Connect. Secure. Manage.
Cisco EVPN Anycast Gateways
Configure supported distributed gateways in Cisco EVPN fabrics, checking tenant addressing, endpoint mobility and inter-subnet forwarding.
Devices supported
across the UK
Client locations
supported
Traffic handled
at peak time
Average
response time
Average response is not a resolution time or a contractual guarantee. Support scope and response commitments are agreed for each engagement.
Cisco EVPN anycast gateways can provide a consistent default-gateway presence at multiple supported workload attachment points in a fabric. The benefit depends on correct addressing, tenant mappings and endpoint behaviour, especially during migration from an existing gateway. MCI Network Services designs and validates distributed gateway arrangements on supported Cisco EVPN platforms, checking the complete routed path rather than treating matching gateway configuration as sufficient proof of service.
Workload-led design
Start with application, compute and storage dependencies rather than the switch model.
Clear failure domains
Understand which links, devices and sites can fail together.
Operational clarity
Make fabrics, external routing and management responsibilities supportable.
Define where distributed routing is useful
We begin with the workload placement and the traffic that needs to cross subnet boundaries. A distributed gateway may reduce dependence on a central routing point and support a consistent attachment model, but it must fit the fabric architecture. We compare the requirement with the available platform capabilities and avoid introducing the feature where a simpler arrangement would meet the customer’s needs.
The design identifies which segments participate and how endpoints are expected to move. Physical servers, virtual machines and specialist appliances may have different address-learning and failover behaviour. We document those assumptions with the platform teams. A network feature should not be expected to compensate automatically for an endpoint that retains stale addressing information or uses an unsupported connection pattern.
Standards & partnerships
Confidence in the team behind your network.
Cisco Partner
Cisco Meraki
Cyber Essentials
Cyber Essentials PlusMCI Network Services is operated by Proxar Ltd. Certifications apply to the certified legal entity and the scope of its certificates. View accreditation information
Keep gateway identity and tenant mappings consistent
The relevant gateway addresses and supported anycast identity settings must be consistent where the design requires them. We review the relationship between VLANs, VNIs, routing contexts and interfaces across the participating devices. An isolated configuration error can produce a fault that appears only when a workload moves to a particular leaf or traffic returns through a different path.
Allocation standards and configuration validation help prevent that drift. We record which settings are global to the design and which are tenant-specific. The operating team should be able to distinguish an intentional exception from a mismatch. The design also considers IPv4 and IPv6 separately where both are required, without assuming that validation of one address family proves the other.
A useful starting point
Not sure where to start?
Bring the requirement. We will help you define the engineering work.
Plan coexistence with existing gateways
Migration often requires the old network and fabric to operate together. We define when gateway ownership changes and whether any supported coexistence mechanism is needed. Simply enabling the same gateway on a new fabric while leaving an unrelated legacy gateway active can create ambiguous forwarding and neighbour behaviour. That risk is resolved in the migration plan, not discovered during the cutover.
The transition considers ARP or neighbour-discovery state, routing, security paths and application dependencies. We identify what endpoints or adjacent systems need to relearn and how the result will be observed. Rollback is assessed against the actual stage of migration, including any application or addressing changes that make a simple reversal of network commands insufficient.
Different environments. The same care.
Built around the work
your network supports.
Finance, banking and the wider private sector. We start with the systems and people that depend on your connections.
Finance & banking
Market-data paths, routing and provider coordination on clients’ behalf.
Financial-market services ↗Offices & multi-site teams
Reliable access between people, workplaces and business applications.
Office network design ↗Data centres & cloud
Network boundaries, workload connections and operational ownership.
Data centre networks ↗Integrate inter-subnet and external forwarding
A local gateway is only the first step in a routed application path. We review how traffic reaches other subnets, shared services and external networks within the tenant’s design. Route import and export policy must align with the intended segmentation. The presence of a gateway interface does not establish permission to reach every destination in another routing context.
Stateful firewalls and translation services can influence the return path. We trace both directions and check the consequences of workload movement or border failure. The distributed architecture should preserve the customer’s security requirements rather than bypass an inspection point unintentionally. Any exception is explicitly approved and documented with the team responsible for the control.
Validate endpoint movement and fault recovery
Acceptance includes representative same-subnet, inter-subnet and external traffic as appropriate. We observe endpoint learning, gateway resolution and the relevant forwarding state. Tests use workloads and packet sizes that reflect the service rather than relying only on management probes. The application owner confirms the outcome where network reachability alone cannot establish success.
Where safe and supported, the plan includes workload movement and selected link or leaf failures. We check recovery and restoration, looking for stale mappings or inconsistent behaviour across attachment points. Not every failure can be exercised on production, so untested scenarios remain visible in the handover. The result is evidence of the tested design, not a blanket promise of seamless application mobility.
Maintain gateway standards as the fabric grows
New tenant segments and additional leaves should follow the same allocation and verification process. We recommend controlled configuration sources and checks that compare the intended gateway model with deployed state. A change to shared templates needs review for its effect on every participating workload, even when the edit appears small.
MCI can design a new anycast-gateway arrangement or investigate inconsistent routing in an existing fabric. The work complements EVPN overlay design and fabric migration. Provide the current gateway topology, tenant mappings and mobility requirements to begin. We will define the supported implementation and the evidence needed to accept it safely.
Talk to a specialist
What does your network need next?
Tell us what you are planning, changing or trying to improve. We will help define a practical next step and the engineering scope.
+44 203 196 6566Choose option 1
sales@proxar.co.ukUK-wide service.
Most of our engineers are based in Kent, with a focus on London, Sussex, Essex and Berkshire.
Existing customers should use their agreed support and escalation channels. This form is for service enquiries, not a monitored emergency ticket.
Tell us what you need.
A short outline is enough. Please do not include passwords or sensitive network details.
Thank you. Your enquiry has been submitted.
Please check your name, email and message, then try again.
Your form session expired. Please try again.
Please wait a minute before sending another enquiry.
We could not submit your enquiry. Please call or email us instead.