Layer-2 switches and layer-3 devices add VLAN ID tags to the traffic as it arrives and remove them before they deliver the traffic to its final destination. Devices such as PCs and servers on the network do not require any special configuration for VLANs. Twelve bits of the 4-byte VLAN tag are reserved for the VLAN ID number. Valid VLAN ID numbers are from 1 to 4094, while 0 is used for high priority frames, and 4095 is reserved.

On a layer-2 switch, you can have only one VLAN subinterface per physical interface, unless that interface is configured as a trunk link. Trunk links can transport traffic for multiple VLANs to other parts of the network.

On a FortiGate unit, you can add multiple VLANs to the same physical interface. However, VLAN subinterfaces added to the same physical interface cannot have the same VLAN ID or have IP addresses on the same subnet. You can add VLAN subinterfaces with the same VLAN ID to different physical interfaces.

Creating VLAN subinterfaces with the same VLAN ID does not create any internal connection between them. For example a VLAN ID of 300 on port1 and VLAN ID of 300 on port2 are allowed, but they are not connected. Their relationship is the same as between any two FortiGate network interfaces.