Understanding ACI VLAN types and VLAN scopes is crucial for network professionals aiming to optimize their network configurations. In this article, I explore the various ACI VLAN types, examining their significance and how they impact the interpretation of the show endpoint ACI CLI command output.
Additionally, I will delve into the concept of VLAN scope, which allows for the reuse of the same VLANs across multiple Endpoint Groups (EPGs). Whether you’re a seasoned network engineer or just starting, this guide will provide the essential knowledge to navigate VLAN configurations in ACI effectively.
Summary
- In ACI, we have two main VLAN types: Access Encap VLAN and platform-independent (PI) VLAN.
- The access encap VLAN is the VLAN ID for external devices (on-the-wire encapsulation VLAN). It is a user-configurable value and is used to classify traffic from the endpoints into EPGs.
- The PI VLAN is an internal VLAN assigned automatically on every leaf in the fabric. It is not shared across the leaf switches and represents an EPG (FD VLAN) and BD (BD VLAN) in the leaf switch.
- ACI VLAN scope should be considered when applying the same access encap VLAN to more than one EPG on the same Leaf switch. Therefore, we should apply the port Local scope on the interfaces where the same access encap VLAN is used for different EPGs. Additionally, each EPG should be associated with a separate VLAN pool, domain, and bridge domain.
