Currently, I am using a C7000 (NightHawk) and 2 unmanaged switches for a small home office LAN supporting, primarily, a number of Windows 10 systems in a WORKGROUP configuration.
I want to introduce a new device, a Dell server which will eventually run Windows Server 2016, and I want to isolate both the server and a test client system while using the same physical LAN equipment. This cut out environment will be used as a learning and test center. The goal is to allow the existing collection of devices to continue to function as they do now and to perform activities using the Dell server and test client while doing OS installation and testing -- call it my test lab. The test lab will allow me to come up to speed in a number of different areas before I make any changes to my "production" environment. My initial reading about VLANs leads me to believe this is a way for me to logically divide my resources and create the test lab setup.
First, can I realize my goal using the existing C7000?
Since I do not have a managed or smart switch, I expect I need to acquire one to start with before I can create a VLAN environment, correct?
Will the existing unmanged switches co-exist as is with DHCP functions being performed in the C7000 (again, so the WORKGROUP is preserved)? Will configuration changes to the C7000 be necessary to use the smart/managed switch and/or preserve the function of the WORKGROUP vis-a-vie the unmanaged switches?
