Situatie

OTV, or Overlay Transport Virtualization, is a network virtualization technology developed by Cisco that enables Layer 2 extension across a Layer 3 IP core—without the typical challenges of traditional tunneling or bridging.

In simple terms: OTV lets you connect multiple data centers as if they were part of the same LAN, even if they’re geographically distant.

OTV is designed to solve several problems when extending Layer 2 networks:

• Avoids Layer 2 loops and broadcast storms

• Requires no complex GRE or MPLS tunnels

• Multicast-agnostic (doesn’t rely on multicast support in the core)

• Ideal for data center interconnect (DCI), disaster recovery, and VM mobility

 How OTV Works

• Edge Device: Connects the local LAN to the OTV overlay. Typically a Cisco Nexus 7000 or 9000 switch.

• Join Interface: The Layer 3 interface used to reach the IP core.

• Overlay Interface: A virtual interface that bridges Layer 2 domains across sites.

• OTV encapsulates Layer 2 Ethernet frames inside IP packets (MAC-in-IP) for transport over the Layer 3 infrastructure.

OTV vs. Other Layer 2 Extension Technologies

Use OTV when you need:

• Seamless connectivity between data centers

• Zero-touch VM migration (vMotion)

• Efficient disaster recovery configurations

• Clean separation between core IP routing and Layer 2 domains.

Solutie

Tip solutie

Permanent