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Networking Intermediate

What is VLAN (Virtual LAN)?

A logical grouping of network devices that creates separate broadcast domains on the same physical network infrastructure.

VLANs segment a physical network into multiple logical networks. Devices in the same VLAN can communicate directly, while VLAN-to-VLAN traffic requires routing. This improves security, reduces broadcast traffic, and simplifies network management.

VLANs use 802.1Q tagging to identify which VLAN a frame belongs to. Common uses include separating departments (HR, Engineering), isolating guest Wi-Fi, and segmenting IoT devices from main networks.

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