When an ePMP SM is configured with Network Mode set to Router, packets are forwarded or filtered based on their IP header (source or destination) using specific static routes and IP aliases configured by the operator.
What are the benefits of using Router mode for network SMs?
- Routers block broadcast traffic and reduce the size of the collision domain
- Allows operators to utilize the network resources efficiently by transmitting traffic only across relevant links
- Offload workloads (NAT, for example) to less-utilized devices closer to the network edge
- Prevent network loops (layer 2)
- Increases the security by the use of layer 3 firewalls
- Prevents rogue DHCP servers from infiltrating the entire network
- Increases the scalability across the network
- Enables redundancy and failover
- Simplifies troubleshooting by quickly narrowing to certain network segments