Cisco Aci Q-in-Q

The Cisco ACI Q-in-Q feature allows the insertion of a provider-specific VLAN tag (PSVLAN) into the user VLAN tag (USVLAN) of customer frames. This enables the customer VLANs to be carried across the provider network while still being isolated from other customer VLANs.

The Q-in-Q feature can be used to provide:

-Isolation of customer traffic

-Efficient use of VLAN tags

-Service provider flexibility

Cisco ACI Q-in-Q is supported on the following Cisco ACI fabrics:

-Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches

-Cisco Nexus 9300-EX and 9300-FX Series Switches

-Cisco Nexus 9500-EX and 9500-FX Series Switches

-Cisco Nexus 9300-EX and 9300-FX Series Switches with the Cisco ACI Multi-Pod Feature

-Cisco Nexus 9500-EX and 9500-FX Series Switches with the Cisco ACI Multi-Pod Feature

The Cisco ACI Q-in-Q feature is implemented using the following components:

-A customer VLAN (CVLAN)

-A provider-specific VLAN (PSVLAN)

-A Q-in-Q VLAN (QVLAN)

-A Q-in-Q tunnel

The customer VLAN (CVLAN) is the VLAN that is assigned to the customer by the service provider. The provider-specific VLAN (PSVLAN) is the VLAN that is assigned to the provider’s network by the service provider. The Q-in-Q VLAN (QVLAN) is the VLAN that is created when the customer VLAN is inserted into the provider-specific VLAN. The Q-in-Q tunnel is the tunnel that is used to carry the customer VLAN across the provider network.

The Cisco ACI Q-in-Q feature uses the following steps to insert the customer VLAN into the provider-specific VLAN:

1. The customer VLAN is encapsulated in a Q-in-Q VLAN.

2. The Q-in-Q VLAN is inserted into the provider-specific VLAN.

3. The Q-in-Q tunnel is used to carry the customer VLAN across the provider network.

4. The provider-specific VLAN is removed from the customer VLAN when it reaches the destination switch.

The Cisco ACI Q-in-Q feature provides the following benefits:

-Isolation of customer traffic

-Efficient use of VLAN tags

-Service provider flexibility