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Faizan
VLANs Virtual Circuits provide a service for major server companies to connect over large distances, as if they were on the same network. Configured by high-level consultants, VLAN virtual circuits are one of the technologies used by network solution providers. Understanding how it works requires a basic understanding of both VLANs and multiprotocol label switch, or MPLS.
Traditional VLANs
VLANs separate connected computers, regardless of physical location. Typically, VLANs are configured within a single organization. For example, the accounting team computers are on VLAN 2, while the marketing people are on VLAN 3. VLANs 2 and 3 are then configured on every switch in the network and assigned to individual switch ports. In order for any communication between the two departments to happen, they must communicate through a router. Each VLAN is also on its own subnet.
How MPLS Works
When companies want to connect sites in geographically separate locations, they may purchase those services from another company offering MPLS services. MPLS is a toolset of Internet connectivity, which connects two local networks over the Internet as if they were physically next to one another. The MPLS provider decides, based on the company’s needs, what kind of MPLS strategy will be used. Tunneling and Ethernet over MPLS are among the technologies that differentiate one company’s data from another as it travels across the Internet. From the business's perspective, however, the MPLS provider simply offers a connection at each of the customer sites.
How Virtual Circuits Work
A virtual circuit allows computers at those two sites to act as if they were on direct, physically-connected networks. When the computer sends its normal, VLAN-tagged information to the MPLS provider, the MPLS provider configures their equipment to recognize that VLAN and the interface it came in on as belonging to a certain customer. The provider then strips away that VLAN information on the switch that received the packet and forwards it according to its regular MPLS configuration. At the other end, the switch is configured to re-apply the necessary VLAN information.
An Example
Imagine, for example, that a company has a separate subnet for its sales software database servers. Individual servers are placed at each site in order to allow for the fastest access by the sales staff at those locations. However, both servers need to work together to keep each other’s databases up-to-date. Keeping them on the same subnet allows for the stability of always being accessible to its individual users, while offering flexibility in administration and load balancing. Futhermore, if one physical server is taken offline at a site, the users’ transition is nearly seamless.
Traditional VLANs
VLANs separate connected computers, regardless of physical location. Typically, VLANs are configured within a single organization. For example, the accounting team computers are on VLAN 2, while the marketing people are on VLAN 3. VLANs 2 and 3 are then configured on every switch in the network and assigned to individual switch ports. In order for any communication between the two departments to happen, they must communicate through a router. Each VLAN is also on its own subnet.
How MPLS Works
When companies want to connect sites in geographically separate locations, they may purchase those services from another company offering MPLS services. MPLS is a toolset of Internet connectivity, which connects two local networks over the Internet as if they were physically next to one another. The MPLS provider decides, based on the company’s needs, what kind of MPLS strategy will be used. Tunneling and Ethernet over MPLS are among the technologies that differentiate one company’s data from another as it travels across the Internet. From the business's perspective, however, the MPLS provider simply offers a connection at each of the customer sites.
How Virtual Circuits Work
A virtual circuit allows computers at those two sites to act as if they were on direct, physically-connected networks. When the computer sends its normal, VLAN-tagged information to the MPLS provider, the MPLS provider configures their equipment to recognize that VLAN and the interface it came in on as belonging to a certain customer. The provider then strips away that VLAN information on the switch that received the packet and forwards it according to its regular MPLS configuration. At the other end, the switch is configured to re-apply the necessary VLAN information.
An Example
Imagine, for example, that a company has a separate subnet for its sales software database servers. Individual servers are placed at each site in order to allow for the fastest access by the sales staff at those locations. However, both servers need to work together to keep each other’s databases up-to-date. Keeping them on the same subnet allows for the stability of always being accessible to its individual users, while offering flexibility in administration and load balancing. Futhermore, if one physical server is taken offline at a site, the users’ transition is nearly seamless.
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