Aviz details Host-Based Networking on BlueField-3 DPUs
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Aviz describes how Host-Based Networking shifts routing, tenant VRFs, and VTEP termination from leaf switches to NVIDIA BlueField-3 DPUs, while Aviz ONES automates setup and tenant assignment across switches, DPUs, and virtual functions for GPU clusters.
Research Overview
The post frames Host-Based Networking as a way to move network state closer to the server in AI and GPU environments. It says this reduces dependence on leaf switches for functions such as BGP routing, VXLAN encapsulation, and tenant separation.
Aviz positions ONES as the orchestration layer that manages the operational workflow around that design. The blog says ONES covers Day-0 configuration, tenant creation, VF discovery, VF assignment, and deprovisioning.
Technical Breakdown
HBN is presented as a DOCA service that runs as a container on BlueField-3 DPU Arm cores. In that setup, FRR runs on the DPU, BGP peering occurs on the uplinks, and routing and isolation are enforced before traffic reaches host CPUs.
The blog says the DPU uses the nl2docad driver to translate Linux kernel routing and bridging tables into hardware tables. It also says traffic is forwarded in hardware on the DPU rather than in software.
Operational Impact
According to the post, moving these functions off the leaf switch distributes state across the rack and reduces concentration on a single switch. It says that without orchestration, the added distributed design would still leave operators with manual configuration work across FRR, EVPN, VRFs, and VFs.
Aviz says ONES addresses that by validating the fabric, applying switch and DPU configuration, and synchronizing EVPN and FRR settings. The blog also says ONES rejects deployment if the expected VF count is missing on a DPU.
Tenant Provisioning and Validation
The post describes a four-step tenant workflow in ONES: create the tenant, bind a server, discover available VFs, and assign a VF. It says ONES then configures the tenant VLAN, VTEP endpoint, and VRF-to-VNI binding.
The blog says each DPU provisions a set number of VFs at boot, with eight on HGxx nodes and four on GBxx nodes. It also says these VFs remain unassigned until ONES attaches them to a tenant.
Deployment Settings
Aviz says HBN is configured in the Network Setup area, where the N-S network settings determine how the fabric operates. The post says HBN requires VXLAN and does not allow VLAN-only segmentation when the feature is enabled.
The blog also says ONES checks switch and server inventory, confirms the expected NOS versions, and uses DPU IP addresses and credentials during deployment. It says Apply Design to Fabric then pushes leaf EVPN configuration, DPU Day-0 setup, BGP adjacency, and VXLAN overlay settings in one operation.
The post presents Host-Based Networking as a way to distribute networking functions across BlueField-3 DPUs while ONES manages configuration and tenant lifecycle steps in one workflow. For enterprise IT and security teams, the summary focuses on how the design changes where state lives and how the fabric is deployed and validated. This Blog Summary is a fact-based summary of the vendor blog.
Blog post, originally published at aviznetworks.com.