Chapter 10 Interfaces
ZyWALL USG Series User’s Guide
297
10.1.2 What You Need to Know
Interface Characteristics
Interfaces generally have the following characteristics (although not all characteristics apply to each
type of interface).
• An interface is a logical entity through which (layer-3) packets pass.
• An interface is bound to a physical port or another interface.
• Many interfaces can share the same physical port.
• An interface belongs to at most one zone.
• Many interfaces can belong to the same zone.
• Layer-3 virtualization (IP alias, for example) is a kind of interface.
Types of Interfaces
You can create several types of interfaces in the Zyxel Device.
• Setting interfaces to the same port role forms a port group. Port groups creates a hardware
connection between physical ports at the layer-2 (data link, MAC address) level. Port groups are
created when you use the
Interface > Port Roles
or
Interface > Port Groups
screen to set multiple
physical ports to be part of the same interface.
•
Ethernet interfaces
are the foundation for defining other interfaces and network policies. RIP and
OSPF are also configured in these interfaces.
•
Tunnel interfaces
send IPv4 or IPv6 packets from one network to a specific network through the
Internet or a public network.
•
VLAN interfaces
receive and send tagged frames. The Zyxel Device automatically adds or removes
the tags as needed. Each VLAN can only be associated with one Ethernet interface.
•
Bridge interfaces
create a software connection between Ethernet or VLAN interfaces at the layer-2
(data link, MAC address) level. Unlike port groups, bridge interfaces can take advantage of some
security features in the Zyxel Device. You can also assign an IP address and subnet mask to the
bridge.
•
PPP interfaces
support Point-to-Point Protocols (PPP). ISP accounts are required for PPPoE/PPTP/L2TP
interfaces.
•
Cellular interfaces
are for mobile broadband WAN connections via a connected mobile broadband
device.
•
Virtual interfaces
provide additional routing information in the Zyxel Device. There are three types:
virtual Ethernet interfaces
,
virtual VLAN interfaces
, and
virtual bridge interfaces
.
•
Trunk interfaces
manage load balancing between interfaces.
Port groups and trunks have a lot of characteristics that are specific to each type of interface. The other
types of interfaces--Ethernet, PPP, cellular, VLAN, bridge, and virtual--have a lot of similar characteristics.
These characteristics are listed in the following table and discussed in more detail below.
Table 101 Ethernet, PPP, Cellular, VLAN, Bridge, and Virtual Interface Characteristics
CHARACTERISTICS ETHERNET
ETHERNET
PPP
CELLULAR
VLAN
BRIDGE
VIRTUAL
Name*
wan1, wan2
lan1, lan2,
dmz
ppp
x
cellularx
vlan
x
br
x
**
Configurable Zone
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
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