Abstract: Method and control program for automatically configuring a communication network with a plurality of Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs), wherein for each VLAN, starting from communication terminals on ports of switches and/or routers along paths assigned to the respective VLAN, a VLAN port operating mode is defined in each case, VLAN segment boundaries are defined via first VLAN port configuration tags, where second VLAN port configuration tags are used to set limits for tracing the paths assigned to the respective VLAN to define the VLAN port operating modes, third VLAN port configuration tags are used to set limits for tracing the paths assigned to the respective VLAN only with respect to outbound frames to define the VLAN port operating modes, and where the tracing of the paths assigned to the respective VLAN, and a configuration of the ports comprised by these paths are controlled using the VLAN port configuration tags.

Abstract: Method for checking datagrams transmitted in an industrial automation system containing a plurality of automation cells, wherein datagrams to be checked are transmitted out of the automation cells via a respective firewall interface to check the firewall system and the datagrams are then checked in a rule-based manner, where the firewall system is formed by at least one virtual machine provided in a data processing system comprising a plurality of computer units, for transmission of the datagrams to be checked, a data link layer tunnel is respectively built between each firewall interface and the firewall system, and where both datagrams to be checked and at least successfully checked datagrams are transmitted inside the respective data link layer tunnel.