Using a Virtual Internet Protocol Address to Represent Dually Connected Hosts in an Internet Protocol Overlay Network

An apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of ports configured to send and receive communications over a network;
• a memory;
• and
• a processor coupled to the memory and configured to:
• receive, on a first physical port mapped to a virtual port having a Layer 3 address, a packet from a first host device having a Layer 2 address, wherein the packet is destined for a second host device in the network;
• encapsulate the packet with an overlay header to generate an encapsulated packet that includes the Layer 3 address of the virtual port and the Layer 2 address of the first host device;
• and
• send the encapsulated packet to a second router device that is connected to the second host device to enable the second router device to determine, based on the Layer 2 address, that the first host device is reachable through the Layer 3 address.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage media encoded with software comprising computer executable instructions and when the software is executed operable to:

• receive, on a first physical port mapped to a virtual port having a Layer 3 address, a packet from a first host device having a Layer 2 address, wherein the packet is destined for a second host device in the network;
• encapsulate the packet with an overlay header to generate an encapsulated packet that includes the Layer 3 address of the virtual port and the Layer 2 address of the first host device;
• and
• send the encapsulated packet to a second router device that is connected to the second host device to enable the second router device to determine, based on the Layer 2 address, that the first host device is reachable through the Layer 3 address.