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VXLAN redefine: Connecting Hosts Across the VXLAN Overlay Network

February 27, 2023 ,

Connecting Hosts Across the VXLAN Overlay Network

Network virtualization has become an essential tool for data centers and cloud networks. VXLAN is a popular choice for these networks, as it offers a range of benefits compared to traditional VLAN-based L2 networks. Let's take a look on VXLAN

VXLAN redefine
Fig 1.1-VXLAN redefine

💻 Table of Content


1. What is VXLAN ?

Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN) is a network overlay technology that enables the creation of virtualized Layer 2 (L2) networks over a Layer 3 (L3) network infrastructure. 

VXLAN addresses the limitations of traditional VLAN-based L2 networks and provides several benefits that make it a popular choice for data center and cloud network virtualization.

2. Why we need VXLAN ?

Are you looking for a way to unlock the power of scalability, segmentation, and network virtualization? Look no further than VXLAN. VXLAN is a powerful tool for creating large-scale networks, providing segmentation and security, and enabling multitenancy and network virtualization.

Scalability
Traditional VLAN-based networks are limited to 4,096 VLANs, which can be a major limitation in large-scale environments with many tenants or applications. With VXLAN, you can create up to 16 million logical networks, offering immense scalability potential. This makes it perfect for networks that need to expand quickly and reliably.

Segmentation
VXLAN enables you to segment your networks within a data center or cloud environment, allowing for secure and isolated connectivity between different tenant or application groups. This segmentation can even span multiple physical locations or data centers, providing even more flexibility.

Overlay Networking
VXLAN also allows for the creation of overlay networks over an L3 network, connecting virtualized workloads no matter where they are located. This is invaluable in cloud environments, where workloads can move frequently between physical hosts and data centers. With VXLAN, you can maintain reliable, secure connections at all times.

Multitenancy
VXLAN is ideal for multitenancy environments, allowing for the creation of virtual networks for different customers or applications without exposing the underlying infrastructure or other tenants. This is a great way to ensure that all users have the same level of security and privacy.

Network Virtualization
Finally, VXLAN provides a robust framework for network virtualization. With VXLAN, you can create virtual networks with their own virtual switches, routers, and other network services. This makes it easy to create secure, isolated networks that meet the specific needs of your applications.

VXLAN is the perfect solution for unlocking the power of scalability, segmentation, and network virtualization. With VXLAN, you can create powerful, flexible, and secure networks for any application or environment. So don't wait - unlock the power of VXLAN today!

3. How Traffic Flows Between users in different VXLANs

Have you ever wondered how traffic is able to traverse the VXLAN overlay network to reach its destination when two hosts are in different VXLANs? Let's go through the steps together and find out how it works!

Step 1: The source host sends a packet to the destination host, including the destination IP address.

Step 2: The packet is then sent to the default gateway of the source host, which is typically the VTEP (VXLAN Tunnel Endpoint) that connects the source VXLAN network to the physical network.

Step 3: The VTEP receives the packet and examines the destination IP address. If the destination IP address is in the same subnet as the source host, the VTEP forwards the packet to the destination host directly without further processing. If the destination IP address is in a different subnet, the VTEP performs an ARP lookup to determine the MAC address of the default gateway of the destination VXLAN network.

Step 4: Once the MAC address of the destination gateway is obtained, the VTEP encapsulates the original packet with a VXLAN header and forwards the packet over the physical network to the destination VTEP, using the MAC address of the destination gateway.

Step 5: The destination VTEP receives the encapsulated packet and decapsulates it to reveal the original packet.

Step 6: The destination VTEP examines the destination IP address of the packet and forwards it to the destination host.

So, there you have it! Now you know the process of how traffic flows between different VXLANs, and you can impress your friends with your knowledge. Pretty cool, right?

4. How Traffic Flows Between users in same VXLANs

Step 1: ARP Request
First, Host A has to make an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) request to the mac-address of Host B, which is behind the remote Virtual Tunnel End Point (VTEP).

Step 2: Multicast Group Address
The local VTEP will then identify the proper Virtual Network Identifier (VNI) and issue the ARP broadcast request to the associated multicast group address. This allows the VTEP to learn the mac-address of both the host and the VNI mapping.

Step 3: Remote VTEP Receives Request
Next, the remote VTEP will receive the ARP broadcast request and pass it to the target host through its local Layer 2 (L2) interface. The source VTEP, VNI, and Host A's mac-address will be recorded.

Step 4: ARP Response
When the reply from Host B is received, the remote VTEP will learn its mac-address and respond to the source VTEP with an IP to MAC binding in the form of an ARP response.

Step 5: Communication Across VXLAN
And there you have it! Host A and Host B can now communicate across the VXLAN overlay network as though they are linked to the same switch. All it took was five simple steps - talk about a seamless connection!

5. Conclusion

In summary, VXLAN provides a range of benefits for data center and cloud networks, making it a popular choice for network virtualization. With its scalability, segmentation, overlay networking, multitenancy, and network virtualization capabilities, it's no wonder why VXLAN is so popular.

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