# Vlan and ports

**URL:** <https://forum.networklessons.com/t/vlan-and-ports/28034>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [June 27, 2022, 6:50pm UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/vlan-and-ports/28034 "2022-06-27T18:50:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![gurowar](https://cdn-forum.networklessons.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/f9ae1b/32.png) [@gurowar](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/gurowar)\
**Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 6:50pm UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/vlan-and-ports/28034/1 "2022-06-27T18:50:46Z")

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Good day all

Sorry all kind of embarrassed to ask this question but here we go…on a switch what is the technical term for ports assigned to vlans that don’t exists? I was going to say unassigned ports but that doesn’t seemed technical and so far I haven’t been able to find a technical term for that.

Thank you in advance!!

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**Author:** ![lagapidis](https://cdn-forum.networklessons.com/user_avatar/forum.networklessons.com/lagapidis/32/4949_2.png) [@lagapidis](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/lagapidis)\
**Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 5:37am UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/vlan-and-ports/28034/2 "2022-06-29T05:37:03Z")

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Hello Warren

Hmm, I’m not familiar with an official term used exclusively for such a situation. I would call such ports orphaned ports or ports assigned to non-existent VLANs 😛 . Actually, it’s kind of difficult to create such a scenario where you have a port assigned to a VLAN that doesn’t exist.

On a Cisco switch, if you assign a port to a VLAN that has not been created yet, the device will automatically create it for you:

```auto
SW1(config)#interface gigabitethernet 0/2
SW1(config-if)#switchport access vlan 20
% Access VLAN does not exist. Creating vlan 20
SW1(config-if)#

```

You must then delete the VLAN from the VLAN database, and only then will Gi0/2 be assigned to a non-existent VLAN.

I hope this has been helpful!

Laz

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**Author:** ![Michael.Mahoney](https://cdn-forum.networklessons.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Michael.Mahoney](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/Michael.Mahoney)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2022, 10:42pm UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/vlan-and-ports/28034/3 "2022-07-04T22:42:05Z")

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Is that not the Default VLan? or 1. Unless I misread the query

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**Author:** ![lagapidis](https://cdn-forum.networklessons.com/user_avatar/forum.networklessons.com/lagapidis/32/4949_2.png) [@lagapidis](https://forum.networklessons.com/u/lagapidis)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2022, 4:27am UTC](https://forum.networklessons.com/t/vlan-and-ports/28034/4 "2022-07-06T04:27:04Z")

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Hello Michael

By default, all ports on a switch are access ports and are assigned to the default VLAN which is indeed VLAN1. However, it is possible to assign a VLAN to a port, say VLAN 20, and then delete the VLAN from the VLAN database. The result is a port assigned to a VLAN that doesn’t exist. You cannot do that with VLAN 1 because you cannot delete VLAN 1. Does that make it clearer?

I hope this has been helpful!

Laz