3 VLAN Configuration in MikroTik

1. Understanding VLANs

VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks) allow you to segment a physical network into multiple logical networks. This segmentation enhances security, improves performance, and simplifies network management by reducing unnecessary broadcast traffic.

Imagine a large office where different departments (e.g., HR, IT, Sales) need to be kept separate for security and performance reasons. By creating VLANs, you can ensure that each department's network is isolated, even though they share the same physical infrastructure.

2. Configuring VLANs in MikroTik

To configure VLANs in MikroTik, you need to create VLAN interfaces and assign them to specific ports on your switch. Each VLAN interface is identified by a unique VLAN ID, which is used to tag packets that belong to that VLAN.

For example, you might create three VLANs: VLAN 10 for HR, VLAN 20 for IT, and VLAN 30 for Sales. Each VLAN would have its own IP subnet and be assigned to specific switch ports. Devices connected to these ports would then communicate within their respective VLANs.

3. Practical Example

Let's walk through a practical example of configuring three VLANs on a MikroTik router:

1. Create VLAN Interfaces: /interface vlan add name=vlan10 vlan-id=10 interface=ether1 /interface vlan add name=vlan20 vlan-id=20 interface=ether1 /interface vlan add name=vlan30 vlan-id=30 interface=ether1
2. Assign IP Addresses: /ip address add address=192.168.10.1/24 interface=vlan10 /ip address add address=192.168.20.1/24 interface=vlan20 /ip address add address=192.168.30.1/24 interface=vlan30
3. Configure Switch Ports: /interface bridge port add bridge=bridge1 interface=ether2 vlan-ids=10 /interface bridge port add bridge=bridge1 interface=ether3 vlan-ids=20 /interface bridge port add bridge=bridge1 interface=ether4 vlan-ids=30

In this example, we created three VLAN interfaces (vlan10, vlan20, vlan30) on the same physical interface (ether1). We then assigned IP addresses to each VLAN interface and configured the switch ports to handle traffic for specific VLANs.

By mastering VLAN configuration in MikroTik, you can create a flexible, secure, and high-performance network infrastructure tailored to your specific needs. This knowledge is essential for anyone aiming to become a MikroTik Certified Routing Engineer.