Chapter 1 Getting to Know Your Switch
GS-3012/GS-3012F User’s Guide
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1.1.3 High Performance Switched Workgroup Example
The switch is ideal for connecting two power workgroups that need high bandwidth. In the
following example, use trunking to connect these two power workgroups.
Switching to higher-speed LANs such as FDDI or ATM is not feasible for most people due to
the expense of replacing all existing Ethernet cables and adapter cards, restructuring your
network and complex maintenance.
The switch can provide the same bandwidth as FDDI and ATM at much lower cost while still
being able to use existing adapters and switches. Moreover, the current LAN structure can be
retained as all ports can freely communicate with each other.
Figure 3 High Performance Switched Application
1.1.4 IEEE 802.1Q VLAN Application Examples
This section shows a workgroup and a shared server example using 802.1Q tagged VLANs.
For more information on VLANs, see the Switch Setup section and the VLAN Setup chapter
in this User’s Guide. A VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) allows a physical network to be
partitioned into multiple logical networks. Stations on a logical network belong to one group.
A station can belong to more than one group. With VLAN, a station cannot directly talk to or
hear from stations that are not in the same group(s) unless such traffic first goes through a
router.
1.1.4.1 Tag-based VLAN Workgroup Example
Ports in the same VLAN group share the same broadcast domain thus increase network
performance through reduced broadcast traffic. VLAN groups can be modified at any time by
adding, moving or changing ports without any re-cabling.
