| Description | string | An instance of VLAN represents a VLAN within a switch. In a particular switch, there should be an instance of VLAN for every VLAN available in the switch. For example, in a switch with port-based VLANs, if there are 16 VLANs to which ports can be assigned (VLAN 1 through VLAN 16), there should be an instance of CIM_VLAN for each of VLAN 1 through VLAN 16.
VLAN inherits Name from ServiceAccessPoint. Use this for the textual name of the VLAN, if there is one. Otherwise, synthesize a textual name, e.g., VLAN 0003. (Consider leading zero fill, as shown, to ensure that if the textual VLAN names are extracted and presented by a management applictions, the VLAN names will sort in the expected order. It's irritating to see a list sorted'VLAN 1, VLAN 10, VLAN 11, VLAN 2, VLAN 3...'when it could have been'VLAN 0001, VLAN 0002, ..., VLAN 0010, VLAN 0011, ....')The numeric part of the name should be at least four digits wide since 802.1Q specifies 4095 VLANs.
It is intended that VLAN be subclassed only if necessary to add attributes. The type of the VLAN can be inferred from the VLANService(s) with which the VLAN is associated in the VLANFor association.
An instance of VLAN may be associated with more than one VLANService. For example, there are switches that support both 802.1Q VLANs and the vendor's proprietary VLANs. In some such switches if a broadcast packet received on a port in 802.1Q VLAN 5 will be transmitted from a port in proprietary VLAN 5. In effect, there is only one VLAN 5, and the type of port only determines the packet format for tagged packets. In the case just described, only one instance of CIM_VLAN should be instantiated for VLAN 5, and it should be associated both with the 802.1Q VLANService and the proprietary VLANService.
In typical VLAN-aware switches, packets can be assigned to a VLAN based on the port on which they are received (port-based VLANS), based on the source MAC address (MAC-based VLANs), or based on the value of a set of bits in the packet (protocol-based VLANs). If it is desirable to represent the VLAN assignment predicate for some MAC-based VLAN switch, it will be necessary to subclass VLAN. The list of MAC addresses associated with a VLAN would be an attribute of the subclass. If it is desirable to representthe VLAN assignment predicate in a protocol-based VLAN switch, it will be necessary to subclass VLAN, InboundVLAN, or both. If the predicate applies to all ports in the switch, then only VLAN need be subclassed. If the predicate may vary based on the port, then InboundVLAN must be subclassed, and CIM_VLAN might have to be subclassed as well. | None | TRANSLATABLE= true |