How do I create and manage 802.1Q VLANs on my NETGEAR GS908E switch?

You must activate the 802.1Q-based VLAN mode (also referred to as the advanced VLAN mode) before you can add and manage 802.1Q-based VLANs, manage PVIDs, and set the voice VLAN.

Click a topic from the following list to skip to that topic:

• Activate the 802.1Q-Based VLAN Mode
• Create an 802.1Q-Based VLAN
• Change an 802.1Q-Based VLAN
• Delete an 802.1Q-Based VLAN
• Specify a Port PVID for an 802.1Q-Based VLAN
• Set an Existing 802.1Q-Based VLAN as the Voice VLAN and Adjust the CoS Value
• Change the OUI Table for the Voice VLAN
• Deactivate the Port-Based or 802.1Q-Based VLAN Mode and Delete All VLANs

Activate the 802.1Q-Based VLAN Mode

By default, all types of VLANs are disabled on the switch. Before you can add and manage 802.1Q-based VLANs, PVIDs, and voice VLAN, you must activate the 802.1Q-based VLAN mode. This mode is also referred to as the advanced VLAN mode.

When you activate the 802.1Q-based VLAN mode, VLAN 1 is added to the switch and all ports (1 through 8) are untagged members of VLAN 1. This is the default VLAN in the 802.1Q-based VLAN mode.

To activate the port-based VLAN mode:

1. Open a web browser from a computer that is connected to the same network as the switch or to the switch directly through an Ethernet cable.
2. Enter the IP address that is assigned to the switch.
   The login page opens.
   Enter the switch password.
3. The default password is password. The password is case-sensitive.
   The Home page displays.
4. From the menu at the top of the page, select SWITCHING.
   The Quality of Service (QoS) page displays.
5. From the menu on the left, select VLAN.
   The VLAN page displays.
6. In the 802.1Q-based VLAN (Advanced Mode) section, click the ACTIVATE button.
   A pop-up window opens, informing you that the current VLAN settings will be lost.
7. Click the OK button.
   Your settings are saved and the pop-up window closes. By default, VLAN 1 is added.

Create an 802.1Q-Based VLAN

An 802.1Q-based VLAN configuration lets you assign ports on the switch as tagged or untagged members to a VLAN with an ID number in the range of 1–4094. By default, all ports are untagged members of VLAN 1.

To create an 802.1Q-based VLAN:

1. Open a web browser from a computer that is connected to the same network as the switch or to the switch directly through an Ethernet cable.
2. Enter the IP address that is assigned to the switch.
   The login page opens.
3. Enter the switch password.
   The default password is password. The password is case-sensitive.
   The Home page displays.
4. From the menu at the top of the page, select SWITCHING.
   The Quality of Service (QoS) page displays.
5. From the menu on the left, select VLAN.
   The VLAN page displays.
6. In the 802.1Q-based VLAN section, click the ADD VLAN button.
7. Specify the settings for the new VLAN:
   • VLAN Name. Enter a name from 1 to 20 characters.
   • VLAN ID. Enter a number from 1 to 4094.
   • Ports. Select the ports that you want to include in the VLAN through a combination of the following actions:
     • Click the TAG ALL link to add all ports as tagged ports to the VLAN
     • Click the UNTAG ALL link to add all ports as untagged ports to the VLAN.
     • Click the EXCLUDE ALL link to exclude (remove) all ports from the VLAN.
     • Click the T button for a port to add the port as a tagged port to the VLAN.
     • Click the U button for a port to add the port as an untagged to port the VLAN.
     • Click the E button port to exclude (remove) the port from the VLAN.
       For a selected port, the T button (for a tagged port) or U button (for an untagged port) displays blue.
       For an unselected port, the E button (for an excluded port) displays blue.

If ports are members of the same LAG, you must assign them to the same VLAN.

8. Click the APPLY button.
   Your settings are saved. The new VLAN shows in the 802.1Q-based VLAN section.

Change an 802.1Q-Based VLAN

You can change the settings for an existing 802.1Q-based VLAN.

To change an 802.1Q-based VLAN:

1. Open a web browser from a computer that is connected to the same network as the switch or to the switch directly through an Ethernet cable.
2. Enter the IP address that is assigned to the switch.
   The login page opens.
3. Enter the switch password.
   The default password is password. The password is case-sensitive.
   The Home page displays.
4. From the menu at the top of the page, select SWITCHING.
   The Quality of Service (QoS) page displays.
5. From the menu on the left, select VLAN.
   The VLAN page displays.
6. In the 802.1Q-based VLAN section, click the down arrow for the VLAN that you want to change.
7. Click the EDIT button.
8. Change the settings for the VLAN:
   • VLAN Name. Enter a name from 1 to 20 characters.
   • VLAN ID. Enter a number from 1 to 4094.
   • Ports. Select the ports that you want to include in the VLAN through a combination of the following actions:
     • Click the TAG ALL link to add all ports as tagged ports to the VLAN
     • Click the UNTAG ALL link to add all ports as untagged ports to the VLAN.
     • Click the EXCLUDE ALL link to exclude (remove) all ports from the VLAN.
     • Click the T button for a port to add the port as a tagged port to the VLAN.
     • Click the U button for a port to add the port as an untagged to port the VLAN.
     • Click the E button port to exclude (remove) the port from the VLAN.
       For a selected port, the T button (for a tagged port) or U button (for an untagged port) displays blue.
       For an unselected port, the E button (for an excluded port) displays blue.

If ports are members of the same LAG, you must assign them to the same VLAN.

9. Click the APPLY button.
   Your settings are saved. The modified VLAN shows in the 802.1Q-based VLAN section.

Delete an 802.1Q-Based VLAN

You can delete an 802.1Q-based VLAN that you no longer need. You cannot delete the default VLAN. You cannot delete a VLAN that is in use as the PVID for a port either; You must first remove the VLAN as the PVID for the port before you can delete the VLAN.

If you deactivate the 802.1Q-based VLAN mode, all port-based VLANs are deleted.

To delete an 802.1Q-based VLAN:

1. Open a web browser from a computer that is connected to the same network as the switch or to the switch directly through an Ethernet cable.
2. Enter the IP address that is assigned to the switch.
   The login page opens.
3. Enter the switch password.
   The default password is password. The password is case-sensitive.
   The Home page displays.
4. From the menu at the top of the page, select SWITCHING.
   The Quality of Service (QoS) page displays.
5. From the menu on the left, select VLAN.
   The VLAN page displays.
6. In the 802.1Q-based VLAN section, click the down arrow for the VLAN that you want to delete.
7. Click the DELETE button.
   Your settings are saved. The VLAN is deleted.

Specify a Port PVID for an 802.1Q-Based VLAN

A default port VLAN ID (PVID) is a VLAN ID tag that the switch assigns to incoming data packets that are not already addressed (tagged) for a particular VLAN. For example, if you connect a computer to port 6 of the switch and you want it to be a part of VLAN 2, add port 6 as a member of VLAN 2 and configure port 6 to automatically add a PVID of 2 to all data that the switch receives from the computer. This step ensures that the data from the computer on port 6 can be seen only by other members of VLAN 2. You can assign only one PVID to a port.

If you did not yet create an 802.1Q-based VLAN, all ports are assigned PVID 1 and you cannot assign another PVID to a port. In this situation, first create a custom 802.1Q-based VLAN.

To assign a PVID to a port:

1. Open a web browser from a computer that is connected to the same network as the switch or to the switch directly through an Ethernet cable.
2. Enter the IP address that is assigned to the switch.
   The login page opens.
3. Enter the switch password.
   The default password is password. The password is case-sensitive.
   The Home page displays.
4. From the menu at the top of the page, select SWITCHING.
   The Quality of Service (QoS) page displays.
5. From the menu on the left, select VLAN.
   The VLAN page displays.
6. At the bottom of the 802.1Q-based VLAN, click the PVID Table link.
   The Port and VLAN IDs section displays.
7. Click the icon for a port.
   The PVID menu displays.
8. From the PVID menu, select a VLAN ID and name.
9. Click the APPLY button.
   Your settings are saved. The Port and VLAN IDs section displays again. The VLAN ID that is assigned as the PVID displays with an asterisk (*) next to the port.
10. Click the BACK button.
    The VLAN page displays.

Set an Existing 802.1Q-Based VLAN as the Voice VLAN and Adjust the CoS Value

The switch can support a single 802.1Q-based voice VLAN to facilitate voice over IP (VoIP) traffic.

The default Class of Service (CoS) value for the voice VLAN is 6, which you can adjust to any value from 0 (the lowest priority) to 7 (the highest priority). The voice VLAN CoS value applies to all traffic on the voice VLAN. You can set the default VLAN (VLAN 1) as the voice VLAN.

To set an existing 802.1Q-based VLAN as the voice VLAN and adjust the CoS value for the voice VLAN:

1. Open a web browser from a computer that is connected to the same network as the switch or to the switch directly through an Ethernet cable.
2. Enter the IP address that is assigned to the switch.
   The login page opens.
3. Enter the switch password.
   The default password is password. The password is case-sensitive.
   The Home page displays.
4. From the menu at the top of the page, select SWITCHING.
   The Quality of Service (QoS) page displays.
5. From the menu on the left, select VLAN.
   The VLAN page displays.
6. In the 802.1Q-based VLAN section, click the down arrow for the VLAN that you want to set as the voice VLAN.
7. Click the EDIT button.
8. Under the Port section, click the Voice VLAN button.
   If the voice VLAN is enabled, the button shows blue.
9. From the Class of Service menu, select a CoS value.
   A value of 0 is the lowest priority and a value of 7 is the highest priority.
10. Click the APPLY button.
    Your settings are saved. The voice VLAN shows in the 802.1Q-based VLAN section with a telephone icon.

Change the OUI Table for the Voice VLAN

For the voice VLAN, the switch supports default Organizationally Unique Identifiers (OUIs), which are associated with VoIP phones of specific manufacturers. All traffic received on voice VLAN ports from VoIP phones with a listed OUI is forwarded on the voice VLAN.

You can add, change, and remove OUIs, including the default OUIs. The maximum number of OUI entries in the table is 15. The first 3 bytes of the MAC address contain a manufacturer identifier, while the last 3 bytes contain a unique station ID. You must add an OUI prefix in the format AA:BB:CC.

You can add a new OUI, change an existing OUI, and delete an OUI that you no longer need.

To change the OUI table for the voice VLAN:

1. Open a web browser from a computer that is connected to the same network as the switch or to the switch directly through an Ethernet cable.
2. Enter the IP address that is assigned to the switch.
   The login page opens.
3. Enter the switch password.
   The default password is password. The password is case-sensitive.
   The Home page displays.
4. From the menu at the top of the page, select SWITCHING.
   The Quality of Service (QoS) page displays.
5. From the menu on the left, select VLAN.
   The VLAN page displays.
6. In the 802.1Q-based VLAN section, click the down arrow for the voice VLAN.
   The voice VLAN shows in the 802.1Q-based VLAN section with a telephone icon.
7. Click the OUI Settings link.
   The OUI table displays.
8. To add a new OUI, do the following:
   1. Click the ADD OUI button.
      The OUI Entry page displays.
   2. Enter the new OUI and description.
   3. Click the SAVE button.
      Your settings are saved.
9. To change an existing OUI, do the following:
   1. Click the down arrow next to the OUI that you want to change.
   2. Click the EDIT button.
   3. Change the OUI, description, or both.
   4. Click the SAVE button.
      Your settings are saved.
10. To delete an OUI that you no longer need, do the following:
    1. Click the down arrow next to the OUI that you want to delete.
    2. Click the DELETE button.
       Your settings are saved and the OUI is deleted.
11. Click the BACK button.
12. The VLAN page displays.

Deactivate the Port-Based or 802.1Q-Based VLAN Mode and Delete All VLANs

If you activated the port-based VLAN mode or the 802.1Q-based VLAN mode, you can deactivate either VLAN mode and delete all VLANs.

To deactivate the port-based VLAN mode or 802.1Q-based VLAN mode and delete all VLANs:

1. Open a web browser from a computer that is connected to the same network as the switch or to the switch directly through an Ethernet cable.
2. Enter the IP address that is assigned to the switch.
   The login page opens.
3. Enter the switch password.
   The default password is password. The password is case-sensitive.
   The Home page displays.
4. From the menu at the top of the page, select SWITCHING.
   The Quality of Service (QoS) page displays.
5. From the menu on the left, select VLAN.
   The VLAN page displays.
6. In the No VLANs section, click the ACTIVATE button.
   A pop-up window opens, informing you that the current VLAN settings will be lost.
7. Click the OK button.
   Your settings are saved and the pop-up window closes.