10.2

Subnet

255.255.255.0

PC8:

IP

192.168.10.3

Subnet

255.255.255.0

PC12:

IP

192.168.10.4

subnet

255.255.255.0

PC3:

IP

192.168.20.1

Subnet

255.255.255.0

PC7:

IP

192.168.20.2

Subnet

255.255.255.0

PC11:

IP

192.168.20.3

Subnet

255.255.255.0

PC15:

IP

192.168.20.1

subnet

255.255.255.0

VIII.

RESULTS

When we send a message from computer 1 to computer

0 led to a failure because the two on the same switch but
the difference VLANs that shown in the following
Figure (6).
While we send a message from computer 1 to computer
8 appears success of the transmitter with the process
different switches but the same VLAN, and transfer the
message between 2 to 14 in the same case.

DISTRIBUTING OF VLANS

Department of Science VLAN 7

Figure (6) result of sending messages

Department of Law VLAN 5

PC0:

IP

172.16.1.1

Subnet

255.255.0.0

PC5:

IP

172.16.1.2

Subnet

255.255.0.0

PC9:

IP

172.16.1.3

Subnet

255.255.0.0

PC13:

IP

172.16.1.4

subnet

255.255.0.0

Department of Business Administration VLAN 6

PC2:

IP

10.0.0.1

Subnet

255.0.0.0

PC6:

IP

10.0.0.2

Subnet

255.0.0.0

PC10:

IP

10.0.0.3

Subnet

255.0.0.0

PC14:

IP

10.0.0.4

subnet

255.0.0.0

When ping PC10 in PC6 appearing successful the ping

without lost because PC10 and
PC6 in the same VLAN
that shown in the Figure (7).

Figure (7) successful ping

While the ping PC4 with PC6 that is failure

ping lets to all
message is lost that shown in the Figure (8).

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International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
Volume 4, Issue 10, October 2015

Figure (8) failure ping

IX.

CONCLUSION

VLANs are in affective means of portioning a larger

LAN into manageable subsets. VLANs restrict the
broadcast domain improve performance and security and
are ideal for isolating industrial automation systems
from IT systems while retaining the plants structural
wiring. The simplest of VLANs to implement are port
VLANs but the most effective VLAN scheme is the
IEEE 802.1Q VLAN tagging standard that improves
mobility by allowing a user to potentially access any
VLAN from any point on the LAN.

X.

REFERENCES

[1] Gyan Prakash Pal and Sadhana Pal, Virtual Local

Area Network (VLAN), Faculty of Electronics &
Communication Engineering Department, IJSRET
Vol. 1 Issue10, January 2013.
[2] Todd Lammle, CCNA:Ciscco Certified Network
th
Associate, study guide by sybex, 6 edition, 2007.
[3] Cisco Systems, http://www.cisco.com
[4] Todd Lammle CCNA Cisco Certified Network
Associate Study Guide, (7th Edition), 2011.
[5] Suba Varadarajan, Virtual Local Area Networks,
2000. http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/~jain/cis78897/virtual_lans/index.htm.
[6] Micrel is a registered trademark of Micrel,
Virtual LAN: Applications and Technology,
WHITE PAPER, 2004.
[7] http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/lan/ca
talyst6500/ios/150SY/configuration/guide/15 0_sy_
swcg/vtp.html
.

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