Individual Vlan

Individual VLAN IT/242 Bob Anderson Adam Moneypenny Why Create a VLAN Due to the changes happening within the company, expansion of the call center, employees moving around within the building, and employees moving off site there is a need for change to the network. Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) is the most obvious choice because “the VLAN solution can help reduce costs by allowing us to purchase fewer router ports. It also gives us the flexibility of physically placing and moving our clients anywhere in the organization, while still including them virtually within their own subnet.

We can also contain broadcasts within the network, thereby freeing up network resources. From a security perspective, it allows us very granular control of the network. ” (McIntire, 2001) The Plan In order to accommodate the changes the network needs due to expansion and relocation the Local Area Network (LAN) must be segmented into different broadcast domains through the use of the VLAN. Incorporating the VLAN will reduce the number of router hops and increase the apparent bandwidth for the user. Security

To improve security, separating systems that have sensitive data from the rest of the network decreases the chances that people will gain access to information they are not authorized to see. VLAN Memberships VLAN membership will be of the Dynamic type. The Dynamic VLANs switch automatically assigns the port to a VLAN. Because there are changes happening quickly and employees being added and moved to new locations this membership type would work best. It can be assumed that with the growth of the company that there will be more employees being moved and location changes continuing.

Switches A layer 2 switch will be used on the VLAN. With a layer 2 switch multiple layer 3 networks can be created from the same layer 2 switch. This layer 3 is the same layer that IP subnets are created on. Trunking Trunking will be used to allow for multiple VLANs and multiple switches to communicate via a single link between the switches. The type of trunking configured on the switches will be VTP Server mode which is the default mode for all Cisco switches. “The VTP server controls VLAN creation, modification, and deletion for their respective VTP domain.

Synchronizes VLAN configuration with latest information received from other switches in the management domain. Switches that operating in VTP server mode store the VLAN database in NVRAM and advertise VTP information to all other switches within the VTP domain. ” (Leahy, 2011) Backup Plan As a backup to the VLAN operating model to ensure continued operation of the network during a VLAN fault or outage, the network should be physically laid out to provide a star topology in the absence of the VLAN while the VLAN and VTP are reconfigured or repaired.

Summary As can be seen from all the information above the VLAN will satisfy all the needs of the company and its struggle with growth. VLANs allow for growth to the network without adding excessive hardware. Mobility of users can be easily solved and security can be increased. The VTP is an excellent way to allow all the VLANs to communicate effectively. It can also easily be backed up with a star topology physical layout. In conclusion the VLAN will be the perfect solution for the company. References Leahy, E. (2011, July 22).

VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP). Retrieved October 28, 2012, from The World of Networking: http://ericleahy. com/? p=644 McIntire, R. (2001, September 4). VLANS and Switching Technology. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from TechRepublic: http://www. techrepublic. com/article/vlans-and-switching-technology-why-and-how-to-implement-vlans-in-your-cisco-switched-network-environment/1055541 Stallings, W. (2009). Business Data Communications. Prentice Hall. Tyson, J. (n. d. ). How LAN Switches Work. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from How Stuff