Question

Difficulty: MediumInterswitch Connectivity and Trunking (802.1Q)

Place the steps of IEEE 802.1Q frame processing in sequential order, starting from when a host sends traffic on VLAN 20 until it is delivered to a host on another switch across an 802.1Q trunk link.

  1. 1The ingress switch receives an untagged Ethernet frame from the source host on an access port configured for VLAN 20.
  2. 2The ingress switch inserts a 4-byte 802.1Q tag header containing the VLAN 20 identifier into the frame.
  3. 3The ingress switch transmits the tagged Ethernet frame across the 802.1Q trunk link.
  4. 4The egress switch receives the tagged frame and inspects the 802.1Q header to identify the target VLAN.
  5. 5The egress switch strips the 4-byte 802.1Q tag from the Ethernet frame header.
  6. 6The egress switch forwards the original untagged Ethernet frame out the VLAN 20 access port to the destination host.

Answer

The sequence starts when the ingress switch receives an untagged frame from a host on a VLAN 20 access port, inserts a 4-byte 802.1Q tag into the frame header, transmits the tagged frame over the trunk link, the egress switch reads the VLAN ID from the tag, removes the 802.1Q header, and delivers the untagged frame out the access port to the destination host.
When a frame traverses an IEEE 802.1Q trunk link, the ingress switch inserts a 4-byte tag into the frame header to identify the originating VLAN (unless it is the native VLAN). The frame travels across the physical trunk link carrying this tag. Upon reaching the remote switch, the egress switch inspects the tag to determine the VLAN association, strips the 4-byte tag header, and delivers the original untagged Ethernet frame to the destination device connected to an access port in that VLAN.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Receive untagged frame at ingress switch.
The ingress switch accepts the standard frame from the host on a port configured as an access port in VLAN 20.
Host end devices transmit standard untagged Ethernet frames.
2
Encapsulate frame with 802.1Q tag.
The switch inserts a 4-byte 802.1Q header between the Source MAC address and Length/Type fields.
IEEE 802.1Q tagging allows multiplexing multiple VLANs over a single interswitch trunk.
3
Send frame across trunk link.
The tagged frame is transmitted over the trunk interface toward the neighboring switch.
The tag remains intact during transmission across the trunk.
4
Process tag at egress switch.
The egress switch receives the frame and reads the 12-bit VLAN ID (VID) field in the 802.1Q header.
The receiving switch uses the VLAN ID to associate the frame with internal VLAN 20.
5
Decapsulate (strip) 802.1Q header.
The 4-byte 802.1Q tag is removed from the frame header.
End-user devices do not expect 802.1Q tags on access port connections.
6
Forward untagged frame to destination host.
The frame is sent out the matching VLAN 20 access port to the end device.
This completes the end-to-end Layer 2 delivery across switches.

Key Concept

IEEE 802.1Q Frame Encapsulation, Tagging, and Decapsulation Mechanics
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