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Chapter 10
VLAN Trunking Protocol
This chapter discusses the origins of trunking and its operation. It also covers how VLAN
Trunking Protocol (VTP) can solve some of your problems when you manage and
implement VLANs in a large LAN network environment. Inter-VLAN routing also is
discussed. After you finish the Chapter 10 online material and the print material in the
Cisco Networking Academy Program CCNA 3 and 4 Companion Guide, you should better
understand the following concepts.

Concept Questions
Demonstrate your knowledge of these concepts by answering the following questions in the
space provided.
1. VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP) was created to solve potential
operational problems in a VLAN switched environment. Explain the
fundamentals of VTP.

The role of VTP is to maintain VLAN configuration consistency across a common network
administration domain. VTP is a messaging protocol that uses OSI Layer Two trunk frames to
manage the addition, deletion, and renaming of VLANs on a single domain. Further, VTP allows
for centralized changes that are communicated to all other switches in the network.
VTP messages are encapsulated in either Cisco proprietary Inter-Switch Link (ISL) or IEEE
802.1D protocol frames, and then passed across trunk links to other devices.

2. The role of VTP is to maintain VLAN configuration consistency across

the entire network. Explain its benefits.

VTP minimizes the possible configuration inconsistencies that arise when changes are made. These
inconsistencies can result in security violations because VLANs cross connect when duplicate
names are used; they also could become internally disconnected when they are mapped from one
LAN type to another.

3. VTP switches operate in one of three modes . Explain these modes.

Server - If you configure the switch for server mode, you can create, modify, and delete VLANs,
and specify other configuration parameters (such as VTP version and VTP pruning) for the entire
VTP domain. VTP servers advertise their VLAN configuration to other switches in the same VTP
domain, and synchronize the VLAN configuration with other switches based on advertisements
received over trunk links. This is the default mode on the switch.
Client - VTP clients behave the same way as VTP servers. However, you cannot create, change, or
delete VLANs on a VTP client.
Transparent - VTP transparent switches do not participate in VTP. A VTP transparent switch does
not advertise its VLAN configuration, and does not synchronize its VLAN configuration based on
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received advertisements. However, in VTP Version 2, transparent switches do forward VTP

advertisements

4. VTP Version 2 supports features not supported in Version 1. What are they?

• Token Ring support - VTP Version 2 supports Token Ring LAN switching and
VLANs.
• Unrecognized type/length/value (TLV) support - A VTP server or client propagates
configuration changes to its other trunks, even for TLVs it is not able to parse. The
unrecognized TLV is saved in NVRAM.
• Version-dependent transparent mode - In VTP Version 1, a VTP transparent switch
inspects VTP messages for the domain name and version, and forwards a message
only if the version and domain name match. Because only one domain is supported in
the supervisor engine software, VTP Version 2 forwards VTP messages in transparent
mode without checking the version.
• Consistency checks - In VTP Version 2, VLAN consistency checks (such as VLAN
names and values) are performed only when you enter new information through the
command-line interface (CLI) or Simple Network Management Protocol
(SNMP).Consistency checks are not performed when new information is obtained
from a VTP message, or when information is read from NVRAM. If the digest on a
received VTP message is correct, its information is accepted without consistency
checks. A switch that is capable of running VTP Version 2 can operate in the same
domain as a switch running VTP Version 1 if VTP Version 2 remains disabled on the
VTP Version 2-capable switch.
• If all switches in a domain are capable of running VTP Version 2, you need to enable
VTP Version 2 on only one switch (using the set vtp v2 enable command). The
version number is propagated to the other VTP Version 2-capable switches in the VTP
domain.

5. A switch’s default behavior is to propagate broadcast and unknown

packets across the network. This behavior causes a large amount of
unnecessary traffic to cross the network. What is VTP pruning?

VTP pruning enhances network bandwidth use by reducing unnecessary flooding of traffic, such as
broadcast, multicast, unknown, and flooded unicast packets. VTP pruning increases available
bandwidth by restricting flooded traffic to those trunk links that the traffic must use to access the
appropriate network devices. By default, VTP pruning is disabled.
6. In switched networks, route processors enable communication
between VLANs. What do route processors provide?

They provide VLAN access to shared resources and connect to other parts of the network that are
either logically segmented with the more traditional subnet approach or require access to remote sites
across wide-area links.
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7. As the number of VLANs increases in a network, network administrators must

determine whether they want to have an individual router interface for each VLAN.
What are possible solutions?

One solution is to dedicate one interface on the Route Processor for each VLAN supported.
Another solution is to carry multiple VLAN traffic over a single link. In order to maintain integrity
between VLAN traffic, a mechanism is required to identify the packet of each VLAN. The ISL
protocol is used to interconnect two VLAN-capable Fast Ethernet devices such as a router and a
switch. The ISL protocol is a proprietary frame-tagging protocol that contains a standard Ethernet
frame and the VLAN information associated with that frame.

Vocabulary Exercise
Define the following terms as completely as you can. Use the online curriculum or Chapter
10 of the Cisco Networking Academy Program CCNA 3 and 4 Companion Guide for help.
802.1Q – the ability to carry the traffic of more than one subnet down a single cable. The IEEE
802.1Q committee defined this method of multiplexing VLANs in an effort to provide multivendor
VLAN support
Default gateway – a router interface, normally referenced with an IP address
Default router - a router with at least one interface serving as a default gateway.
ISL - a vendor-specific, proprietary protocol used to interconnect multiple switches and maintain
VLAN information as traffic travels between switches on trunk links.
Router processor - contains most of the system memory components and the main system
processor.
Trunking – physical and logical connection between two switches across which network traffic
travels. A backbone is composed of a number of trunks.
VLANs - virtual LAN. Group of devices on one or more LANs that are configured (using
management software) so that they can communicate as if they were attached to the same wire,
when in fact they are located on a number of different LAN segments.

Focus Questions

1. What is trunking?

A trunk is a physical and logical connection between two switches across which network traffic
travels. A trunk is a single transmission channel between two points that are usually switching
centers.

2. What do trunking protocols allow?

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Trunking protocols allow the traveling of frames from different VLANs through a single physical
channel, and manage the distribution of the frames accordingly to their associated VLAN ports. At
present two types of trunking mechanisms exist, frame filtering and frame tagging.

3. What is frame tagging?

Frame tagging places a unique identifier in the header of each frame as it is forwarded throughout
the network backbone. The identifier is understood and examined by each switch before any
broadcasts or transmissions to other switches, routers, or end-station devices. When the frame exits
the network backbone, the switch removes the identifier before the frame is transmitted to the target
end station. Frame identification functions at Layer 2 and requires little processing or
administrative overhead.

4. What are the Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet trunking modes,
and what do they mean?

On - This mode puts the port into permanent trunking. The port becomes a trunk port even if the
neighboring port does not agree to the change. The on state does not allow for the negotiation of an
encapsulation type. You must, therefore, specify the encapsulation in the configuration.
Off - This mode puts the port into permanent nontrunking mode and negotiates to convert the link
into a nontrunk link. The port becomes a nontrunk port even if the neighboring port does not agree
to the change.
Desirable - This mode makes the port actively attempt to convert the link to a trunk link. The port
becomes a trunk port if the neighboring port is set to on, desirable, or auto mode.
Auto - This mode makes the port willing to convert the link to a trunk link. The port becomes a
trunk port if the neighboring port is set to on or desirable mode. This is the default mode for Fast
and Gigabit Ethernet ports. Notice that if the default setting is left on both sides of the trunk link, it
will never become a trunk; neither side will be the first to ask to convert to a trunk.
Nonegotiate - This mode puts the port into permanent trunking mode but prevents the port from
generating Dynamic Trunking Protocol (DTP) frames. You must configure the neighboring port
manually as a trunk port to establish a trunk link.

5. What are the benefits of VTP?

• VLAN configuration consistency across the network

• Mapping scheme that allows a VLAN to be trunked over mixed media; example: mapping
Ethernet VLANs to a high-speed backbone VLAN such as ATM LANE or FDDI

• Accurate tracking and monitoring of VLANs

• Dynamic reporting of added VLANs across the network

Plug-and-play configuration when adding new VLANs
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CCNA Exam Review Questions

The following questions help you review for the CCNA exam. The answers appear in Appendix A,
“Answers to CCNA Exam Review Questions.”

1. What is the primary advantage of using a trunk link?

A. It provides more bandwidth for each trunk.

B. It reduces router and switch ports.
C. It allows for a single VLAN on each physical port.
D. It creates less overhead on the router.

2. What protocol is Cisco-proprietary and is designed to carry traffic from

multiple VLANs?

A. 802.11A
B. 802.1Q
C. VNET
D. ISL

3. VTP messages are encapsulated in either Cisco-proprietary Inter-

Switch Link (ISL) or what type of frame?

A. IEEE 802.1D protocol frame

B. IEEE 802.1R protocol frame
C. 802.11D protocol frame
D. 802.19 protocol frame

4. True or false: Two different versions of VTP can run in your

management domain, VTP Version 1 and VTP Version 2. The two versions
are interoperable.

A. True
B. False

5. A switch’s default behavior is to propagate broadcasts and unknown

__________ across the network.

A. Frames
B. Packets
C. Tags
D. VLANs
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6. In switched networks, __________ is/are used to provide

communication between VLANs.

A. Route processors
B. Modulators
C. VT
D. Subnets