VXLAN overview

Virtual eXtensible LAN (VXLAN) is a MAC-in-UDP technology that provides layer 2 connectivity between networks across an IP network. VXLAN is typically used to extend layer 2 segments across an entire data center or between remote data centers. It is also used to provide multi-tenant services, where the same IP/MAC addresses or VLANs are used on different network segments.

VXLAN benefits

  • Supports more virtual switched domains than VLANs: Each VXLAN is uniquely identified by a 24-bit VXLAN ID. The total number of VXLANs can reach 16777216. This makes VXLAN a better choice than 802.1Q VLAN for isolating traffic for user terminals.
  • A VXLAN segment differentiates individual logical networks so that several isolated layer 2 VXLAN networks can coexist on a common layer 3 infrastructure. (Hosts in different VXLAN segments cannot communicate with each other. Each VXLAN segment can be treated as a tenant in a data center topology.)

  • Easy to deploy and maintain: VXLAN only needs to be deployed on the edge devices of the transport network. Devices in the transport network perform typical layer 3 forwarding.