Enterprise SONiC Distribution by Dell Technologies
Wed, 03 Aug 2022 21:41:04 -0000
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A New Operating System for the Cloud
Cloud computing addresses distributed computing needs that arise from ever-increasing growth and mobility in the telecommunications industry. Cloud computing is performed in a data center that uses spine-leaf architecture. This architecture typically consists of two or three switching layers that use dual-homed connections to provide link redundancy.
The spine-leaf architecture, depicted in the following figure, is based on the following qualities:
- Simplicity
- Scalability
- Uniformity
Figure 1—Spine-leaf architecture in a data centerDell Technologies is a proponent of innovation in open networking, as evidenced by Dell Technologies enabling its data center switches to use third-party operating systems. Dell Technologies continues this innovation by adopting SONiC, a free and open-source network operating system designed for scalable infrastructure.
The Enterprise SONiC Distribution by Dell Technologies is based on the open-source SONiC architecture and includes an added set of features and world-class support. Enterprise SONiC Distribution enables network engineers to build a future-proof, scale-out, multitenant, and resilient network usable by single retail stores, large enterprises, or service providers. The following use cases describe how one network can be deployed for diverse uses.
Enterprise SONiC Distribution use cases
Enterprise SONiC Distribution supports several use cases, but three stand out. Each subsequent use case builds on key aspects of the previous use case. The use cases start with a Layer 3 underlay, continue to scalable networks, and end with routing to the host.
Use case 1—Simple network (Layer 3) underlay
To start, use Enterprise SONiC Distribution to build a Layer 3 underlay that leverages Border Gateway Protocol’s (BGP) scalability and active multilink connections between leaf, spine, and super-spine layers, as shown in the following figure.
Figure 2—Scalable Layer 3 underlay in a data centerThe following benefits are worth noting:
- Simplicity—BGP-based configurations provide scale-out architecture and repeatable deployments with standards-based BGP, VLANs, unnumbered interfaces, ACLs, QoS, and VRRP implementations
- Cost Effective—The architecture is based on merchant silicon and Dell Technologies hardware with end-to-end support
Use case 2—Scalable multitenancy EVPN VXLAN
The second use case delivers fabric scalability by leveraging BGP EVPN VXLAN features. The following figure shows a fabric consisting of a spine layer and a leaf layer. Two tenants, A and B, are deployed and capable of communicating within and across each other while maintaining complete communications privacy between tenants.
Figure 3—Multitenancy with VXLAN EVPNA fabric that is based on EVPN VXLAN has two notable features:
- Scalability—VXLAN increases the number of VLANs from 4,000 (802.1q) to 16 million
- Efficiency—EVPN brings an efficient use in control plane across the network to establish full connectivity
Use case 3—Uniform routing to the host
The first use case provides a simple architecture that is based on open standards and builds the framework. The second use case expands the framework and makes it elastic. The third use case creates a uniform Layer 3 environment from the spine and leaf to the host, as shown in the following figure.
Figure 4—Routing to the hostUniform routing to the host provides:
- Pure Layer 3 functionality—Basic Layer 2 features such as Spanning-Tree, VLANs, and MLAG are eliminated
- IP addressing efficiency—Efficient IP addressing that leverages BGP unnumbered configuration
- Host and VM agility—End-host physical rack decoupling and VM mobility
Additional information
For more about Enterprise SONiC Distribution by Dell Technologies, see the following: