Which process allows devices in different VLANs to communicate?

The process that allows devices in different VLANs to communicate is routing. VLANs, or Virtual Local Area Networks, segregate network traffic to improve performance and security by isolating different broadcast domains. However, this isolation means that devices in different VLANs cannot communicate directly with each other.

Routing comes into play to facilitate communication between these VLANs. It involves the use of a router or a Layer 3 switch, which can analyze packets and determine the appropriate interface to forward them to, based on the destination VLAN. Each VLAN is typically configured with a gateway IP address, enabling the routing device to manage traffic and provide the necessary paths for inter-VLAN communication.

While switching, bridging, and forwarding are related to managing traffic within a single VLAN, they do not enable communication between VLANs. Switching operates at Layer 2 of the OSI model and is concerned with sending frames within the same broadcast domain. Bridging serves a similar purpose, connecting two or more networks or network segments, but does not extend to routing between VLANs. Forwarding pertains to the passing of data packets based on MAC addresses without considering VLAN separation. Thus, without a routing function for handling multiple VLANs, inter-VLAN communication would not be possible.