VXLAN - Virtual eXtensible Local Area Network
What is VXLAN?
VXLAN (Virtual Extensible LAN) is a network virtualization technology that encapsulates Layer 2 Ethernet frames within Layer 3 UDP packets, allowing scalable communication between virtual machines across different physical networks.
Why is VXLAN useful?
VXLAN solves VLAN limitations in large-scale data centers by extending Layer 2 networks over Layer 3 infrastructure. It supports up to 16 million logical networks, compared to VLAN’s 4,096 limit, improving scalability and flexibility.
How it works?
VXLAN encapsulates Ethernet frames inside UDP packets and assigns a unique VXLAN Network Identifier (VNI) to each virtual network. These packets are sent through a VXLAN tunnel endpoint (VTEP), which handles encapsulation and decapsulation.
Where is VXLAN used?
VXLAN is commonly used in cloud data centers, virtualized environments, and SDN-based networks. It is supported by platforms like VMware NSX, OpenStack, and Cisco ACI.
Which OSI layer does this protocol belong to?
VXLAN operates at Layer 2 (Data Link Layer) for encapsulation but uses Layer 3 (Network Layer) and Layer 4 (Transport Layer via UDP) for transport, making it a cross-layer protocol.
Is VXLAN Windows specific?
No, VXLAN is not Windows specific. It is a networking protocol supported across various platforms and vendors.
Is VXLAN Linux specific?
No, VXLAN is not Linux specific, but Linux supports VXLAN natively through the kernel and tools like Open vSwitch and iproute2.
Which Transport Protocol is used by VXLAN?
VXLAN uses UDP as the transport protocol for encapsulated traffic.
Which Port is used by VXLAN?
VXLAN uses UDP port 4789 by default.
Is VXLAN using Client server model?
No, VXLAN does not follow a client-server model. It is a tunneling protocol used between VTEPs (VXLAN Tunnel Endpoints) to encapsulate and transport traffic across networks.
In this section, you are going to learn
Terminology
Version Info
rfc details
setup
setup
packet details
usecases
features
Reference links