VLANs across switches without trunking

[bwindle]

Assuming that you only have one VLAN, is it possible to have that single VLAN reach across multiple switches without trunk ports? I've inherited a network of a handful of Cat 6506s, and Cat4006's, which have one big flat /22 in a single VLAN. I'd like to break it up into smaller chunks and seperate VLANs, but I'm rather suprised that it appears to be working with one VLAN but without trunks.

[szahid · Accepted solution]

Since you have one vlan , it does not require that trunks be configured between the switches. This is a general misconception that inter-switch links cannot be access links. They can be. Infact, you do not have to trunk inter-switch links when only one vlan is being carried in the entire network. The need for configuring inter-switch links as trunk links only arises when you have more then one vlan to transport.

thanks

Salman Z.

[ppaulet]

And... if i want to have mre than one vlan?, and cannot confiugre trunks (is not supported for example) ....

pp.

[attrgautam]

Nopes you cant pas multiple VLANs without trunking. You could may be look at dot1q tunneling but if the switch doesnt support trunking it wont support tunneling as well i guess. You cud probably as many links bt s/ws as VLANs(gud old way)

[jsdeprey]

Actully you can run seperate access port links per vlan, chewing up a seperate physical port per vlan on each switch. There was a 2900 series switch I had a long time ago that supported vlans but not trunks.

It had a feature called multi vlan that you could add to a port, but this was a way of letting one port talk to all vlans and was messy.

But you could run a seperate cable for each vlan. if you have 5 vlans then 5 cables between switch A and switch B, port 1 vlan 1, port 2 vlan2, port 3 vlan3, etc...