nonVNI

NonVNI is a term used in some networking contexts to describe traffic or services that do not participate in a VXLAN overlay network, i.e., traffic that does not carry a VXLAN Network Identifier (VNI). VXLAN uses VNIs to identify and separate multiple overlay networks over a common underlay, enabling scalable multi-tenant L2 adjacency in data centers and cloud environments.

NonVNI traffic can include native underlay traffic, such as unencapsulated Ethernet frames or IP packets that are carried directly on the physical or underlay network. It may also refer to management, control plane, or other traffic that is not encapsulated in VXLAN, or to traffic associated with different overlay technologies. In some designs, nonVNI frames are handled by the underlay or by a separate bridging or routing path, distinct from the VXLAN overlay.

In practice, devices that support VXLAN often must distinguish between VNI-labeled overlay traffic and nonVNI traffic. This distinction affects forwarding paths, security policies, and monitoring. Misconfiguration can lead to misrouting, leakage between overlays, or performance issues, so network designs typically document how nonVNI traffic should be treated and ensured to remain isolated from overlay traffic unless intentionally integrated.

The term nonVNI is not standardized and its exact meaning can vary by vendor, architecture, or design document. It is generally used descriptively to indicate traffic that does not participate in the VXLAN overlay, rather than as a formal protocol term.