Purpose and Benefits of VLAN Technology | Generated by AI
Question: What is the main purpose of VLAN technology?
A) To increase broadcast domains
B) To segment the network and isolate traffic between different departments
C) To improve routing speed across WANs
D) To encrypt data packets
Answer:
The correct answer is B.
The main purpose of VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) technology is to logically segment a physical network into multiple isolated broadcast domains without requiring separate physical switches or infrastructure. This allows devices in different VLANs to be isolated from each other’s traffic (including broadcasts), even if they are connected to the same switch. It is commonly used to separate traffic between departments, improve security, reduce broadcast overhead, and enhance network management.
- Option A is incorrect because VLANs actually decrease (or segment) broadcast domains—one VLAN equals one broadcast domain.
- Option C is incorrect because VLANs operate at Layer 2 (within a LAN) and do not directly affect routing speed across WANs (Layer 3 wide-area connections).
- Option D is incorrect because VLANs do not provide encryption; they only tag frames with VLAN IDs for segmentation (encryption is handled by other protocols like IPsec or WPA).
In summary, VLANs provide traffic isolation and network segmentation at the data link layer, making B the accurate choice.