VXLAN and EVPN on Linux (with BIRD)#

Maria Matejka, BIRD | CZ.NIC

• Why: DC fabric fundamentals — VXLAN and EVPN — taught from raw Linux primitives upward, using the open-source daemon the speaker's team actually implements EVPN in, rather than a commercial stack.
• What: A hands-on tutorial building VXLAN tunnels manually (ip link add ... type vxlan, VNI, UDP 4789), VLAN-filtering bridges, and hypervisor L2 domains, then layering EVPN control-plane on top with BIRD, so attendees understand what actually happens under the hood before the abstractions arrive.
• How: Labs run in EduHawk (CZ.NIC's container-based network simulator, user namespaces, no root needed), starting with veths and bridges, moving to manual VXLAN links for VM mobility and traffic isolation, and progressively adding scalability layers. The setup is keepable for future fiddling.
• Where applicable: Anyone building or operating DC overlay fabrics on Linux/commodity hardware, or anyone who wants to debug EVPN/VXLAN rather than just configure it. Tutorial format — worth the recording if you missed it live.