Inter-VLAN Routing - ChapterBook
Inter-VLAN Routing - ChapterBook
Cisco Press
Inter-VLAN Routing
Date: Jul 29, 2020 By Cisco Networking Academy. Sample Chapter is provided
courtesy of Cisco Press.
Objectives
Upon completion of this chapter, you will be able to answer the following
questions:
Key Terms
This chapter uses the following key terms. You can find the definitions in the
Glossary.
router-on-a-stick Page 98
Introduction (4.0)
Now you know how to segment and organize your network into VLANs. Hosts can
communicate with other hosts in the same VLAN, and you no longer have hosts
sending out broadcast messages to every other device in your network, eating up
needed bandwidth. But what if a host in one VLAN needs to communicate with a
host in a different VLAN? If you are a network administrator, you know that people
will want to communicate with other people outside of your network. This is where
inter-VLAN routing can help you. Inter-VLAN routing uses a Layer 3 device, such
as a router or a Layer 3 switch. Let’s take your VLAN expertise and combine it with
your network layer skills and put them to the test!
Inter-VLAN routing is the process of forwarding network traffic from one VLAN to
another VLAN.
Legacy Inter-VLAN routing: This is a legacy solution. It does not scale well.
Layer 3 switch using switched virtual interfaces (SVIs): This is the most
scalable solution for medium to large organizations.
For example, refer to the topology in Figure 4-1 where R1 has two interfaces
connected to switch S1.
NOTE
The IPv4 addresses of PC1, PC2, and R1 all have a /24 subnet mask.
[Link] 2/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
When PC1 sends a packet to PC2 on another network, it forwards it to its default
gateway [Link]. R1 receives the packet on its G0/0/0 interface and
examines the destination address of the packet. R1 then routes the packet out its
G0/0/1 interface to the F0/12 port in VLAN 20 on S1. Finally, S1 forwards the
frame to PC2.
Legacy inter-VLAN routing using physical interfaces works, but it has a significant
limitation. It is not reasonably scalable because routers have a limited number of
physical interfaces. Requiring one physical router interface per VLAN quickly
exhausts the physical interface capacity of a router.
NOTE
When VLAN-tagged traffic enters the router interface, it is forwarded to the VLAN
subinterface. After a routing decision is made based on the destination IP network
address, the router determines the exit interface for the traffic. If the exit interface
is configured as an 802.1Q subinterface, the data frames are VLAN-tagged with
the new VLAN and sent back out the physical interface.
[Link] 3/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
Step 3. Switch S1 forwards the tagged traffic out the other trunk interface
on port F0/3 to the interface on router R1.
Step 4. Router R1 accepts the tagged unicast traffic on VLAN 10 and routes
it to VLAN 30 using its configured subinterfaces.
Step 5. The unicast traffic is tagged with VLAN 30 as it is sent out the router
interface to switch S1.
Step 6. Switch S1 forwards the tagged unicast traffic out the other trunk link
to switch S2.
Step 7. Switch S2 removes the VLAN tag of the unicast frame and forwards
the frame out to PC3 on port F0/23.
NOTE
[Link] 4/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
NOTE
Inter-VLAN SVIs are created the same way that the management VLAN interface is
configured. The SVI is created for a VLAN that exists on the switch. Although
virtual, the SVI performs the same functions for the VLAN as a router interface
would. Specifically, it provides Layer 3 processing for packets that are sent to or
from all switch ports associated with that VLAN.
The following are advantages of using Layer 3 switches for inter-VLAN routing:
There is no need for external links from the switch to the router for routing.
They are not limited to one link because Layer 2 EtherChannels can be used
as trunk links between the switches to increase bandwidth.
Latency is much lower because data does not need to leave the switch to
be routed to a different network.
The only disadvantage is that Layer 3 switches are more expensive than Layer 2
switches, but they can be less expensive than a separate Layer 2 switch and
router.
[Link] 5/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
Assume that R1, S1, and S2 have initial basic configurations. Currently, PC1 and
PC2 cannot ping each other because they are on separate networks. Only S1 and
S2 can ping each other, but they but are unreachable by PC1 or PC2 because they
are also on different networks.
To enable devices to ping each other, the switches must be configured with VLANs
and trunking, and the router must be configured for inter-VLAN routing.
[Link] 6/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
Step 1. Create and name the VLANs. First, the VLANs are created and
named, as shown in Example 4-1. VLANs are created only after you exit out
of VLAN subconfiguration mode.
S1(config)# vlan 10
S1(config-vlan)# name LAN10
S1(config-vlan)# exit
S1(config)# vlan 20
S1(config-vlan)# name LAN20
S1(config-vlan)# exit
S1(config)# vlan 99
S1(config-vlan)# name Management
S1(config-vlan)# exit
S1(config)#
S2(config)# vlan 10
S2(config-vlan)# name LAN10
S2(config-vlan)# exit
S2(config)# vlan 20
S2(config-vlan)# name LAN20
S2(config-vlan)# exit
S2(config)# vlan 99
S2(config-vlan)# name Management
S2(config-vlan)# exit
S2(config)#
S2(config)# interface vlan 99
S2(config-if)# ip add [Link] [Link]
S2(config-if)# no shut
S2(config-if)# exit
S2(config)# ip default-gateway [Link]
S2(config)# interface fa0/18
S2(config-if)# switchport mode access
S2(config-if)# switchport access vlan 20
S2(config-if)# no shut
S2(config-if)# exit
S2(config)# interface fa0/1
S2(config-if)# switchport mode trunk
S2(config-if)# no shut
S2(config-if)# exit
S2(config-if)# end
*Mar 1 00:23:52.137: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface
FastEthernet0/1, changed state to up
[Link] 8/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
ip address ip-address subnet-mask: This command configures the IPv4
address of the subinterface. This address typically serves as the default
gateway for the identified VLAN.
Repeat the process for each VLAN to be routed. Each router subinterface must be
assigned an IP address on a unique subnet for routing to occur.
When all subinterfaces have been created, enable the physical interface using the
no shutdown interface configuration command. If the physical interface is disabled,
all subinterfaces are disabled.
From a host, verify connectivity to a host in another VLAN using the ping
command. It is a good idea to first verify the current host IP configuration using the
ipconfig Windows host command, as shown in Example 4-7.
[Link] 9/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
C:\Users\PC1> ipconfig
Windows IP Configuration
Ethernet adapter Ethernet0:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Link-local IPv6 Address : fe80::5c43:ee7c:2959:da68%6
IPv4 Address : [Link]
Subnet Mask : [Link]
Default Gateway : [Link]
C:\Users\PC1>
The output confirms the IPv4 address and default gateway of PC1. Next, use ping
to verify connectivity with PC2 and S1, as shown in Figure 4-5. The ping output
successfully confirms that inter-VLAN routing is operating, as shown in Example 4-
8.
show ip route
show interfaces
As shown in Example 4-9, verify that the subinterfaces are appearing in the routing
table of R1 by using the show ip route command. Notice that there are three
connected routes (C) and their respective exit interfaces for each routable VLAN.
The output confirms that the correct subnets, VLANs, and subinterfaces are active.
The misconfiguration could also be on the trunking port of the switch. Therefore, it
is also useful to verify the active trunk links on a Layer 2 switch by using the show
interfaces trunk command, as shown in Example 4-12. The output confirms that
the link to R1 is trunking for the required VLANs.
NOTE
[Link] 11/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
Fa0/1 on 802.1q trunking 1
Fa0/5 on 802.1q trunking 1
Port Vlans allowed on trunk
Fa0/1 1-4094
Fa0/5 1-4094
Port Vlans allowed and active in management domain
Fa0/1 1,10,20,99
Fa0/5 1,10,20,99
Port Vlans in spanning tree forwarding state and not pruned
Fa0/1 1,10,20,99
Fa0/5 1,10,20,99
S1#
In this Packet Tracer activity, you check for connectivity prior to implementing inter-
VLAN routing. Then you configure VLANs and inter-VLAN routing. Finally, you
enable trunking and verify connectivity between VLANs.
Enterprise campus LANs use Layer 3 switches to provide inter-VLAN routing. Layer
3 switches use hardware-based switching to achieve higher-packet processing
rates than routers. Layer 3 switches are also commonly implemented in enterprise
distribution layer wiring closets.
Route from one VLAN to another using multiple switched virtual interfaces
(SVIs).
[Link] 12/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
Convert a Layer 2 switchport to a Layer 3 interface (that is, a routed port). A
routed port is similar to a physical interface on a Cisco IOS router.
To provide inter-VLAN routing, Layer 3 switches use SVIs. SVIs are configured
using the same interface vlan vlan-id command used to create the management
SVI on a Layer 2 switch. A Layer 3 SVI must be created for each of the routable
VLANs.
Step 1. Create the VLANs. First, create the two VLANs as shown in Example
4-13.
D1(config)# vlan 10
D1(config-vlan)# name LAN10
[Link] 13/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
D1(config-vlan)# vlan 20
D1(config-vlan)# name LAN20
D1(config-vlan)# exit
D1(config)#
Step 2. Create the SVI VLAN interfaces. Configure the SVI for VLANs 10 and
20, as shown in Example 4-14. The IP addresses that are configured will
serve as the default gateways to the hosts in the respective VLANs. Notice
the informational messages showing the line protocol on both SVIs changed
to up.
Step 3. Configure access ports. Next, configure the access ports connecting
to the hosts and assign them to their respective VLANs, as shown in
Example 4-15.
Step 4. Enable IP routing. Finally, enable IPv4 routing with the ip routing
global configuration command to allow traffic to be exchanged between
VLANs 10 and 20, as shown in Example 4-16. This command must be
configured to enable inter-VAN routing on a Layer 3 switch for IPv4.
D1(config)# ip routing
D1(config)#
[Link] 14/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
From a host, verify connectivity to a host in another VLAN using the ping
command. It is a good idea to first verify the current host IP configuration using the
ipconfig Windows host command. The output in Example 4-17 confirms the IPv4
address and default gateway of PC1.
C:\Users\PC1> ipconfig
Windows IP Configuration
Ethernet adapter Ethernet0:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Link-local IPv6 Address : fe80::5c43:ee7c:2959:da68%6
IPv4 Address : [Link]
Subnet Mask : [Link]
Default Gateway : [Link]
C:\Users\PC1>
Next, verify connectivity with PC2 using the ping Windows host command, as
shown in Example 4-18. The ping output successfully confirms that inter-VLAN
routing is operating.
[Link] 15/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
Assume inter-VLAN has been successfully implemented on D1. The G0/0/1
interface of R1 has also been configured and enabled. Additionally, R1 is using
OSPF to advertise its two networks, [Link]/24 and [Link]/24.
NOTE
D1(config)# ip routing
D1(config)#
[Link] 16/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
Step 4. Verify routing. Verify the routing table on D1, as shown in Example
4-22. Notice that D1 now has a route to the [Link]/24 network.
Step 5. Verify connectivity. At this time, PC1 and PC2 are able to ping the
server connected to R1, as shown in Example 4-23.
In this Packet Tracer activity, you configure Layer 3 switching and Inter-VLAN
routing on a Cisco 3560 switch.
There are a number of reasons why an inter-VAN configuration may not work. All
are related to connectivity issues. First, check the physical layer to resolve any
issues where a cable might be connected to the wrong port. If the connections are
correct, use the list in Table 4-4 for other common reasons why inter-VLAN
connectivity may fail.
[Link] 18/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
The topology in Figure 4-8 will be used for all of these issues.
The VLAN and IPv4 addressing information for R1 is shown in Table 4-5.
For example, PC1 is currently connected to VLAN 10, as shown in the show vlan
brief command output in Example 4-24.
S1(config)# no vlan 10
S1(config)# do show vlan brief
VLAN Name Status Ports
---- -------------------------------- --------- -------------------------------
1 default active Fa0/2, Fa0/3, Fa0/4, Fa0/7
Fa0/8, Fa0/9, Fa0/10, Fa0/11
Fa0/12, Fa0/13, Fa0/14, Fa0/15
Fa0/16, Fa0/17, Fa0/18, Fa0/19
Fa0/20, Fa0/21, Fa0/22, Fa0/23
Fa0/24, Gi0/1, Gi0/2
20 LAN20 active
99 Management active
1002 fddi-default act/unsup
1003 token-ring-default act/unsup
1004 fddinet-default act/unsup
1005 trnet-default act/unsup
S1(config)#
Notice that VLAN 10 is now missing from the output in Example 4-25. Also notice
that port Fa0/6 has not been reassigned to the default VLAN. The reason is
because when you delete a VLAN, any ports assigned to that VLAN become
inactive. They remain associated with the VLAN (and thus inactive) until you assign
them to a new VLAN or re-create the missing VLAN.
Use the show interface interface-id switchport command to verify the VLAN
membership, as shown in Example 4-26.
Re-creating the missing VLAN would automatically reassign the hosts to it, as
shown in Example 4-27.
[Link] 20/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
S1(config)# vlan 10
S1(config-vlan)# do show vlan brief
VLAN Name Status Ports
---- -------------------------------- --------- -------------------------------
1 default active Fa0/2, Fa0/3, Fa0/4, Fa0/7
Fa0/8, Fa0/9, Fa0/10, Fa0/11
Fa0/12, Fa0/13, Fa0/14, Fa0/15
Fa0/16, Fa0/17, Fa0/18, Fa0/19
Fa0/20, Fa0/21, Fa0/22, Fa0/23
Fa0/24, Gi0/1, Gi0/2
20 LAN20 active
99 Management active
1002 fddi-default act/unsup
1003 token-ring-default act/unsup
1004 fddinet-default act/unsup
1005 trnet-default act/unsup
S1(config-vlan)#
Notice that the VLAN has not been created as expected. The reason is because
you must exit from VLAN sub-configuration mode to create the VLAN, as shown in
Example 4-28.
S1(config-vlan)# exit
S1(config)# vlan 10
S1(config)# do show vlan brief
VLAN Name Status Ports
---- -------------------------------- --------- -------------------------------
1 default active Fa0/2, Fa0/3, Fa0/4, Fa0/7
Fa0/8, Fa0/9, Fa0/10, Fa0/11
Fa0/12, Fa0/13, Fa0/14, Fa0/15
Fa0/16, Fa0/17, Fa0/18, Fa0/19
Fa0/20, Fa0/21, Fa0/22, Fa0/23
Fa0/24, Gi0/1, Gi0/2
10 VLAN0010 active Fa0/6
20 LAN20 active
99 Management active
1002 fddi-default act/unsup
1003 token-ring-default act/unsup
1004 fddinet-default act/unsup
1005 trnet-default act/unsup
S1(config)#
Now notice that the VLAN is included in the list and that the host connected to
Fa0/6 is on VLAN 10.
[Link] 21/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
For example, assume PC1 was able to connect to hosts in other VLANs until
recently. A quick look at maintenance logs revealed that the S1 Layer 2 switch was
recently accessed for routine maintenance. Therefore, you suspect the problem
may be related to that switch.
On S1, verify that the port connecting to R1 (i.e., F0/5) is correctly configured as a
trunk link using the show interfaces trunk command, as shown in Example 4-29.
The Fa0/5 port connecting to R1 is mysteriously missing from the output. Verify the
interface configuration using the show running-config interface fa0/5 command, as
shown in Example 4-30.
As you can see, the port was accidently shut down. To correct the problem,
reenable the port and verify the trunking status, as shown in Example 4-31.
[Link] 22/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
Port Vlans allowed and active in management domain
Fa0/1 1,10,20,99
Fa0/5 1,10,20,99
Port Vlans in spanning tree forwarding state and not pruned
Fa0/1 1,10,20,99
Fa0/1 1,10,20,99
S1(config-if)#
Assume PC1 has the correct IPv4 address and default gateway but is not able to
ping its own default gateway. PC1 is supposed to be connected to a VLAN 10 port.
The Fa0/6 port has been configured as an access port, as indicated by “static
access”. However, it appears that it has not been configured to be in VLAN 10.
Verify the configuration of the interface, as shown in Example 4-33.
Config
Assign port Fa0/6 to VLAN 10 and verify the port assignment, as shown in Example
4-34.
[Link] 23/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
Example 4-34 Assign the VLAN to the Port and Verify the
Configuration
For example, R1 should be providing inter-VLAN routing for users in VLANs 10, 20,
and 99. However, users in VLAN 10 cannot reach any other VLAN.
You verified the switch trunk link and all appears to be in order. Verify the
subinterface status using the show ip interface brief command, as shown in
Example 4-35.
The subinterfaces have been assigned the correct IPv4 addresses, and they are
operational.
Verify which VLANs each of the subinterfaces is on. To do so, the show interfaces
command is useful, but it generates a great deal of additional unrequired output.
The command output can be reduced using IOS command filters as shown in
Example 4-36.
[Link] 24/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
Subinterface
The pipe symbol ( | ) along with some select keywords is a useful method to help
filter command output. In this example, the keyword include was used to identify
that only lines containing the letters “Gig” or “802.1Q” will be displayed. Because
of the way the show interface output is naturally listed, using these filters produces
a condensed list of interfaces and their assigned VLANs.
Notice that the G0/0/1.10 interface has been incorrectly assigned to VLAN 100
instead of VLAN 10. This is confirmed by looking at the configuration of the R1
GigabitEthernet 0/0/1.10 subinterface, as shown in Example 4-37.
the Running-Config
R1# conf t
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
R1(config)# interface gigabitEthernet 0/0/1.10
R1(config-subif)# encapsulation dot1Q 10
R1(config-subif)# end
R1#
R1# show interfaces | include Gig|802.1Q
GigabitEthernet0/0/0 is administratively down, line protocol is down
GigabitEthernet0/0/1 is up, line protocol is up
[Link] 25/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
Encapsulation 802.1Q Virtual LAN, Vlan ID 1., loopback not set
GigabitEthernet0/0/1.10 is up, line protocol is up
Encapsulation 802.1Q Virtual LAN, Vlan ID 10.
GigabitEthernet0/0/1.20 is up, line protocol is up
Encapsulation 802.1Q Virtual LAN, Vlan ID 20.
GigabitEthernet0/0/1.99 is up, line protocol is up
R1#
When the subinterface has been assigned to the correct VLAN, it is accessible by
devices on that VLAN, and the router can perform inter-VLAN routing.
Summary (4.5)
The following is a summary of each section in the chapter:
[Link] 26/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
connected to a switch port in different VLANs. Requiring one physical router
interface per VLAN quickly exhausts the physical interface capacity of a router. The
router-on-a-stick inter-VLAN routing method requires only one physical Ethernet
interface to route traffic between multiple VLANs on a network. A Cisco IOS router
Ethernet interface is configured as an 802.1Q trunk and connected to a trunk port
on a Layer 2 switch. The router interface is configured using subinterfaces to
identify routable VLANs. The configured subinterfaces are software-based virtual
interfaces associated with a single physical Ethernet interface. The modern method
is Inter-VLAN routing on a Layer 3 switch using SVIs. The SVI is created for a VLAN
that exists on the switch. The SVI performs the same functions for the VLAN as a
router interface. It provides Layer 3 processing for packets being sent to or from all
switch ports associated with that VLAN.
In this activity, you demonstrate and reinforce your ability to implement inter-VLAN
routing, including configuring IP addresses, VLANs, trunking, and subinterfaces.
Practice
The following activities provide practice with the topics introduced in this chapter.
The Labs are available in the companion Switching, Routing, and Wireless
Essentials Labs and Study Guide (CCNAv7) (ISBN 9780136634386). The Packet
Tracer Activity instructions are also in the Labs & Study Guide. The PKA files are
found in the online course.
LABS
[Link] 28/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
Packet Tracer 4.5.1: Inter-VLAN Routing Challenge
1. A router has two FastEthernet interfaces and needs to connect to four VLANs in
the local network. How can this be accomplished using the fewest number of
physical interfaces without unnecessarily decreasing network performance?
D. Use a hub to connect the four VLANS with a FastEthernet interface on the
router.
C. Traditional routing uses one port per logical network, whereas a router-on-
a-stick uses subinterfaces to connect multiple logical networks to a single
router port.
D. Traditional routing uses multiple paths to the router and therefore requires
STP, whereas router-on-a-stick does not provide multiple connections and
therefore eliminates the need for STP.
A. encapsulation dot1q 10
B. encapsulation vlan 10
5. What are the steps that must be completed in order to enable inter-VLAN
routing using router-on-a-stick?
C. Create the VLANs on the switch to include port membership assignment and
enable a routing protocol on the router.
D. Create the VLANs on the switch to include port membership assignment and
configure subinterfaces on the router matching the VLANs.
6. What two statements are true regarding the use of subinterfaces for inter-VLAN
routing? (Choose two.)
D. It supports trunking.
10. What are two advantages of using a Layer 3 switch with SVIs for inter-VLAN
routing? (Choose two.)
[Link] 30/31
5/8/24, 8:35 AM Inter-VLAN Routing | Objectives
© 2024 Pearson Education, Cisco Press. All rights reserved.
221 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030
[Link] 31/31