Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Network domain

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"Network domain" is a term used to differentiate between multiple private computer networks within the same infrastructure. The term is unofficial and has mostly spread through word of mouth.

Contents

Example

Half of the staff of Building A uses Network 1, 192.168.0.0/24. This network has the Vlan identifier of Vlan 10
The other half of the staff of Building A uses Network 2, 192.168.30.0/24. This network has the Vlan identifier of Vlan 20

All of the staff of Building B uses Network 3, 192.168.0.0/24. This has the Vlan identifier of Vlan 11.

The router R1 serves as the gateway for all three networks, and the whole infrastructure is connected physically via ethernet cable. Networks 2 and 3 are routed through R1 and each has full access to the other.
Network 1 is completely separate from the other two, and will not have access to either of them. Network 2 and 3 are therefore in the same network domain, while Network 1 is in its own network domain, albeit alone.

These network domains can then be suitably named to match the infrastructure terminology.

Usage

While not a recognized standard term within networking circles, the phrase "network domain" meets the need for network administrators to separate different networks which use the same IP address-range, and has thus formed the term which is now widely used in certain geographic areas.

References

Network domain Wikipedia