The path computation element protocol (PCEP) describes a set of procedures by which a path computation client (PCC) can report and delegate control of head-end label switched paths (LSPs) sourced from the PCC to a PCE peer. The PCE can request the PCC to update and modify parameters of LSPs it controls. The stateful model also enables a PCC to allow the PCE to initiate computations allowing the PCE to perform network-wide orchestration.

SR-PCE learns topology information by way of IGP (OSPF or IS-IS) or through BGP Link-State (BGP-LS).

SR-PCE is capable of computing paths using the following methods:

• TE metric—SR-PCE uses the TE metric in its path calculations to optimize cumulative TE metric.

• IGP metric—SR-PCE uses the IGP metric in its path calculations to optimize reachability.

• LSP Disjointness—SR-PCE uses the path computation algorithms to compute a pair of disjoint LSPs. The disjoint paths can originate from the same head-end or different head-ends. Disjoint level refers to the type of resources that should not be shared by the two computed paths. SR-PCE supports the following disjoint path computations:

  • Link – Specifies that links are not shared on the computed paths.

  • Node – Specifies that nodes are not shared on the computed paths.

  • SRLG – Specifies that links with the same SRLG value are not shared on the computed paths.

  • SRLG-node – Specifies that SRLG and nodes are not shared on the computed paths.

  When the first request is received with a given disjoint-group ID, the first LSP is computed, encoding the shortest path from the first source to the first destination. When the second LSP request is received with the same disjoint-group ID, information received in both requests is used to compute two disjoint paths: one path from the first source to the first destination, and another path from the second source to the second destination. Both paths are computed at the same time.

TCP Authentication Option

TCP Message Digest 5 (MD5) authentication has been used for authenticating PCEP (TCP) sessions by using a clear text or encrypted password. This feature introduces support for TCP Authentication Option (TCP-AO), which replaces the TCP MD5 option.

TCP-AO uses Message Authentication Codes (MACs), which provides the following:

• Protection against replays for long-lived TCP connections

• More details on the security association with TCP connections than TCP MD5

• A larger set of MACs with minimal system and operational changes

TCP-AO is compatible with Master Key Tuple (MKT) configuration. TCP-AO also protects connections when using the same MKT across repeated instances of a connection. TCP-AO protects the connections by using traffic key that are derived from the MKT, and then coordinates changes between the endpoints.

Note	TCP-AO and TCP MD5 are never permitted to be used simultaneously. TCP-AO supports IPv6, and is fully compatible with the proposed requirements for the replacement of TCP MD5.

To ensure PCEP compatibility, we recommend that the Cisco IOS XR version on the SR-PCE be the same or later than the Cisco IOS XR version on the PCC or head-end.

Use cases based on centralized optimization, such as congestion mitigation solutions, rely on the ability of the PCE to signal and instantiate SR-TE policies in the network. We refer to this as PCE-initiated SR-TE policies.

PCE-initiated SR-TE policies can be triggered via Crossworks Network Controller (recommended approach) or via CLI at the PCE.

For more information on configuring SR-TE policies, see the SR-TE Policy Overview.

The PCE deploys the SR-TE policy using PCC-PCE communication protocol (PCEP).

1. PCE sends a PCInitiate message to the PCC.

2. If the PCInitiate message is valid, the PCC sends a PCRpt message; otherwise, it sends PCErr message.

3. If the PCInitiate message is accepted, the PCE updates the SR-TE policy by sending PCUpd message.

You can achieve high-availability by configuring multiple PCEs with SR-TE policies. If the head-end (PCC) loses connectivity with one PCE, another PCE can assume control of the SR-TE policy.

/* Enter PCE configuration mode and create the SR-TE segment lists */
Router# configure
Router(config)# pce

/* Create the SR-TE segment lists */
Router(config-pce)# segment-routing
Router(config-pce-sr)# traffic-eng
Router(config-pce-sr-te)# segment-list name addr2a
Router(config-pce-sr-te-sl)# index 10 address ipv4 10.1.1.2
Router(config-pce-sr-te-sl)# index 20 address ipv4 10.2.3.2
Router(config-pce-sr-te-sl)# index 30 address ipv4 10.1.1.4
Router(config-pce-sr-te-sl)# exit

/* Create the SR-TE policy */
Router(config-pce-sr-te)# peer ipv4 10.1.1.1
Router(config-pce-sr-te)# policy P1
Router(config-pce-sr-te-policy)# color 2 end-point ipv4 2.2.2.2
Router(config-pce-sr-te-policy)# candidate-paths
Router(config-pce-sr-te-policy-path)# preference 50
Router(config-pce-sr-te-policy-path-preference)# explicit segment-list addr2a
Router(config-pce-sr-te-pp-info)# commit
Router(config-pce-sr-te-pp-info)# end
Router(config)# 

pce
 segment-routing
  traffic-eng
   segment-list name addr2a
    index 10 address ipv4 10.1.1.2
    index 20 address ipv4 10.2.3.2
    index 30 address ipv4 10.1.1.4
   !
   peer ipv4 10.1.1.1
    policy P1
     color 2 end-point ipv4 2.2.2.2
     candidate-paths
      preference 50
       explicit segment-list addr2a
      !
     !

Flexible Algorithm provides a traffic engineered path automatically computed by the IGP to any destination reachable by the IGP. With the SR-PCE Flexible Algorithm Multi-Domain Path Computation feature, SR-PCE can use Flexible Algorithms to compute multi-domain paths. See the Enabling Segment Routing Flexible Algorithm chapter for information about Segment Routing Flexible Algorithm.

The SR-PCE Flexible Algorithm Multi-Domain Path Computation feature incorporates the following functionality:

• BGP-LS has been augmented to allow selected nodes to advertise the Flexible Algorithm definition (FAD) to the SR-PCE

• PCEP has been augmented (vendor-specific object) to allow a PCC to indicate SR policy constraint based on the Flexible Algorithm instance number

• SR-PCE algorithms have been augmented to compute paths based on a Flexible Algorithm constraint

The SR-PCE Flexible Algorithm multi-domain path computation requires the following:

• The same Flexible Algorithm instance ID is used across domains.

• The metric for those Flexible Algorithm instances must be the same across domains.

• The affinity constraints for those Flexible Algorithm instances may be different across domains.

• Multiple Flexible Algorithms can exist in a domain.

For example, considering a multi-domain topology (Domain 1 and Domain 2), the following scenarios meet the requirements listed above:

Note

The use of a Flexible Algorithm constraint in a multi-domain SR topology does not preclude the use of an SR policy that are optimized for a particular metric type. For example, a policy can request a PCE for a Multi Domain policy based on metric delay. SR-PCE computes the path and encodes it with regular prefix SIDs and Adj-SIDs as required. Alternatively, a policy can request to have a constraint for a Flexible Algorithm instance X, which is defined in multiple domains and it minimizes based on metric delay. In this case, the SR-PCE computes the multi-domain path and encodes it using only Flexible Algorithm prefix SIDs. This case benefits from the optimized label stack size that Flexible Algorithm provides (1 label per domain).

You can configure the SR-TE policies as either single or disjoint candidate paths that do not include certain IP addresses or subnets when traffic is routed through the network.

The key benefits of the feature are:

• Security - Excluding certain IP addresses or network resources can help protect sensitive resources from unauthorized access or attacks.

• Performance - By excluding certain resources, traffic can be directed away from congested parts of the network.

• Isolation - Excluding resources can help isolate different parts of the network, preventing issues in one part of the network from affecting others.

The configuration enables the available disjoint paths to indicate preference for the shortest path between two points in the network. This way the traffic is contained within specific network planes as per the affinity constraints while still provisioning Label Switched Paths (LSPs) that are diverse from each other to meet the path disjointness requirement.

In earlier releases, if path disjointness was configured for LSPs, the Path Computation Element (PCE) prioritized finding disjoint paths for the LSPs over adhering to the affinity constraints.

When you enable fallback disable, the Path Computation Element (PCE) does not return any path for LSPs that are not disjoint if there are no disjoint candidate paths. In other words, when the PCE does not find multiple LSPs that satisfy the disjointness requirement, it returns no path. This indicates that there might be a networking issue that prevents the establishment of the desired redundancy, and you can investigate and address the underlying problem.

Without the option, the PCE can relax disjointness by applying an objective function or use a local policy when no objective function is requested.

Enforcing strict disjointness ensures that LSPs do not share any common links or nodes along their paths, minimizing the risk of a single point of failure affecting multiple LSPs. The feature is critical to maintain network reliability and ensures that traffic is properly routed in the event of a network failure.

PCE protocol (PCEP) (RFC5440) is a client-server model running over TCP/IP, where the server (PCE) opens a port and the clients (PCC) initiate connections. After the peers establish a TCP connection, they create a PCE session on top of it.

The ACL Support for PCEP Connection feature provides a way to protect a PCE server using an Access Control List (ACL) to restrict IPv4 PCC peers at the time the TCP connection is created based on the source address of a client. When a client initiates the TCP connection, the ACL is referenced, and the client source address is compared. The ACL can either permit or deny the address and the TCP connection will proceed or not.

Refer to the Implementing Access Lists and Prefix Lists chapter in the IP Addresses and Services Configuration Guide for detailed ACL configuration information.

To apply an ACL to the PCE, use the pce peer-filter ipv4 access-list acl_name command.

The following example shows how to configure an ACL and apply it to the PCE:

pce
 address ipv4 10.1.1.5
 peer-filter ipv4 access-list sample-peer-filter
!
ipv4 access-list sample-peer-filter
 10 permit ipv4 host 10.1.1.6 any
 20 permit ipv4 host 10.1.1.7 any
 30 deny ipv4 any any
!

A Path Computation Element (PCE) computes SR-TE paths based on SR topology database that stores connectivity, state, and TE attributes of SR network nodes and links. BGP Labeled Unicast (BGP-LU) provides MPLS transport across IGP boundaries by advertising loopbacks and label binding of impact edge and border routers across IGP boundaries.

This feature adds new functionality to the SR-PCE that enables it to compute a path for remote non-SR end-point device distributed by BGP-LU.

The remote end-point device in the BGP-LU domain is unknown to the SR-PCE. For the SR-PCE to know about the end-point device, the gateway ABR/ASBR learns the end-point prefix via BGP-LU. The prefix is then redistributed to SR-PCE topology database from the gateway ABR/ASBR. SR-PCE then can compute the best path from the head-end device to the selected gateway router.

The following topology shows an SR domain and a BGP-LU domain, with a gateway ABR/ASBR between the two domains.

1. The gateway ABR/ASBR is configured with BGP/IGP helper to learn the remote prefix through BGP-LU and redistribute the remote prefix to the IGP helper, then to SR-PCE.

2. The SR-PCE selects the best gateway node to BGP-LU domain and computes the path to reach the remote prefix through the gateway node.

3. The head-end device in the SR domain requests a path to the remote destination and signals the SR profile interworking with the BGP-LU domain.

The BGP-LU prefix advertisement to SR-PCE Traffic Engineer Database (TED) is done by creating an IGP helper on the ABR/ASBR to redistribute BGP-LU prefix information to IGP. IGP then sends the prefix information to the SR-PCE via BGP-LS.

If there are multiple ABR/ASBRs advertising the same remote BGP-LU prefix, the SR-PCE selects the best gateway node to the BGP-LU domain using the accumulative metric from the head-end device to the gateway and the advertised metric from the gateway to the destination.

This feature allows Cisco's SR-PCE to act as a Path Computation Element (PCE) for MPLS Traffic Engineering Label Switched Paths (MPLS-TE LSPs).

Note	For more information about MPLS-TE, refer to the "Implementing MPLS Traffic Engineering" chapter in the MPLS Configuration Guide .

The supported functionality is summarized below:

• PCE type: Active Stateful PCE

• MPLS-TE LSP initiation methods:

  • PCE Initiated—An active stateful PCE initiates an LSP and maintains the responsibility of updating the LSP.

  • PCC Initiated—A PCC initiates the LSP and may delegate the control later to the Active stateful PCE.

• MPLS-TE LSP metric—Metric optimized by the path computation algorithm:

  • IGP metric

  • TE metric

  • Latency metric

• MPLS-TE LSP constraints—TE LSP attributes to be taken into account by the PCE during path computation:

  • Resource Affinities

  • Path Disjointness

• MPLS-TE LSP parameters:

  • Setup priority—The priority of the TE LSP with respect to taking resources

  • Hold priority—The priority of the TE LSP with respect to holding resources

  • FRR L flag—The "Local Protection Desired" bit. Can be set from an application instantiating an MPLS-TE LSP via SR-PCE. SR-PCE passes this flag to the PCC, and the PCC will enable FRR for that LSP.

  • Signaled Bandwidth—This value can be set from an application instantiating an MPLS-TE LSP via SR-PCE. SR-PCE passes this value to the PCC.

  • Binding SID—A segment identifier (SID) that a headend binds to an MPLS-TE LSP. When the headend receives a packet with active segment (top MPLS label) matching the BSID of a local MPLS-TE LSP, the headend steers the packet into the associated MPLS-TE LSP.

Cisco Crosswork Optimization Engine is an application that leverages the SR-PCE in order to visualize and instantiate MPLS-TE LSPs. For more information, refer to the Visualize SR Policies and RSVP-TE Tunnels chapter in the Cisco Crosswork Optimization Engine 1.2.1 User Guide.

Note	No extra configuration is required to enable MPLS-TE support at SR-PCE.

Example: Configuring a PCEP Session (Stateful Mode) on MPLS-TE PCC

The following example shows the configuration for an MPLS-TE PCC to establish a PCEP session with a PCE (IPv4 address 10.1.1.100).

Note	MPLS-TE PCC must operate in the stateful PCEP mode when connecting to SR-PCE.

The instantiation keyword enables the PCC to support MPLS-TE LSP instantiation by PCE (PCE-initiated).

The report keyword enables the PCC to report all the MPLS-TE LSPs configured on that node.

Note	PCE-initiated LSPs are automatically reported to all configured PCEs.

The autoroute-announce keyword enables autoroute-announce globally for all PCE-initiated LSPs on the PCC.

The redundancy pcc-centric keywords enable PCC-centric high-availability model for PCE-initiated LSPs. The PCC-centric model changes the default PCC delegation behavior to the following:

• After LSP creation, LSP is automatically delegated to the PCE that computed it.

• If this PCE is disconnected, then the LSP is redelegated to another PCE.

• If the original PCE is reconnected, then the delegation fallback timer is started. When the timer expires, the LSP is redelegated back to the original PCE, even if it has worse preference than the current PCE.

mpls traffic-eng
 pce
  peer ipv4 10.1.1.100
  !
  stateful-client
   instantiation
   report
   autoroute-announce
   redundancy pcc-centric
  !
 !
!
end

Example: Configuring Multiple PCEP Sessions from a PCC Acting as MPLS-TE and SR-TE Headend Toward a Common PCE

The following example shows the configuration for a PCC (IPv4 addresses 10.1.1.1 and 10.1.1.2) to establish two PCEP sessions with a common PCE (IPv4 address 10.1.1.100). One session is configured under MPLS-TE, and the other under SR-TE.

Note	The two PCEP sessions must use a different source address on the PCC when connecting to the same PCE.

For more information regarding PCEP configuration at SR-TE PCC, see the Configure the Head-End Router as PCEP PCC topic.

mpls traffic-eng
 pce
  peer source ipv4 10.1.1.1
  peer ipv4 10.1.1.100
  !
 !
!
end

segment-routing
 traffic-eng
  pcc
   source-address ipv4 10.1.1.2
   pce address ipv4 10.1.1.100
   !
  !
 !
!
end

The SR-PCE provides a north-bound HTTP-based API to allow communication between SR-PCE and external clients and applications.

Over this API, an external application can leverage the SR-PCE for topology discovery, SR policy discovery, and SR policy instantiation.

The Cisco Crosswork Optimization Engine is an application that leverages the SR-PCE. For more information, refer to the Cisco Crosswork Optimization Engine User Guides.

Use the following commands under PCE configuration mode to configure the API to allow communication between SR-PCE and external clients or applications.

pce
 address ipv4 10.1.1.100
 api
  user admin
   password encrypted 1304131F0202
  !
  authentication digest
  sibling ipv4 10.1.1.200
 !
!
end

RP/0/0/CPU0:pce1# show tcp brief | i 8080
Thu Aug  6 00:40:15.408 PDT
0xe9806fb8 0x60000000      0      0  :::8080                :::0                   LISTEN
0xe94023b8 0x60000000      0      0  10.1.1.100:50487       10.1.1.200:8080        ESTAB
0xeb20bb40 0x60000000      0      0  10.1.1.100:8080        10.1.1.200:44401       ESTAB
0xe98031a0 0x60000000      0      0  0.0.0.0:8080           0.0.0.0:0              LISTEN