A VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) is a switched network, created on an Ethernet adapter, that can be logically segmented by function, project teams, or applications without regard to the physical location of the users.
For example, several user workstations might be grouped as a department, such as engineering or accounting. When the workstations are physically located close to one another, you can group them in a LAN segment. If any of the workstations are in different buildings (that is, not on the same physical LAN segment), you can group them into a VLAN.
VLANs enable easy administration of logical groups of workstations that can communicate as if they were on the same LAN. VLANs are commonly used to separate network users into manageable broadcast domains, to create logical segmentation of workgroups, and to enforce security policies among each logical segment. The use of a VLAN also reduces unnecessary traffic in a LAN subnet.
VLANs are supported in Data ONTAP on Ethernet adapters. A single adapter supports up to a maximum of four VLANs at any given time.