Bridging Support Over Layer2 Sub-interface

Overview

Bridge-domain bridging allows Layer 2 switching across multiple sub-interfaces. Each sub-interface, configured with encapsulation dot1q, becomes part of a common bridge-domain. This setup enables an Ethernet LAN (ELAN)-like service across sub-interfaces.

Feature Characteristics

• Supports Layer 2 switching between sub-interfaces on the same or different physical interfaces.
• Uses 802.1Q VLAN tagging for traffic separation and identification.
• Provides BUM traffic flooding within the bridge-domain.
• Dynamically learns MAC addresses for known unicast forwarding.
• Static MAC address support for deterministic forwarding.

NETCONF Support for Dynamic MAC Addresses

• NETCONF support fetches dynamically learned MAC address entries, mirroring the output of the show mac address-table bridge-domain command. Each entry includes:
• The dynamically learned MAC address via traffic.
• The interface (port or sub-interface) where the MAC was learned.
• The bridge-domain identifier in which the MAC entry belongs.
• The XPath /network-instances/network-instance/bridge-domain/bridge-domain-mac-table/dynamic-entry indicates the NETCONF data path used to fetch dynamically learned MAC address entries associated with a bridge-domain instance on the device.
• The XPath /network-instances/network-instance/bridge-domain/bridge-domain-mac-table/static-entry aligns with the separation of dynamic and static entries, ensuring clear organization of bridge-domain MAC tables.

Benefits

• Simplifies service delivery for ELAN or pseudo-wire services.
• Reduces flooding through MAC learning and static mapping.
• Enhance traffic control with static MAC configurations.
• Allows flexible service mapping using sub-interfaces instead of full physical ports.

Prerequisites

• Interfaces must support Layer 2 mode and be capable of sub-interface configuration.
• VLANs must be correctly assigned and unique across sub-interfaces.
• Bridge-domain must be defined and interfaces added to it.