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VPP Bridge Configuration

VPP bridge interfaces provide Layer 2 switching functionality, allowing multiple interfaces to be connected at the data link layer.

VPP bridges operate as learning bridges, automatically discovering MAC addresses and building forwarding tables to efficiently switch traffic between member interfaces. This provides transparent connectivity between different network segments while maintaining the performance benefits of VPP’s optimized data plane.

Supported Member Interface Types:

VPP bridges support various interface types as members:

This flexibility allows you to create complex Layer 2 topologies combining different networking technologies.

Basic Configuration

Creating a Bridge Interface

set interfaces vpp bridge <vppbrN>

Create a bridge interface where <vppbrN> follows the naming convention vppbr1, vppbr2, etc.

Note

Bridge domain vppbr0 is reserved by VPP and cannot be configured through VyOS. Start with vppbr1 for your bridge configurations.

Example:

set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr1

Interface Description

set interfaces vpp bridge <vppbrN> description <description>

Set a descriptive name for the bridge interface.

Example:

set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr1 description "Main campus bridge"

Member Interface Configuration

Adding Member Interfaces

set interfaces vpp bridge <vppbrN> member interface <interface-name>

Add an interface as a member of the bridge.

Examples:

# Add physical interfaces
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr1 member interface eth0
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr1 member interface eth1

# Add other VPP interfaces
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr1 member interface vppbond0
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr1 member interface vppgre1

Important

Bridge members can include various interface types such as:

Bridge Virtual Interface (BVI)

A Bridge Virtual Interface (BVI) provides Layer 3 connectivity to a bridge domain, allowing the bridge to have an IP address and participate in routing.

Configuring BVI

set interfaces vpp bridge <vppbrN> member interface <loopback-interface> bvi

Designate a loopback interface as the Bridge Virtual Interface for the bridge domain.

Example:

# Create a loopback interface first
set interfaces vpp loopback vpplo1

# Add it to the bridge as BVI
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr1 member interface vpplo1 bvi

Important

BVI Restrictions:

  • Only loopback interfaces can be configured as BVI

  • Each bridge domain can have only one BVI interface

Configuration Examples

Basic Bridge Setup

# Create bridge interface
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr1
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr1 description "Office network bridge"

# Add member interfaces
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr1 member interface eth0
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr1 member interface eth1
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr1 member interface eth2

Bridge with BVI

# Create bridge and loopback for BVI
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr2
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr2 description "Server segment with gateway"
set interfaces vpp loopback vpplo1

# Configure bridge members
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr2 member interface eth3
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr2 member interface eth4
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr2 member interface vpplo1 bvi

Multi-Technology Bridge

# Create bridge combining different interface types
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr3
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr3 description "Hybrid network bridge"

# Add various interface types
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr3 member interface vppbond1
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr3 member interface vppgre1
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr3 member interface vppvxlan1
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr3 member interface vpplo2 bvi

Integration with Kernel Interfaces

Bridge interfaces can be integrated with kernel interfaces for management and compatibility with standard Linux networking services. This is accomplished by binding a kernel interface to the Bridge Virtual Interface (BVI).

Example Integration:

# Create VPP bridge with member interfaces
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr1
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr1 member interface eth1
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr1 member interface eth2

# Create loopback interface and configure as BVI
set interfaces vpp loopback vpplo1
set interfaces vpp bridge vppbr1 member interface vpplo1 bvi

# Bind LCP kernel interface to the BVI loopback
set interfaces vpp loopback vpplo1 address '192.0.2.1/24'

This configuration creates a kernel interface bound to the BVI, allowing standard Linux applications and routing daemons to interact with the VPP bridge. The kernel interface provides Layer 3 access to the bridge domain.