Re: auto vlan switch port configuration

> I recently set up a switch (Linksys managed switch - horrible horrible
> management interface!!!) and am sure I saw something in there about a
> protocol for the device plugged into that port to automatically
> configure the switch end of the port wrt vlan trunking and tagging...
>
> Does such a protocol exist, or did I just imagine it?

It could be done in one of several ways.  For example, the switch might be 
configured so that particular MAC addresses or ether protocols are 
automatically assigned to certain VLANs.  It could be done as part of 
802.1X authentication.  It could be GVRP (part of 802.1Q).

I've no idea which, if any, of these your Linksys switch will do!  We don't 
have any of them.

> If so, is it supported by the Linux vlan implementation?

The first doesn't require any Linux support; it's all done by the switch.

The second requires you to run a supplicant on the Linux boxes (e.g. 
xsupplicant, wpa_supplicant) and, probably, a RADIUS server.

The third doesn't seem to be well supported, though Google does throw up a 
fair number of hits.  Whether you would actually want to trust arbitrary 
things being plugged in to run GVRP is another question...
-- 
Dr George D M Ross, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh
    Kings Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH9 3JZ
Mail: [email protected]   Voice: +44 131 650 5147   Fax: +44 131 667 7209
 PGP: 1024D/AD758CC5  B91E D430 1E0D 5883 EF6A  426C B676 5C2B AD75 8CC5

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