Encapsulation Overhead
Encapsulation overhead
Encapsulation Overhead is the size of additional headers and other components used to wrap original data in another forwarding unit.
In context
An overlay adds outer forwarding information to the inner packet. The outer path must also accommodate this additional size.
Example
Assuming a 14-byte untagged inner Ethernet header, 8 bytes for VXLAN, 8 for UDP, and 20 for outer IPv4, the outer IP packet is 50 bytes larger than the inner IP packet. This calculation excludes the inner FCS and additional options.
Key distinction
An overhead value is meaningful only when the included headers are specified.
