Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for overlaying logical switch fabrics upon a physical switch fabric comprising multiple physical switch devices. In one example, a network device determines an overlay network associated with a received packet. The network device determines a logical identifier that is associated with the overlay network. In some examples, the logical identifier corresponds to a color. The network device selects a logical switch fabric that is associated with the logical identifier from a plurality of other logical switch fabrics that are overlaid upon a physical switch fabric comprising a plurality of network switch devices. The network device forwards the received packet to the selected logical switch fabric for transport across the physical switch fabric.

Abstract: A network device may originate a route, and may designate the route as a first colored route having a first color. The network device may advertise the first colored route to a first intermediate network device to cause the first intermediate network device to propagate the first colored route to an ingress network device over a first colored border gateway protocol session. The network device may designate the route as a second colored route having a second color, and may advertise the second colored route to a second intermediate network device to cause the second intermediate network device to propagate the second colored route to the ingress network device over a second colored border gateway protocol session.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices map an arbitrary number of Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) instances to an Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) instance (EVI) of a leaf and spine network. For example, a spine network device executes a primary EVI to provide an EVPN to a plurality of leaf network devices, each leaf network device executing a secondary EVI to provide a plurality of network virtualization overlays to tenants of the network. The primary EVI is associated with a primary VRF instance, and each secondary EVI of the plurality of secondary EVIs is associated with a secondary VRF instance of a plurality of secondary VRF instances. The spine network device defines mappings between routes within the primary VRF instance and routes within each secondary VRF instance. The spine network device translates, based on the one or more mappings, network traffic between the primary EVI and the plurality of secondary EVIs.

Abstract: The techniques describe example network systems for adaptively determining whether to perform ingress replication or assisted replication of a multicast flow based on classification of the multicast flow. For example, a provider edge (PE) device of a plurality of PE devices participating in an EVPN comprises one or more processors operably coupled to a memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: receive a multicast traffic flow, determine a classification of the multicast traffic flow, and perform, based at least in part on the classification of the multicast traffic flow, one of: ingress replication of the multicast traffic flow or assisted replication of the multicast traffic flow.

Abstract: An example method includes determining, by a network controller, based on a high-level data model, vendor-agnostic device information for a first network device, translating the vendor-agnostic device information into vendor-specific device information, sending, to the first network device, first configuration information included in the vendor-specific device information to cause the first network device to switch into a maintenance mode and enable diversion of network traffic from the first network device to a second network device, responsive to verifying that the first network device has diverted the traffic, initiating maintenance procedures on the first network device while the first network device is in the maintenance mode, and sending, to the first network device, second configuration information included in the vendor-specific device information to cause the first network device to switch out of the maintenance mode and enable reversion of network traffic from the second device to the first network

Abstract: This disclosure describes techniques for improved multicasting of source VLAN multicast traffic. For example, a method includes receiving, by a switch device within a data center of a leaf and spine network, multicast traffic from a multicast source; sending, by the switch device and to a border device within the data center that is communicatively coupled to a multicast rendezvous point external to the data center, a source-active routing message to indicate that the switch device is receiving multicast traffic from the multicast source; receiving, by the switch device and from the border device, a response routing message including an extended community that indicates whether there are any interested multicast receivers; and configuring, by the switch device, a forwarding engine of the switch device based on the extended community.

Abstract: This disclosure describes techniques for improved multicasting of source VLAN multicast traffic. For example, a method includes receiving, by a switch device within a data center of a leaf and spine network, multicast traffic from a multicast source; sending, by the switch device and to a border device within the data center that is communicatively coupled to a multicast rendezvous point external to the data center, a source-active routing message to indicate that the switch device is receiving multicast traffic from the multicast source; receiving, by the switch device and from the border device, a response routing message including an extended community that indicates whether there are any interested multicast receivers; and configuring, by the switch device, a forwarding engine of the switch device based on the extended community.

Abstract: An example method includes identifying, based on a received indication, at least a first network device that is to be placed in the maintenance mode, determining device information for the first network device, sending, to the first network device, first configuration information included in the device information to cause the first network device to switch into a maintenance mode and enable diversion of network traffic from the first network device to a second network device, responsive to verifying that the first network device has diverted the traffic, initiating maintenance procedures on the first network device while the first network device is in the maintenance mode, and sending, to the first network device, second configuration information included in the device information to cause the first network device to switch out of the maintenance mode and enable reversion of network traffic from the second device to the first network device.

Abstract: An example method includes determining, by a network controller, based on a high-level data model, vendor-agnostic device information for a first network device, translating the vendor-agnostic device information into vendor-specific device information, sending, to the first network device, first configuration information included in the vendor-specific device information to cause the first network device to switch into a maintenance mode and enable diversion of network traffic from the first network device to a second network device, responsive to verifying that the first network device has diverted the traffic, initiating maintenance procedures on the first network device while the first network device is in the maintenance mode, and sending, to the first network device, second configuration information included in the vendor-specific device information to cause the first network device to switch out of the maintenance mode and enable reversion of network traffic from the second device to the first network