# Layer-3-Only EVPN: Behind the Scenes

DevFeed: [Layer-3-Only EVPN: Behind the Scenes](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/layer-3-only-evpn-behind-the-scenes-11054.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.ipspace.net/2024/08/layer-3-only-evpn-behind-scenes/>)

Published: 2024-08-13T08:08:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [ipSpace.net blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/ipspace-net-blog.md>)

Topics: [evpn](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/evpn.md>), [VXLAN](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/vxlan.md>), [BGP](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/bgp.md>), [configuration](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/configuration.md>), [Containers](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/containers.md>)

Tags: [bgp](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bgp.md>), [blog-post](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/blog-post.md>), [configuration](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/configuration.md>), [containers](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/containers.md>), [evpn](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/evpn.md>), [journey](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/journey.md>)

## AI overview

This developer article examines the control plane of a layer-3-only EVPN/VXLAN network through an Arista cEOS lab. It explains how each VRF uses a hidden VXLAN-backed VLAN as a transport VLAN between PE devices and describes the relevant BGP EVPN configuration and forwarding behavior.

## Source excerpt

In the previous blog post, I described how to build a lab to explore the layer-3-only EVPN design and asked you to do that and figure out what's going on behind the scenes. If you didn't find time for that, let's do it together in this blog post. To keep it reasonably short, we'll focus on the EVPN control plane and leave the exploration of the data-plane data structures for another blog post. The most important thing to understand when analyzing a layer-3-only EVPN/VXLAN network is that the data plane looks like a VRF-lite design: each VRF uses a hidden VLAN (implemented with VXLAN) as the transport VLAN between the PE devices. Read more ...