A network architecture team is looking for a technology on Cisco Nexus switches that significantly simplifies extending Layer 2 applications across distributed data centers. The team wants the Cisco…

Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a packet-forwarding technique, but implementing Layer 2 extension over MPLS often requires complex Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) configurations on the service provider's network, which conflicts with the requirement of no reconfigurations.

Overlay Transport Virtualization (OTV) is a Cisco Data Center Interconnect (DCI) technology specifically designed to provide Layer 2 extension capabilities across multiple geographically dispersed data centers over any IP-based network. It encapsulates Layer 2 frames into IP packets, preserving VLAN IDs and MAC addresses while maintaining routing separation between the DCI and site-internal networks, thus avoiding reconfigurations within the sites.