Using VLANs/subnetting to separate management from services?

Posted by YouAreTheHat on Super User See other posts from Super User or by YouAreTheHat
Published on 2014-06-12T01:56:16Z Indexed on 2014/06/12 3:29 UTC
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Background: I recently purchased a server and a managed switch for my home in the hopes of getting more experience and some fun toys to play with. The devices and appliances I either have or plan to have cover a broad spectrum: router, DD-WRT AP, Dell switch, OpenLDAP server, FreeRADIUS server, OpenVPN gateway, home PCs, gaming consoles, etc. I intend to segment my network with VLANs and associated subnets (e.g., VID10 is populated by devices on 192.168.10.0/24). The idea is to secure the more sensitive appliances by forcing traffic through my router/FW.

Setup: After thinking and planning for some time, I have tentatively decided on 4 VLANs: one for the WAN connection, one for servers, one for home/personal devices, and one for management. In theory, the home VLAN will have limited access to the servers, and the management VLAN will be totally isolated for security.

Question: Since I want to restrict access to management interfaces, but some appliances have to be accessible to other devices, is it possible/wise to have only management (SSH, HTTP, RDP) available on one VLAN/IP and only services (LDAP, DHCP, RADIUS, VPN) available on other? Is this a thing that is done? Does it gain me the security I think it does, or hurt me in some way?

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