Planning VLANs
Planning is the key to success with VLANs. Identify your needs, such as shared resources (printers and file servers), and plan the network topology accordingly. Consider future needs as part of your plan.
Pro Tip: Use the smallest number of VLANs possible to keep the network easy to maintain.
Example plan
|
VLAN 01 Admin (Default VLAN) |
VLAN 20 Employees |
VLAN 30 Customers |
|---|---|---|
|
IT admin PC |
Sales team (20 workstations) |
Customer Wi-Fi |
|
Surveillance system NVR |
Accounting team (12 workstations) |
Customer work area (5-10 stations) |
|
Router UI access |
Employee Wi-Fi |
|
|
Managed switch UI access |
|
|
|
Access point UI access |
|
|
Note taking
Notate the port role for each port to make setup and maintenance as easy as possible.
Caution: Failure to notate port roles can lead to extensive troubleshooting, loss of connection, and loss of device management. In extreme cases it can lead to factory defaulting the entire network.
Example
|
Router |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Port |
VLAN IDs |
Connection |
|
LAN 1 (Access) |
1 |
IT admin PC |
|
LAN 2 |
- |
- |
|
LAN 3 |
- |
- |
|
LAN 4 (Trunk) |
1, 20, 30 |
Core managed switch |
|
VLAN Management Features |
||
|---|---|---|
|
VLAN IDs |
Inter VLAN Routing |
Device Management |
|
1 |
Enabled |
Enabled |
|
20 |
Disabled |
Disabled |
|
30 |
Disabled |
Disabled |
|
Managed Switch
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Port |
Type |
VLAN IDs |
Connection |
|
1 |
Trunk |
10, 20, 30 |
Router |
|
2 |
Access |
20 |
Employee unmanaged switch |
|
3 |
Access |
20 |
Future use for employees |
|
4 |
Access |
20 |
Employee unmanaged switch |
|
5 |
None |
- |
Available for future needs |
|
6 |
Access |
1 |
Surveillance NVR |
|
7 |
Trunk |
1, 20, 30 |
Access point |
|
8 |
Access |
30 |
Customer unmanaged switch |