An IP fabric is a network topology designed to provide a scalable, low-latency architecture that is typically implemented in modern data centers. It uses spine and leaf switches and enables efficient traffic load sharing across the network.
Step-by-Step Breakdown:
Spine-Leaf Architecture:
Leaf Devices: These switches connect to servers and edge devices within the data center. Each leaf switch connects to every spine switch.
Spine Devices: These high-performance switches interconnect all the leaf switches. There are no direct connections between leaf switches or spine switches. This architecture ensures that any two endpoints within the fabric are only one hop away from each other, minimizing latency.
Traffic Load Sharing:
An IP fabric leverages Equal-Cost Multipath (ECMP) to distribute traffic evenly across all available paths between leaf and spine switches, providing effective load balancing. This ensures that no single link becomes a bottleneck and that traffic is distributed efficiently across the network.
Juniper Reference:
Juniper provides QFX Series switches optimized for IP fabric topologies, allowing for scalable deployments in modern data centers.
EVPN-VXLAN: Often used in IP fabrics to extend Layer 2 services across the fabric with Layer 3 underlay, enabling both efficient routing and bridging.