A computer-implemented method for facilitating a first physical host belonging to a virtual local area network (VLAN) to send an Ethernet packet to a virtual machine, VM, hosted by a second physical host, said VM belonging to a virtual extensible local area network, VXLAN, in an IP network, characterized in that: the first physical host is coupled to a VXLAN gateway, said VXLAN gateway being a stand-alone device; the second physical host is also coupled to the VXLAN gateway through the IP network; and the VM is managed by a VXLAN module, and in that the method comprises: sending, by the first physical host, the Ethernet packet, said Ethernet packet comprising a MAC address of the VM as a destination address, a MAC address of the physical host as a source address and a VLAN tag corresponding to the VLAN; receiving, by the VXLAN gateway, the Ethernet packet; identifying, by the VXLAN gateway, the VXLAN based on the source address and the destination address of the Ethernet packet or based on the VLAN tag corresponding to the VLAN of the Ethernet packet; determining, by the VXLAN gateway, the IP address of the second physical host based on a set of mapping information between the MAC address of the VM and an IP address of the second physical host hosting the VM, said set of mapping maintained by the VXLAN gateway; encapsulating the Ethernet packet, by the VXLAN gateway, with the determined IP address of the second physical host as a destination IP address and a VXLAN gateway IP address as a source IP address; transmitting said encapsulated Ethernet packet to the IP network; receiving, by the second physical host, the encapsulated Ethernet packet, based on the determined IP address of the second physical host; forwarding the encapsulated packet to the VXLAN module; and forwarding the inner Ethernet packet to the VM by the VXLAN module based on the destination MAC address of the Ethernet packet. characterized in that: the first physical host is coupled to a VXLAN gateway, said VXLAN gateway being a stand-alone device; the second physical host is also coupled to the VXLAN gateway through the IP network; and the VM is managed by a VXLAN module, the first physical host is coupled to a VXLAN gateway, said VXLAN gateway being a stand-alone device; the second physical host is also coupled to the VXLAN gateway through the IP network; and the VM is managed by a VXLAN module, and in that the method comprises: sending, by the first physical host, the Ethernet packet, said Ethernet packet comprising a MAC address of the VM as a destination address, a MAC address of the physical host as a source address and a VLAN tag corresponding to the VLAN; receiving, by the VXLAN gateway, the Ethernet packet; identifying, by the VXLAN gateway, the VXLAN based on the source address and the destination address of the Ethernet packet or based on the VLAN tag corresponding to the VLAN of the Ethernet packet; determining, by the VXLAN gateway, the IP address of the second physical host based on a set of mapping information between the MAC address of the VM and an IP address of the second physical host hosting the VM, said set of mapping maintained by the VXLAN gateway; encapsulating the Ethernet packet, by the VXLAN gateway, with the determined IP address of the second physical host as a destination IP address and a VXLAN gateway IP address as a source IP address; transmitting said encapsulated Ethernet packet to the IP network; receiving, by the second physical host, the encapsulated Ethernet packet, based on the determined IP address of the second physical host; forwarding the encapsulated packet to the VXLAN module; and forwarding the inner Ethernet packet to the VM by the VXLAN module based on the destination MAC address of the Ethernet packet. sending, by the first physical host, the Ethernet packet, said Ethernet packet comprising a MAC address of the VM as a destination address, a MAC address of the physical host as a source address and a VLAN tag corresponding to the VLAN; receiving, by the VXLAN gateway, the Ethernet packet; identifying, by the VXLAN gateway, the VXLAN based on the source address and the destination address of the Ethernet packet or based on the VLAN tag corresponding to the VLAN of the Ethernet packet; determining, by the VXLAN gateway, the IP address of the second physical host based on a set of mapping information between the MAC address of the VM and an IP address of the second physical host hosting the VM, said set of mapping maintained by the VXLAN gateway; encapsulating the Ethernet packet, by the VXLAN gateway, with the determined IP address of the second physical host as a destination IP address and a VXLAN gateway IP address as a source IP address; transmitting said encapsulated Ethernet packet to the IP network; receiving, by the second physical host, the encapsulated Ethernet packet, based on the determined IP address of the second physical host; forwarding the encapsulated packet to the VXLAN module; and forwarding the inner Ethernet packet to the VM by the VXLAN module based on the destination MAC address of the Ethernet packet.