You can deploy Prisma SD-WAN ION devices as Branch Gateways in a full-mesh topology with standard branches and data centers, enabling flexible traffic routing across multiple interconnected sites. In this architecture, Branch Gateways act as regional transit points that can forward traffic between branches, reducing reliance on centralized data centers and improving performance for branch-to-branch communication.

When branches communicate through Branch Gateways, traffic uses the most direct available path. For branch-to-branch traffic, the system prefers routing through interconnected Branch Gateways rather than transiting the data center, optimizing latency and reducing load on centralized infrastructure. If a direct connection between Branch Gateways is unavailable, traffic automatically routes through the data center as a backup path. For data center-to-branch traffic, the system selects the shortest available path, which may be a direct connection or a path that transits one or more Branch Gateways depending on the current network topology and link availability.

The system prevents routing loops inherently during the path selection process. Whenever path selection is triggered, it tracks the source location of each traffic flow and excludes paths that would route traffic back toward its origin. By applying this logic dynamically during routing decisions, the system adapts to link failures and topology changes to maintain stable, loop-free routing across the full-mesh network.