Technology: Switching
Area: VLANs
Vendor: Cisco
Software: 12.X , 15.X
Platform: Catalyst platforms, Nexus platforms

Ethernet interfaces can be configured either as access ports or a trunk ports, as follows:

• An access port can have only one VLAN configured on the interface; it can carry traffic for only one VLAN.
• A trunk port can have more VLANs configured on the interface; it can carry traffic for many VLANs simultaneously.

An access port transmits packets on only one VLAN (traffic is not tagged on this type of port).

To set FastEthernet 1/10 as an Ethernet access port that carries traffic for VLAN 5 only:

switch# configure terminal
switch(config)# interface FastEthernet 0/10
switch(config-if)# switchport mode access
switch(config-if)# switchport access vlan 5

There is also method to set “user/host-facing” port with one handy command for setting few features at once. Switchport host command makes: the port an access port, sets the Spanning Tree portfast feature, disables port-channel.

switch# configure terminal
switch(config)# interface FastEthernet 0/1
switch(config-if)# switchport host
switch(config-if)# switchport access vlan 5