VTP has three different modes of operation within a domain: Server, Client and transparent.
VLANs Trunking Protocol – VTP uses advertisements to communicate VLAN information between switches in a network. When a switch is configured as a VTP server, it can create, modify, and delete VLANs, which are then propagated to other switches in the same VTP domain. This helps ensure consistency and simplifies VLAN management across the network.
Read More on VLAN Trunking Protocol
VTP Server
Every catalyst switch is a server by default. Every network or domain requires a server to propagate VLAN information throughout the network or domain. As a server switch, it will be able to create, add, and delete VLANs in the domain.
VTP server controls any change that’s to be made in the entire domain. When a change is made on the server, it will be advertised throughout the entire VTP domain. VTP server configurations are saved in the NVRAM.
VTP Client
Switches in a client mode receive information from VTP servers. VTP client switches also send and receive updates, but one difference between clients and servers is that; VTP client switches can’t create, change, and delete VLANs. In other words, none of the ports on the client switch can be added to a new VLAN without authorization or notification from the server switch.
Switches in client mode process and forwards VLAN information. VLAN information on client switches is not saved in NVRAM.
VTP Transparent
Switches in this mode don’t take part in the VTP domain or database. They behave more or less like servers in that they create, modify, and delete VLANs because they have and keep their databases, which are only locally important.
In summar, VTP operates in three different modes within a domain. In a VTP domain, the three modes are server mode, client mode, and transparent mode.
In server mode, a switch can create, modify, and delete VLANs and propagate this information to other switches in the domain.
In client mode, a switch can receive and synchronize VLAN information from a VTP server, but cannot make changes to VLAN configurations.
Transparent mode allows a switch to forward VTP advertisements but does not participate in VLAN management. Each switch in a VTP domain must be configured with the same VTP domain name in order to exchange VLAN information.
