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Data Center Interconnect (DCI) by Dell Enterprise SONiC
Tue, 28 Feb 2023 19:18:19 -0000
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Let’s talk about how Dell Enterprise SONiC is bringing Data Center Interconnect (DCI) into the mix with open source.
A data center is the beating heart of any IT enterprise environment. It used to be a sunk investment, providing little to no return. As the data center evolved into a positive asset that an enterprise could leverage, the ability to interconnect with other data centers became a critical capability. Today, the ubiquitous adoption of virtualization and application services availability is driving demand for integration in current data centers.
The interconnection of data centers is not new; enterprises use many different technologies to interconnect data centers. For example, VPLS or virtual private LAN service is an Ethernet based point to multipoint Layer 2 virtual private network that connects geographically dispersed data centers as if they are connected over a common Layer 2 connection.
Unfortunately, when these technologies were created, they were based on having a Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) backbone, so deploying them is often complex.
Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) DCI is all about deploying an overlay based on the familiarity of 802.1q VLANs, that is, stretching Layer 2 over a Layer 3 backbone.
In its first release, Enterprise SONiC Distribution by Dell Technologies supported single-site EVPN fabrics for single-site data centers. As Dell Enterprise SONiC becomes more popular, the fabrics built using Enterprise SONiC need to connect with each other by leveraging simple Layer 2 and Layer 3 technologies.
To achieve this, Dell introduced key EVPN VXLAN components that allow data center interconnectivity.
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With the proliferation and exponential data growth, the single site data center can no longer absorb or meet the data demands. Connecting multiple data centers to leverage their respective resources is key to the adoption of new applications, services, and overall new business income streams.
Figure 1 shows two typical single site data centers isolated from each other. In this case, the resources (such as storage and compute) reside within a single data center. This type of deployment presents unique challenges, including lack of integration, and potentially site redundancy.
Figure 1 – Typical single site data centers collocated but isolated
Figure 2 shows several data centers interconnected over EVPN DCI. Dell Enterprise SONiC version 4.0 introduces the much-needed EVPN VXLAN software feature-set enhancement that allows for different geographically located data centers to interconnect.
This new feature allows multiple use cases such as:
- Workload cluster bring-up
- vSAN stretch cluster
- Efficient resource sharing
- Standards based fabric connectivity
Figure 2 – Full mesh multisite data center connections
References
To learn more about Dell Enterprise SONiC Distribution and related solutions please see:
Enterprise SONiC Distribution by Dell Technologies
Enterprise SONiC Distribution Data Center Interconnect Guide
Enterprise SONiC Distribution User Guide
Note: Consult with your Dell sales engineer or representative if access to the Dell Enterprise SONiC User Guide is not available.