A local area network, what we know more commonly as a LAN, is a network that comprises devices based out of the same geographic location, enabling communication between them. The virtual counterpart of a LAN is a virtual LAN, or VLAN. A VLAN augments a LAN, offering flexibility in making changes, higher scalability, and better security.
Employing a VLAN has its upsides
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A VLAN has the advantage of being virtual. In a LAN, all connected devices must be in the same location. The VLAN environment, in contrast, has no geographic limitation, allowing devices to be configured from a central point irrespective of their location.
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A VLAN doesn’t call for significant alterations every time you seek to improve network performance. By mere segmentation of the network, you can manage bandwidth. For instance, the admin and the operators can be in separate VLANs so neither impacts the other.
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Because a VLAN effectively splits the network, it means devices fall into groups, which means improved security. Users working in small groups in turn enhance the fault management process because troubleshooting and getting to the root cause of the issue is made easier.
You can see why VLANs are a big part of the network management strategy at high-growth companies, where agility, convenience, and quality are key tenets.
On paper and in practice, the advantages of VLANs are numerous, but a few inevitable cons arise in due course of managing such a network.
Why VLAN monitoring is needed
When network segmentation is done by creating VLANs, there also comes the added responsibility of managing them.
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Managing multiple VLANs is sometimes akin to managing a LAN; configuration must be done manually, which is tedious and error-prone.
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If effective monitoring doesn’t happen, VLANs are also susceptible to security issues—the slightest mishap can spread to the whole logical network.
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Packet loss can happen between one VLAN and another.
Effective VLAN monitoring keeps the network faultless
Effective VLAN monitoring ensures all devices and networks are actively monitored for discrepancies. VLAN monitoring gathers an overview of all active VLANs and their traffic in real time. It begins with discovering devices in the VLAN that you want to be monitored. Once VLAN monitoring begins, timely alerts are raised, helping you fix issues before they aggravate users.
Reap all the benefits of a VLAN through the VLAN monitoring feature in OpManager
VLAN monitoring is just one among a numerous set of features in OpManager. Once you start with VLAN discovery and enable monitoring, OpManager will assign total bandwidth and utilization monitors by default, which will show traffic and error data.
Monitoring
Enable VLAN monitoring at a device-specific level. Leverage various monitoring options along with VLAN monitoring. Set conditions, criteria, and threshold limits to tailor the monitoring to your liking.
Alerting
Get timely alerts that help you fix issues before they affect end users. Different types of alert can reach you through your medium of choice, ensuring no alerts are missed and responses are quick.
Reduced packet loss
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VLAN monitoring can reduce the latency in your network. Low instances of packet loss translate into a healthy network.
Dashboards
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View a summary of VLAN monitoring, including the monitoring status, in the form of a widget.
- Widgets can display various performance metrics and devices and be combined together on a central dashboard.
OpManager is a part of ManageEngine’s ITOM suite of solutions. Apart from network monitoring, this suite also offers solutions for streamlining server monitoring, application monitoring, bandwidth monitoring, configuration management, firewall security and compliance, and IP address and switch port management. This is why ManageEngine’s ITOM solutions are the ideal choice for over one million IT admins worldwide.
