Can we connect Layer 3 device to SPINE

[kirank10]

Hi, 
I am actually getting confused some  say we cant connect l3 device to spine ,some guys are saying we can connect layer 3 device to spine  

Can we connect Layer 3 device to SPINE ?

so can you guys help me out on this 

[balaji.bandi · Accepted solution]

what kind of Layer 3 device ?

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/dcn/whitepapers/cisco-application-centric-infrastructure-design-guide.html

[kirank10]

hi @balaji.bandi 

Any device like router

[balaji.bandi · Accepted solution]

yes as pre the design.

[Robert Burns · Accepted solution]

This is a standard design of ACI.  Spines and Leafs have very different functions. The only connections possible with Spines are to Leaf nodes and fabric Infrastructure connections (ie. GOLF, InterPod/InterSite Network only).  All L3 connections for User workloads need to be connected to Leafs.  The leafs maintain the routing tables, and redistribute of prefixes into MP-BGP and and corresponding VRFs.  The Spines primary function is more of a backplane to the fabric though it doubles as the global endpoint policy manager (COOP Oracle).  Leafs are where all endpoint classification and policy is applied.  When I explain the function of Spines & Leafs, I use the analogy of a giant logical switch.  The spines act as your fabric modules providing the interconnection, and Leafs are the Linecards in which all workloads are connected into.

Hope this helps.

Robert