EVPNbased

EVPNbased refers to networks that rely on Ethernet VPN (EVPN) as the core method for delivering scalable, multi-tenant Ethernet services. EVPN is an IETF-standardized control plane that uses BGP to distribute Ethernet reachability information between network devices such as provider edge routers and data center switches. The data plane typically relies on encapsulations such as VXLAN or MPLS to carry Ethernet frames across an underlay network, while EVPN provides the routing information to forward frames efficiently.

In an EVPNbased fabric, devices exchange EVPN routes to learn endpoint locations and reachability, enabling MAC mobility, multi-homing with active-active redundancy, and scalable MAC learning. These features reduce broadcast and flooding, improve convergence, and support seamless L2/L3 VPN services across data centers and WANs. EVPN also enables integration of L2 and L3 VPNs through IP-prefix routes.

Typical deployments include data center leaf-spine fabrics, data center interconnect, and multi-tenant cloud connectivity. Benefits over legacy L2 VPNs include greater scalability, faster failover, efficient traffic engineering, and better VM mobility. Challenges include control-plane complexity, the need for careful configuration, and ensuring tenant isolation and multicast handling.

EVPN is defined by IETF standards, notably RFC 7432. It is widely implemented by major network vendors and supports MPLS and VXLAN underlays, enabling interoperable L2 and L3 VPN services across diverse environments.