VLAN Types

VLAN membership can be configured in two different ways, known as static and dynamic.

Static VLANs. With a static VLAN, an administrator defines VLANs on a switch and then assigns ports to them. This is the most common way in which VLANs are configured.

Dynamic VLANs. A dynamic VLAN is one in which a switch port automatically configures itself to be part of a particular VLAN, based on the MAC address of a connected system. Think of a scenario where a laptop user uses different connections within an office building. In this case, she could plug into a given jack (which is connected to a switch) and automatically be made part of her native VLAN. In order to accomplish this, a management database needs to be created that maps MAC addresses to VLANs, which requires additional administrative effort. Cisco has a product that provides this functionality – VLAN Management Policy Server (VMPS).

Author: Dan DiNicolo

Dan DiNicolo is a freelance author, consultant, trainer, and the managing editor of 2000Trainers.com. He is the author of the CCNA Study Guide found on this site, as well as many books including the PC Magazine titles Windows XP Security Solutions and Windows Vista Security Solutions. Click here to contact Dan.