Ethernet VPN (EVPN) solution provides Ethernet multipoint services over MPLS networks. EVPN operates in contrast to the existing Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) by enabling control-plane based MAC learning. PEs participating in the EVPN instances learn customer MAC routes in control-plane using MP-BGP protocol. Control-plane MAC learning brings a number of benefits that allow EVPN to address the VPLS shortcomings, including support for multi-homing with per-flow load balancing.

In EVPN, PEs advertise the MAC addresses learned from the CEs that are connected to them, along with an MPLS label, to other PEs in the control plane using Multiprotocol BGP (MP-BGP). Control-plane learning enables load balancing of traffic to and from CEs that are multihomed to multiple PEs. This is in addition to load balancing across the MPLS core via multiple LSPs between the same pair of PEs. It also improves convergence times in the event of certain network failures.