Network Advanced Features

Some network interface cards (NICs) and switches allow you to configure their parameters for advanced features, such as setting up Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) and Quality of Service (QoS), as well as setting the frame size (some devices support the use of Jumbo Frames). Manufacturers of these devices typically provide management and diagnostic tools to set up the parameters.

 

 

Virtual Local Area Networks (VLAN)

 

This feature gives the network manager the ability to group traffic flow in a switch into Virtual LANs. A VLAN is a group of ports in a switch that behaves as if it were a single switch or hub. Using the device management interface (supplied by the device manufacturer), the network manager can select a set of ports to belong to a VLAN. Thus, multiple VLANs can be created and each VLAN will be isolated from others because each VLAN acts as a separate broadcast domain.

 

There are many informative reports on VLANs on the Internet that can help you in understanding this feature.

 

Quality of Service (QoS)

The term QoS refers to a set of networking technologies and techniques used to optimize network performance. With the introduction of iSCSI, QoS becomes a very important technology as it attempts to provide guaranteed and predictable traffic behavior. QoS addresses the following key network parameters: availability, bandwidth, latency, and error rate. Using tagging techniques, QoS can prioritize the flow of traffic to optimize the performance of the network.

There are many informative reports on QoS on the Internet that can help you in understanding this feature.

 

Jumbo Frames

Ethernet frames have a maximum transmission unit (MTU) of 1500 bytes per payload. With the advent of Gigabit Ethernet, a larger MTU called the Jumbo Frame has been defined to improve the performance of the network. Jumbo Frames have MTUs of 9000 bytes per payload.

Note: Not all devices support Jumbo Frames. Refer to the documentation for your devices to determine if they support this feature.

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