Nokia SR Linux: A Modern Approach to Data Center Networking

Nokia SR Linux is a key component in our Data Center Fabric designs.
It provides a highly flexible, modular, and cloud-native network operating system designed specifically for modern data centers. SR Linux allows for:

Extensibility:
Its modern architecture supports the integration of third-party applications and tools, enabling custom automation and simplified management.
Advanced Programmability: With an open configuration model based on gNMI and YANG, SR Linux allows for automated provisioning and real-time management
through programmable interfaces, ensuring seamless integration with network automation tools like Ansible and Netbox.
High Performance and Scalability: SR Linux supports high-density, low-latency forwarding, making it ideal for high-performance data center fabrics.

Key Data Center Technologies

EVPN (Ethernet VPN):
EVPN is a control-plane protocol that enables the creation of highly scalable and efficient Layer 2 and Layer 3 VPNs within data centers.
It decouples the control plane from the data plane, allowing for better flexibility and scalability.
MAC-to-IP Address Learning:
EVPN allows devices in the data center to learn MAC addresses and IPs dynamically, providing better efficiency for east-west traffic
(traffic between devices in the same data center).
Multi-Tenancy: EVPN supports multi-tenancy in data centers, enabling secure segmentation of network resources across different clients or departments.

VXLAN (Virtual Extensible LAN):
VXLAN extends Layer 2 networks over a Layer 3 infrastructure, allowing for greater scalability by encapsulating Ethernet frames inside UDP packets.
Scalability: VXLAN supports up to 16 million VLANs, far exceeding the traditional 4096 VLAN limit, making it ideal for large, cloud-scale data centers.
Network Segmentation: VXLAN, when combined with EVPN, enables efficient and scalable network segmentation,
providing isolation between tenants and applications without sacrificing network performance.

BGP (Border Gateway Protocol):
BGP is widely used as the routing protocol in large-scale data centers due to its flexibility and scalability.
In data center fabrics, BGP EVPN serves as the control plane for VXLAN.
Efficient Routing:
BGP provides scalable and efficient Layer 3 routing within the data center, reducing the complexity of traditional Layer 2 spanning tree designs.
Integration with VXLAN/EVPN: BGP EVPN is used to distribute Layer 2 information (such as MAC addresses) and Layer 3 routing information,
enabling seamless interconnectivity across the data center.

Segment Routing (SR):
Segment Routing simplifies traffic engineering by encoding the entire path a packet should take within the packet itself.
It provides greater flexibility for steering traffic through specific paths based on performance metrics or policy.

Traffic Engineering: Segment Routing enables precise control over traffic flows, allowing for optimized bandwidth utilization and improved network resilience.

Simplified Architecture: By eliminating the need for complex MPLS configurations,
Segment Routing simplifies network design while providing enhanced traffic engineering capabilities.

How These Technologies Work Together

In a modern data center fabric designed by fluctus GmbH, these technologies work in harmony to provide a scalable, efficient, and flexible network:

VXLAN/EVPN: VXLAN provides the data plane encapsulation, while EVPN serves as the control plane to dynamically manage Layer 2 and Layer 3 reachability.
This enables highly scalable Layer 2 segments across a Layer 3 network, ideal for multi-tenant environments.
BGP EVPN:
BGP is used to advertise routing information for VXLAN tunnels, creating a seamless and scalable underlay for the overlay network.
It also provides redundancy and fast convergence in case of link failures.
Segment Routing: By incorporating Segment Routing, the network can dynamically steer traffic through preferred paths based on network conditions, improving the overall efficiency of the data center fabric.

Benefits of Our Data Center Fabric Designs

Scalability: With technologies like VXLAN and EVPN, our designs can scale to support massive multi-tenant environments and cloud-scale data centers.
Performance:
The use of Nokia SR Linux, combined with high-performance networking protocols like BGP and Segment Routing,
ensures low-latency, high-throughput data flows across the fabric.
Flexibility:
The programmability of SR Linux and the modular design of EVPN/VXLAN architectures provide a flexible environment that adapts to changing business needs,
whether for cloud migration, multi-tenancy, or hybrid data center scenarios.
Simplified Management: Through integration with automation tools like Ansible and real-time monitoring using Telemetry and gNMI, we ensure that your data center is easy to manage and monitor, with automated processes for configuration updates and troubleshooting.
Resilience:
Our designs incorporate redundancy and rapid failover mechanisms through BGP and Segment Routing,
ensuring that your network can quickly recover from failures with minimal disruption.