Geneve - Generic Network Virtualization Encapsulation
What is Geneve?
Geneve (Generic Network Virtualization Encapsulation) is a network virtualization tunneling protocol designed to encapsulate Layer 2 Ethernet frames within UDP packets for transport across Layer 3 networks.
Why is Geneve useful?
Geneve is useful for enabling flexible, scalable network virtualization in data centers. It provides better extensibility and efficiency compared to earlier tunneling protocols like VXLAN and NVGRE.
How it works?
Geneve encapsulates Ethernet frames into UDP packets with a Geneve header. It allows for optional metadata fields, enabling integration with SDN controllers and network functions. The encapsulated packets are transported over an IP network.
Where is Geneve used?
Geneve is primarily used in modern data center environments, particularly in Software Defined Networking (SDN), Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), and cloud infrastructure platforms like OpenStack and VMware NSX.
Which OSI layer does this protocol belong to?
Geneve operates at Layer 2 (Data Link) for encapsulation but is transported over Layer 3 (Network) using UDP, making it a cross-layer protocol.
Is Geneve Windows specific?
No, Geneve is not Windows specific. It is a protocol implemented by network devices and platforms, and can be supported on Windows if networking drivers and hypervisors implement it.
Is Geneve Linux specific?
No, but Linux has robust support for Geneve through the kernel, Open vSwitch (OVS), and cloud-native networking stacks.
Which Transport Protocol is used by Geneve?
Geneve uses UDP as the transport protocol.
Which Port is used by Geneve?
Geneve typically uses UDP port 6081.
Is Geneve using Client server model?
No, Geneve does not use a client-server model. It is a tunneling and encapsulation protocol used for network transport.
In this section, you are going to learn
Terminology
Version Info
rfc details
setup
setup
packet details
usecases
features
Reference links