VXLAN
Technology & Computing abbreviation · Networking
| Stands for | Virtual Extensible LAN |
|---|---|
| Categories | Technology & Computing |
VXLAN stands for Virtual Extensible LAN, a networking abbreviation.
An overlay technology that wraps Ethernet frames in UDP packets so layer 2 networks can stretch across a routed data center or cloud. Its 24-bit network identifier allows about 16 million segments, compared with roughly 4,000 for VLAN tags.
Example: Tenant networks are carried as VXLAN segments across the spine-leaf fabric.
Usage notes
Published as RFC 7348 in 2014 after work by VMware, Cisco, Arista and others. VXLAN uses UDP port 4789 and is usually paired with EVPN, a BGP-based control plane that distributes MAC address information. The encapsulation adds 50 bytes, so the underlying links usually need a larger MTU.
Related abbreviations
More networking abbreviations
- UDP – User Datagram Protocol
- UPnP – Universal Plug and Play
- UTP – Unshielded twisted pair
- VLAN – Virtual LAN
- VNC – Virtual Network Computing
- VPN – Virtual private network
- WAN – Wide area network
- WAP – Wireless access point
- WEP – Wired Equivalent Privacy
- WLAN – Wireless local area network
- WPA – Wi-Fi Protected Access
- WPA2 – Wi-Fi Protected Access 2