Jackson Reid
Cisco ACI GOLF, or Giant Overlay Fabric, is a feature in Cisco ACI infrastructure that allows for scalable ACI fabric WAN connectivity. It uses the BGP EVPN protocol over OSPF for WAN routers connected to spine switches. Cisco ACI GOLF routers enable fabric-facing tenant automation and offer a Layer 3 hand-off mechanism. While it does not support shared services or transit routing, Cisco ACI GOLF enhances control plane scale by reducing the number of tenant BGP sessions and required configurations.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Full form | Giant Overlay Fabric |
| Use case | Provides control plane and data plane connectivity between the Cisco ACI fabric and the WAN edge devices |
| Supported hardware | All Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Cisco ACI-mode switches, Cisco Nexus 9500 platform Cisco ACI-mode switch line cards and fabric modules |
| Supported software | Cisco APIC, release 3.1(x) and higher |
| Limitations | Does not support shared services, transit routing, or Multi-Pod |
| Guidelines | GOLF routers must advertise at least one route to Cisco ACI to accept traffic |
| Related technologies | OpFlex, EVPN, OSPF, BGP, VRF, VXLAN |
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What You'll Learn
- Cisco ACI GOLF uses BGP EVPN protocol over OSPF for WAN routers connected to spine switches
- GOLF does not support shared services or transit routing
- Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches and Cisco Nexus 9500 platform switch line cards support GOLF
- GOLF routers must advertise at least one route to Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) to accept traffic
- Cisco ACI GOLF permits extra scalable ACI fabric WAN connectivity
Cisco ACI GOLF uses BGP EVPN protocol over OSPF for WAN routers connected to spine switches
Cisco ACI GOLF, also known as Layer 3 EVPN Services for Fabric WAN, enables efficient and scalable ACI fabric WAN connectivity. It uses the BGP EVPN protocol over OSPF for WAN routers connected to spine switches. This setup offers several advantages and capabilities, such as improved control plane scale and simplified configuration.
The BGP EVPN protocol plays a crucial role in facilitating communication between different network components. In the context of Cisco ACI GOLF, the BGP EVPN session in the provider L3Out advertises the tenant routes defined in the L3Out. This allows for the efficient exchange of routing information within the network infrastructure.
One key advantage of Cisco ACI GOLF is its ability to aggregate tenant BGP sessions towards the Data Center Interconnect Gateway (DCIG). By doing so, it reduces the number of tenant BGP sessions and simplifies the configuration process. This aggregation improves the control plane scale, making it more manageable and efficient.
Additionally, Cisco ACI GOLF supports various deployment scenarios. It can be implemented in a multi-POD or multi-SITE environment, utilizing IPN nodes between spines and GOLF/WAN edge routers. This flexibility allows for a tailored approach to network design and optimization.
Furthermore, Cisco ACI GOLF provides guidelines and limitations to ensure smooth operation. For example, GOLF routers must advertise at least one route to Cisco ACI to accept traffic. Additionally, no tunnel is created between leaf switches and external routers until Cisco ACI receives a route from them. These considerations are essential for maintaining a functional and secure network environment.
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GOLF does not support shared services or transit routing
Cisco's GOLF (Giant Overlay Fabric) is a feature of Cisco ACI (Application Centric Infrastructure) that enables more efficient and scalable ACI fabric WAN connectivity. It uses the BGP EVPN protocol over OSPF for WAN routers that are connected to spine switches.
When deploying three GOLF Outs, if only one has a provider/consumer label for GOLF and 0/0 export aggregation, Cisco APIC will export all routes. This is similar to an existing L3extOut on leaf switches for tenants. If you have an ERSPAN session with a SPAN destination in a VRF instance and GOLF enabled, the transit prefix gets sent from a non-GOLF L3Out to the GOLF router with the wrong BGP next-hop.
In a Multi-Site topology, if stretched VRFs share GOLF connections, there are guidelines to avoid the risk of cross-VRF traffic issues. EVPN type-5 and type-2 routes sent from a GOLF spine in one site towards the DCI should not be sent to a GOLF spine in another site. This can happen when the DCI-to-spine switches have certain types of BGP sessions.
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Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches and Cisco Nexus 9500 platform switch line cards support GOLF
Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) is a software-defined networking (SDN) solution designed for data centres. It simplifies and optimises data centre operations by automating and accelerating the provisioning of applications and infrastructure.
GOLF, or Giant Overlay Fabric, is a Layer 3 EVPN service for Fabric WAN with OpFlex. It is a communication channel used for configuring policies between fabric and external devices that support OpFlex, in this case, the WAN edge routers.
Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches include the Nexus 9500 Series modular switches and the Nexus 9200/9300 Series fixed switches. The Nexus 9500 Series modular switches support a wide range of line cards and fabric modules, offering 1-, 10-, 25-, 40-, 50-, 100-, 200-, and 400-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces.
All Cisco Nexus 9000 Series ACI-mode switches and all Cisco Nexus 9500 platform ACI-mode switch line cards and fabric modules support GOLF. This includes the N9K-C9364C switch and, from release 2.1(1), all switches used in the Cisco ACI Multi-Pod and EVPN topologies.
Cisco Nexus 9500 Series Switches support line cards that provide a choice of smart buffers, deep buffers, large tables, and high-density, high-speed Ethernet interfaces. The supervisor modules, system controller, power supplies, and line cards are common across all three switches.
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GOLF routers must advertise at least one route to Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) to accept traffic
Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) is a software-defined networking solution that provides a policy-based approach to managing data centre infrastructure. ACI allows for the automation of many network configuration and management tasks, providing a more agile and flexible network infrastructure.
GOLF, or Giant Overlay Fabric, is a feature of Cisco ACI that enables scalable ACI fabric WAN connectivity. It uses the BGP EVPN protocol over OSPF for WAN routers connected to spine switches.
GOLF routers are WAN edge devices that act as border leaf nodes for the spine switches. They encapsulate and decapsulate communication with the external network domain. To enable communication between the application and the GOLF L3Out, explicit contracts are required. An l3extConsLbl consumer label must match the provider label of an L3Out for GOLF in the infra tenant.
For GOLF routers to accept traffic, they must advertise at least one route to Cisco ACI. This is because Cisco ACI will not create a tunnel between leaf switches and external routers until it receives a route from the external routers. By advertising a route, GOLF routers can establish connectivity with the Cisco ACI fabric and enable data plane communication.
To summarise, GOLF routers play a critical role in facilitating communication between the external network and the Cisco ACI fabric. By advertising at least one route to Cisco ACI, they can establish connectivity and enable data transfer. This enhances the scalability and flexibility of the network infrastructure.
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Cisco ACI GOLF permits extra scalable ACI fabric WAN connectivity
Cisco ACI GOLF (Giant Overlay Fabric) permits extra scalable ACI fabric WAN connectivity. It uses the BGP EVPN protocol over OSPF for WAN routers connected to spine switches. This design aggregates tenants' BGP sessions near the Data Center Interconnect Gateway (DCIG), reducing the number of sessions and configuration requirements.
The VXLAN data plane establishes communication between WAN edge devices and SPINEs, with the external WAN edge routers acting as border leaves for the SPINEs. The WAN edge devices also perform the role of Cisco ACI border leaf nodes, encapsulating and decapsulating communication with the external network domain.
GOLF routers must advertise at least one route to Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) to accept traffic. There is no tunnel between leaf switches and external routers until ACI receives a route from them. GOLF does not support shared services or transit routing.
Cisco Nexus 9000 Series ACI-mode switches and Cisco Nexus 9500 platform ACI-mode switch line cards and fabric modules support GOLF. When configuring GOLF on a spine switch, ensure the control plane has converged before setting up another spine switch.
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Frequently asked questions
Cisco ACI GOLF, also known as Giant Overlay Fabric, permits extra resourceful and scalable ACI fabric WAN connectivity.
GOLF stands for Giant Overlay Fabric.
GOLF uses the BGP EVPN protocol over OSPF for WAN routers that are connected to spine switches.
GOLF does not support shared services or transit routing. GOLF routers must advertise at least one route to Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) to accept traffic.
