WHAT TO EXPECT
In this article, users will learn how the swXtchBridge fits into the cloudSwXtch network.
swXtchBridge
The swXtchBridge application enables bi-directional multicast traffic between a non-cloud (on-premises) and cloud network (with a cloudSwXtch instance deployed). With cloudSwXtch, multicast traffic generated from the on-prem network can be received and processed in the cloud, which then, in turn, can be sent back to the on-prem network, processed by the swXtchBridge.
The swXtchBridge is bi-directional. It sends multicast traffic from the on-premises network to the cloud and from the cloud to on-premises.
From on-prem to the cloud, the bridge is dynamic. This means that users in the cloud can subscribe to a multicast group via IGMP joins. Then, the bridge will allow that traffic through. This ensures that only necessary traffic goes through the VPN or Express Route/Gateway into the cloud. It guarantees the best use of the gateway and incurs less ingress bandwidth into the cloud.
For cloud to ground, if there are Arista/Juniper COTS switches interconnecting devices, the bridging will also be dynamic. If not, there is no current support to propagate IGMP joins and leaves. Multicast groups must be explicitly configured to let the bridge know what traffic is to be transported.
See the Installing swXtchBridge page to learn how to install the swXtchBridge and the requirements.