VMware ESX Server 3 802.1Q VLAN Solutions

The virtual switches in ESX Server 3 support VLAN (IEEE 802.1Q) trunking. Using VLANs, one can enhance security and leverage the existing network infrastructures with ESX Server. This white paper provides an overview of VLAN concepts and benefits and illustrates three possible ESX Server and virtual machine VLAN configurations. It then compares the advantages and disadvantages of the three possible configurations and recommends some best practices. The paper also includes configuration samples for both ESX Server and the external physical switches and concludes with a list of frequently asked questions.