VLAN tagging: What’s behind it

VLAN tagging helps with the organization and security of data traffic in networks. The abbreviation stands for Virtual Local Area Network

VLAN Tagging: How Virtual Local Area Network works

A VLAN divides a physical network into several logical networks, which is particularly useful in large organizations. It allows a location-independent connection within the same LAN. So-called managed switches are required to set up a VLAN.

• Each VLAN forms its own broadcast domain. Within this domain, the participants can send broadcasts, i.e. data packets. These packets only reach the members of the respective VLAN.

• VLAN tagging uses tags to mark data packets. These tags indicate which VLAN a packet belongs to. Network devices can thus manage data traffic efficiently.

• The technology is based on the IEEE 802.1Q standard, which defines how the tags are embedded in the Ethernet frames. Each tag in the frame has a separate structure that contains the VLAN ID and priority information. The priority can be used to give preferential treatment to certain data traffic

• Because each VLAN has its own data traffic, bottlenecks are reduced. This improves the performance of the network.

• Another advantage is flexibility. Devices can be moved from one VLAN to another with minimal effort. This makes VLANs ideal for dynamic working environments.

Virtual Local Area Network: What you need to know about security

VLAN tagging is an effective way to increase network security by dividing network traffic into separate segments.

• Each segment is an independent network, which prevents data from flowing freely between different network segments. By isolating the data streams, sensitive information is protected and unauthorized access is made more difficult.

• Network administrators can precisely control access rights and thus determine who can access which data.

• The setup of VLAN tagging must be carried out carefully, as errors in the configuration mean security gaps. Regular checks of the settings are also important to ensure complete security.