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Task 6 - Endpoint Locator

Overview

  1. This step guides you through enabling the Endpoint Locator (EPL) feature in NDFC, which helps track endpoints connected to the fabric.
  2. EPL is very useful for troubleshooting or locating specific end-host endpoints within your data center, providing real-time tracking of endpoints, tracing their lifecycle, and offering insights into endpoint additions, removals, and moves.
  3. NDFC’s EPL feature relies on a BGP peering between NDFC and the Route Reflector of the VXLAN fabric. After the BGP session is established, NDFC receives EVPN BGP updates containing endpoint information.
  4. For EPL to function, NDFC’s Data interface needs connectivity to the fabric’s Routing Loopback (Loopback0).
  5. In this lab, NDFC’s Data interface is in the subnet `198.18.4.0/24` and connected to Ethernet 1/5 of Site1-Leaf2.

Step 2: (Optional) Verify Data Interface IP for ND

  1. Click on Nexus Dashboard (top-left corner).
  2. Go to Manage > Nodes.

  3. Observe NDFC Data Interface IP Address

    ND Nodes Page

    Info

    The BGP session source IP always comes from one of the Service Pool IPs dedicated to services/containers that must maintain the same address. These IPs must be configured in the Nexus Dashboard Admin Console, System Settings.

Step 3: Transition from the ND Admin Console to NDFC

  1. From the ND Admin Console, click Nexus Dashboard in the top-left corner.

  2. Select Fabric Controller, which takes you to the NDFC application.

    Navigate to NDFC

Step 4: Navigate to Fabric

  1. In NDFC, click Manage > Fabrics.
  2. Double-click on Site1-Greenfield to open the fabric.

Step 5: Edit Interface for Data Connectivity

  1. On the Fabric Overview page, click the Interfaces tab.
  2. In the filter field, enter `interface == Ethernet1/5`.

  3. Check the box next to Site1-Leaf2, then click Actions > Edit.

    Edit Interface

Step 6: Configure the Interface

  1. Policy: `epl_routed_intf`
  2. Interface IP: `198.18.4.99`
  3. IP Netmask Length: `24`

  4. Click Save, Deploy, and Deploy Config.

    Note

    We are adding this interface to OSPF so it announces the spine loopbacks out of Ethernet 1/5.
    There is a device in the dCloud topology that relies on this information to correctly forward traffic.

    Interface Settings

Step 7: Verify Reachability to NDFC’s Data Interface

  1. From Site1-Spine1, verify you can reach `198.18.4.230` (ND’s Data interface) from the Underlay Loopback0:

    Site1-Spine1

    ping 198.18.4.230 source-interface loopback0

    Spine Ping

    Note

    A successful ping confirms that NDFC’s Data interface can reach the Fabric’s Underlay Routing Loopbacks.

Step 8: Configure Endpoint Locator in NDFC

  1. Return to the Fabric Overview page.

  2. Click Actions, More, then Configure Endpoint Locator.

    Configure EPL

Step 9: EPL Settings

  1. Check Configure My Fabric
  2. Check Process MAC-Only Advertisements
  3. Spine/Route Reflector (RR1): `Site1-Spine1`
  4. Spine/Route Reflector (RR2): `Site1-Spine2`
  5. Collect additional information (port, VLAN, etc): `Yes`

  6. Click Save Config

    EPL Configuration

Step 10: EPL Configuration Success

  1. Wait for the success dialog to appear once EPL is configured, this might take 2-3 minutes.

  2. Click Close on the success dialog.

    EPL Success

Step 11: Verifying the Configuration

  1. From the CLI of Site1-Spine1 or Site1-Spine2, verify BGP peering with NDFC for L2VPN EVPN:

    Site1-Spine1

    show bgp l2vpn evpn summary

    Verify BGP Summary

  2. In NDFC’s Analyze menu, click Endpoint Visibility to see endpoint details.

    Analyze Menu

    Endpoint Visibility

    Note

    Within a few minutes, Endpoint Locator populates the Endpoint Activity screen for newly configured hosts. Two endpoints:—Server-1 (192.168.11.101) and Server-2 (192.168.12.101) will show up in the EPL dashboard (both are on Site1-Leaf1 and Site1-Leaf2, respectively).
    If both endpoints are not visible, ping Server2 from Server1.

  3. To get the endpoint life information, click on the endpoint, scroll down, and click Endpoint Life, this, in a real scenario will track the endpoint move history, very convenient!

    Endpoint Detail

    Endpoint Life

You can continue now with Task #7: Service Device Insertion EOF