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Reserved ports (ESI-LAG)

 

Technological principles of ESI-LAG operation:


ESI-LAG technology aggregates links at the IX network core level, distributing a member's physical links across two independent IX edge switches (PE — Provider Edge).router-map_Metropolian.png

The interaction process is built on the following algorithms:

 

  • Single Logical Device Emulation: Interfaces on different PE switches within the IX network are assigned an identical 10-byte identifier — ESI. Via the BGP EVPN control plane, the switches synchronize their LACP System ID. As a result, the member's router (CE) identifies these nodes as a single optical switch.
  • Active-Active Load Balancing Mode: The member's router bundles the physical links into a standard port-channel (LACP LAG / 802.3ad). By default, traffic is distributed across all active links simultaneously, providing aggregated bandwidth (for example, 2 × 100G ports deliver a total capacity of 200G).
  • Traffic Loop Prevention (Split-Horizon): To eliminate the possibility of traffic loops within the IX network's L2 segment, packets are tagged with an ESI label on the ingress PE router. The neighboring PE router serving the same ESI automatically blocks the forwarding of that packet back toward the client.

 

Benefits of ESI-LAG integration for your network:

 

  • Geographical Infrastructure Redundancy: A member's physical links can be terminated on switches in different racks or different colocation suites (data centers). In the event of a total power outage or failure of one of the IXP nodes, traffic is instantly rerouted to the adjacent link within milliseconds (via the Mass MAC Withdrawal mechanism).
  • Efficient Capital Expenditure (CapEx) Utilization: None of the ordered ports sit in standby mode. All available bandwidth is utilized in real time.
  • Vendor-Agnostic: Because ESI-LAG is an open industry standard (IETF RFC), our exchange network's core architecture is fully compatible with any enterprise- or carrier-grade client equipment (Cisco, Juniper, Arista, Nokia, etc.) that supports the basic 802.3ad protocol.

 

Have additional questions? Are you a Giganet IXN member looking to set up a redundant connection? Email us at info@giganet.ua or call +380 44 2013130