VLANtunnelille

VLANtunnelille is a network tunneling protocol designed to encapsulate Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tagged frames within IP packets. This encapsulation allows VLANs to be extended across different network segments, even if those segments are geographically separated or belong to different administrative domains. The primary purpose of VLANtunnelille is to maintain VLAN segmentation and isolation while enabling communication between devices across these segments.

The protocol operates at the data link layer of the OSI model, similar to traditional VLAN tagging. However, instead of using Ethernet frames, VLANtunnelille encapsulates these frames within IP packets. This encapsulation is achieved by adding a VLANtunnelille header to the original Ethernet frame, which includes information such as the VLAN ID and the original frame's length.

VLANtunnelille is particularly useful in scenarios where VLANs need to span multiple sites or where network segmentation is required across different network infrastructures. It allows for the creation of a single, logical network that can be segmented into multiple VLANs, each with its own broadcast domain. This segmentation helps in improving network performance, security, and manageability.

The protocol is supported by various network devices and software, including routers, switches, and virtual network functions. It is often used in conjunction with other tunneling protocols, such as Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) or IPsec, to provide additional security and flexibility. VLANtunnelille is defined in RFC 4546, which specifies the protocol's encapsulation and operation.

In summary, VLANtunnelille is a network tunneling protocol that encapsulates VLAN tagged frames within IP packets. It allows for the extension of VLANs across different network segments, maintaining segmentation and isolation while enabling communication between devices. The protocol is useful in scenarios requiring VLAN segmentation across multiple sites or different network infrastructures.