Drag and Drop Question Drag and drop the EVPN components from the left onto the correct planes on the right. Answer:

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Explanation

EVPN Components and Their Planes

EVPN (Ethernet VPN) separates control plane functions (how MAC/IP reachability is distributed) from data plane functions (how frames are actually forwarded). Each item maps to one of these planes.

1. EVPN MP-BGP → Control Plane

MP-BGP (Multiprotocol BGP, AFI 25 / SAFI 70) is the only control plane component in the list. It advertises EVPN route types (MAC/IP reachability, Ethernet Segment, Inclusive Multicast, etc.) between PE routers. Without it, none of the data plane technologies know where to forward traffic.

Common mistake: Thinking BGP is "optional" or can be replaced by flood-and-learn. In EVPN, MP-BGP is mandatory and definitional.

2. PBB → Data Plane

Provider Backbone Bridging (IEEE 802.1ah, "MAC-in-MAC") is a data plane encapsulation used in PBB-EVPN (RFC 7623). The outer B-MAC header carries traffic across the provider network. It's common in carrier/metro Ethernet environments.

Common mistake: Confusing PBB with PBBN (backbone networks) generically. PBB here specifically means the MAC-in-MAC encapsulation that EVPN can ride over.

3. MPLS → Data Plane

MPLS label-switched paths are the original EVPN data plane (RFC 7432). Labels are assigned per-MAC or per-ESI, and frames are forwarded using the MPLS forwarding table. This is the classic service-provider deployment model.

Common mistake: Assuming EVPN requires MPLS. MPLS is just one data plane option; EVPN is data plane-agnostic.

4. NVO → Data Plane

Network Virtualization Overlay (VXLAN, NVGRE, GENEVE) is the dominant data plane in data center EVPN deployments. EVPN-VXLAN (RFC 8365) uses NVO tunnels between VTEPs with MP-BGP providing the control plane. NVO decouples the underlay IP fabric from the overlay.

Common mistake: Treating NVO and MPLS as mutually exclusive. Enterprises use NVO; service providers typically use MPLS. The EVPN control plane (MP-BGP) is identical in both.

5. VPWS → Data Plane / Service Layer

Virtual Private Wire Service is a point-to-point Ethernet service (E-Line) built on EVPN (RFC 8214). It uses EVPN signaling but provides a single-point-to-single-point pseudowire, unlike EVPN's default multi-point (E-LAN) behavior. It sits at the data/service plane because it defines the forwarding behavior, not the control signaling.

Common mistake: Confusing VPWS with VPLS (multipoint). VPWS = E-Line (2 endpoints); VPLS/EVPN = E-LAN (multipoint). VPWS is also sometimes called EVPN Flexible Cross-Connect.

Summary Table

The key insight: one control plane (MP-BGP), multiple interchangeable data planes - that flexibility is EVPN's core design principle.

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