Metaswitch DC-EVPN, combined with DC-BGP and DC-Label Manager, delivers a complete Ethernet VPN solution architected to serve the requirements of service provider access and data center interconnect applications.
Layer 2 VPNs are widely deployed in service provider networks where Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) is one of the most common technologies used for providing Layer 2 VPN services to enterprise customers and for Data Center Interconnect (DCI). However, VPLS but lacks several features – such as MAC mobility, active-active redundancy, and fast convergence – that are of particular importance to Data Center networking. RFC 7423 addresses these limitations by defining an operation of a new Layer 2 VPN solution based on BGP and MPLS called Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN).
Metaswitch’s DC-EVPN component support the creation of both MPLS and VXLAN based EVPNS. DC-EVPN features include:
MPLS-based EVPN
When used in combination with the Metaswitch products detailed above, DC‑EVPN enables support for an L2VPN capable of carrying unicast IP traffic by supporting the following EVPN features.
- Elimination of unknown unicast flooding in the provider network by using control plane MAC learning using the MAC/IP advertisement route.
- Per-MAC label assignment.
- Single homing of customer devices.
- Port-based and VLAN-based service interfaces.
- Elimination of ARP flooding in the provider network by advertising IP addresses in MAC/IP Advertisement Routes and using ARP proxy as defined in RFC 7432 section 10.
- Auto-derivation of route targets as defined in RFC 7432 section 7.10.1.
VXLAN-based EVPN
DC‑EVPN supports the following features for VXLAN-based EVPN.
- Provision of P2P and MP2MP EVPN services over a VXLAN data plane.
- Support for the BGP Encapsulation Extended Community.
- Support for single subnet per-EVI service interfaces.
- Support for control plane MAC learning using the MAC/IP Advertisement Route.
- Support for BUM traffic using the Inclusive Multicast Route and ingress replication.
- Enabling ARP proxy operation through advertisement of IP addresses in MAC/IP Advertisement Routes.
- Support for MAC mobility using the MAC Mobility Extended Community.
- Multi-homing of customer devices.
- Support for Asymmetric Integrated Routing and Bridging (IRB).