VXLAN & Its Merry Band of Tech Acronyms: A hilariously confusing adventure

Welcome to the whimsical world of VXLAN, or as I like to call it, "Very eXciting LAN". You might think it's just another boring network thingamajig, but oh, you're in for a treat!

VXLAN (Virtual Extensible Local Area Network) Imagine VXLAN as that overachieving cousin at family reunions who can juggle Ethernet services with more flair than a circus performer. It's like VLAN, but on tech steroids.

VXLAN struts around in large, multitenant environments (think of a tech version of a high-rise apartment), flaunting its flexibility and extensibility over a shared physical infrastructure.

And guess what? It travels using IP and UDP, like a tech-savvy backpacker hopping across the internet.

VTEP (VXLAN Tunnel End Point) Now, meet the VTEPs - the cool kids of the VXLAN network.

VTEP stands for "Very Terrific Endpoint", or more boringly, VXLAN Tunnel End Point. These are the spots where your precious data frames either get a fancy VXLAN jacket (encapsulation) or get stripped down to their original form (decapsulation).

It’s like a high-tech fashion makeover for data!

A VTEP could be a swanky standalone device or a virtual switch chilling on a server. It plays dress-up with data frames, wrapping them in VXLAN packets before sending them off to their playdates at other VTEPs. And when they arrive? They're back to their original, stylish selves.

These VTEPs are also social butterflies. They discover other VTEPs, learn all the hot goss about remote MAC addresses, and create Layer 2 connectivity that's like the cool underground music scene of the network world.

VNI (VXLAN Network Identifier) And finally, the VNI, or "Very Nifty Identifier".

It's like a VIP pass for VXLANs, allowing 16,777,215 (that's right, nearly 17 million!) exclusive VXLAN parties.

In comparison, VLAN IDs are like those limited-edition concert tickets that run out in seconds. Thanks to the VNI's 24-bit swag, it's a networking extravaganza!

So, VXLAN packets, with their snazzy 24-bit VNI, are like exclusive clubs for data, providing a level of tenant isolation that VLANs could only dream of.

There you have it, a lighthearted and humorous take on VXLAN, VTEP, and VNI, making networking sound like a fun, slightly chaotic party rather than a dry tech topic!

There is a rumor that Mikrotik will be able to allow their switching gear to support VXLAN by utilizing the chipset . . . soon. This can be a game changer for a lot of WISPs and folks utilizing TIK on their networks