EVPN
EVPN-VXLAN is the fabric technology in modern hyperscale and enterprise data centers. Arista, Cisco (ACI), and Juniper (QFX) use it. Understanding MAC/IP type-2 routes and ARP suppression is key for data center network engineering.
What It Defines
Ethernet VPN (EVPN) uses the BGP control plane to distribute MAC/IP bindings, avoiding flood-and-learn in overlay networks. RFC 7432 defines EVPN for MPLS; EVPN over VXLAN (RFC 8365) is now dominant in data center fabrics. Provides active-active multihoming, ARP/ND suppression, and integrated routing and bridging (IRB).
Canonical (Normative)
Related References
The canonical publication point for finalized RFCs. If a protocol is standardized as an RFC, the RFC Editor text is the normative final reference. Published by the IETF, IRTF, IAB, and independent stream.
Related Specs
BGP stitches the internet together — every AS, CDN, cloud provider, and multi-homed network runs it. Understanding AS path, communities, and prefix aggregation is essential for cloud networking, CDN design, and any serious network engineering role.
MPLS is the forwarding substrate of carrier networks, MPLS VPNs, and traditional WAN services. Understanding FEC, LDP, and LSP concepts is essential for service provider or enterprise WAN networking.
SR is replacing RSVP-TE and MPLS LDP in modern SD-WAN, 5G transport, and hyper-scale DC networks. Cisco, Juniper, Nokia, and Arista have all standardized on it. Essential for modern network engineering.