A local area network (LAN) can generally be defined as a broadcast domain. Hubs, bridges,
or switches in the same physical segment or segments connect all end node devices.
Endpoints can communicate with each other without the need for a router. Routers connect
LANs together, routing the traffic to the appropriate port.

A virtual LAN (VLAN) is a local area network with a definition that maps workstations on
some basis other than geographic location (for example, by department, type of user, or
primary application). To enable traffic to flow between VLANs, traffic needs to go through a
router, as if the VLANs were on two separate LANs.

A VLAN is a group of computers, servers, and other network resources that behave as if they
were connected to a single network segment—even though they might not be. For example,
all marketing personnel might be spread throughout a building. Yet if they are all assigned to
a single VLAN, they can share resources and bandwidth as if they were connected to the