The examples so far in this chapter demonstrate one VLAN spanning multiple switches. In the real world, typically, a great number of VLANs are configured, which are extended to multiple switches. Figure 4-3 shows two VLANs in the switched network. Each VLAN has its own STP-topology, IP range, and network requirements.
Figure 4-3. Multiple Switches with Two VLANs
Now imagine a third VLAN is added, which requires another physical link between the switches. Because it may not be efficient to continue to add links as the number of VLANs grows, the solution is trunking. A trunk can be configured between two or more switches, between ...