Assisted replication in software defined network

A software defined networking (SDN) controller of a data center including one or more devices that each include one or more virtual routers configured thereon, the SDN controller comprising one or more processors configured to:

• receive, from a Top-Of-Rack (TOR) switch, a first multicast route and a second multicast route;
• in response to determining that the first multicast route is an assisted replication route, add a first nexthop specified by the first multicast route to a list of nexthops for Broadcast, Unknown-Unicast, and Multicast (BUM) traffic;
• in response to determining that the second multicast route is not the assisted replication route, refrain from adding a second nexthop specified by the second multicast route to the list of nexthops for BUM traffic;
• and
• provision, after adding the first nexthop, the list of nexthops at a virtual router of the one or more virtual routers.

A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed, cause a software defined networking (SDN) controller of a data center including one or more devices that each include one or more virtual routers configured thereon to:

• receive, from a Top-Of-Rack (TOR) switch, a first multicast route and a second multicast route;
• in response to determining that the first multicast route is an assisted replication route, add a first nexthop specified by the first multicast route to a list of nexthops for Broadcast, Unknown-Unicast, and Multicast (BUM) traffic;
• in response to determining that the second multicast route is not the assisted replication route, refrain from adding a second nexthop specified by the second multicast route to the list of nexthops for BUM traffic;
• and
• provision, after adding the first nexthop, the list of nexthops at a virtual router of the one or more virtual routers.