FabricPath is a Nexus layer 2 feature available with all F-Series line cards that is designed to replace spanning tree protocol and optimize local and remote data center interconnect. The bandwidth is optimized with multiple ECMP path load balancing while availability is improved with faster convergence using IS-IS SFP routing protocol. Those enhancements available with NX-OS software allows for significant scalability at the data center and cloud service providers. Each FabricPath enabled switch is assigned a MAC address for forwarding Ethernet packets across the FabricPath for all connected switches. The Nexus switch attaches a unique FabricPath MAC address header used for forwarding packets to the neighbor switch. The destination switch then strips off the FabricPath header and forwards the Ethernet packet after doing CAM and ARP table lookups. An advantage of FabricPath is that VLANs can be extended across the data center. That provides layer 2 adjacency without having to move servers.