GARP VLAN Registration Protocol
GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP) is a standards-based Layer 2 network protocol, for automatic configuration of VLAN information on switches.
Within a layer 2 network, GVRP provides a method to dynamically share VLAN information and configure the needed VLANs. For example, in order to add a switch port to a VLAN, only the end port, or the VLAN-supporting network device connected to the switchport, need be reconfigured, and all necessary VLAN trunks are dynamically created on the other GVRP-enabled switches. Without GVRP, (or the similar Cisco-proprietary protocol VTP) manual configuration of VLAN trunks is necessary.
It is through GVRP that Dynamic VLAN entries will be updated in the Filtering Database. In short, GVRP helps to maintain VLAN configuration dynamically based on current network configurations.
802.1Q allows for:
- Dynamic configuration and distribution of VLAN membership information by means of the GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP).
- Static configuration of VLAN membership information via Management mechanisms, which allow configuration of Static VLAN Registration Entries.
The GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP) defines a GARP Application that provides the VLAN registration service. GVRP makes use of GARP Information Declaration (GID) and GARP Information Propagation (GIP), which provide the common state machine descriptions and the common information propagation mechanisms defined for use in GARP-based applications. GVRP provides a mechanism for dynamic maintenance of the contents of Dynamic VLAN Registration Entries for each VLAN, and for propagating the information they contain to other Bridges. This information allows GVRP-aware devices to dynamically establish and update their knowledge of the set of VLANs that currently have active members, and through which Ports those members can be reached. The main purpose of GVRP is to allow switches to automatically discover some of the VLAN information that would otherwise need to be manually configured.
Switch Vendors who support GVRP
- Allied Telesis
- ADTRAN
- Alcatel-Lucent
- Cisco
- D-Link
- Dell
- Enterasys
- Extreme Networks (Removed support in v6.1 of ExtremeWare, No support in XOS)
- Foundry
- Hirschmann
- Linksys
- Procurve Networking (HP)
- Juniper
- Netgear
- RuggedCOM
- SMC Networks
- Transition Networks
- 3Com
See also
External links
- http://www.javvin.com/protocolGVRP.html
- http://wiki.wireshark.org/GVRP
- http://www.hp.com/rnd/support/config_examples/gvrp_use.pdf
- http://www.knossos.net.nz/gvrpad.html
- http://www.net.unc.edu/NetworkingWiki/index.php/Net/GVRP
- ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/networking/software/AdvTraff-Oct2005-59908853-Chap03-GVRP.pdf
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