IDG Contributor Network: The beginning of the end for enterprise network VLANs
Many of us cordially detest virtual LANs (VLANs). They require complicated configuration, and consequently they are error-prone. They do not offer fully satisfactory solutions for the problems they are employed to solve, primarily limiting broadcast traffic and segregating devices and their traffic for security purposes. But as the least-worst alternative, they are a fact of life in many networks.
Recent developments in WLAN and data center networking offer opportunities to escape VLANs.
In the enterprise Wi-Fi world, it has long been important to reduce broadcast traffic over the air, and WLAN vendors have been developing techniques along these lines for years. An early feature allowed an access point to act as an ARP proxy for its client devices, answering on their behalf. The success of proxy-ARP functions engendered intervention in other broadcast/multicast protocols to reduce unnecessary traffic and improve performance.
To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here