The Everything Feed - All Packet Pushers Pods HN777: Overlay All the Things?
Apr 18, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Sergei Kolobov, a technical lead at a leading networking vendor, dives into the world of overlay technologies. He explores the evolution and significance of EVPN as a potential industry standard. Listeners will discover how overlays like VXLAN, SRv6, and EVPN address modern networking challenges and enhance client isolation. Kolobov also reveals the impact of virtualization and containerization on network strategies, emphasizing the importance of collaboration among vendors to create effective solutions for scalable networking.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Overlay Tech Solves Two Problems
- Overlay technologies solve two main problems: client isolation and multi-path traffic forwarding via tunnels.
- Overlays can be hardware-based for speed or software-based for flexibility but may trade off performance.
VXLAN Won by Timing and Support
- The industry adopted VXLAN because it was the right solution at the right time focusing on Ethernet-based L2 over L3 fabric.
- Despite some initial criticisms, VXLAN's multi-vendor support and simplicity made it the widespread choice.
Choose Overlay Tech Based on Use Case
- You don't always need VXLAN; choose technologies based on your use case, budget, and required complexity.
- Modern applications might avoid overlays entirely by working directly with IP and TLS.