Catalyst 6500 Release 15.0SY Software Configuration Guide

Virtual Private LAN Services (VPLS)

•Prerequisites for VPLS

•Restrictions for VPLS

•Information About VPLS

•Default Settings for VPLS

•How to Configure VPLS

•Configuration Examples for VPLS

Note•For complete syntax and usage information for the commands used in this chapter, see these publications:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps11845/prod_command_reference_list.html

•Cisco IOS Release 15.0SY supports only Ethernet interfaces. Cisco IOS Release 15.0SY does not support any WAN features or commands.

Tip For additional information about Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switches (including configuration examples and troubleshooting information), see the documents listed on this page:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps708/tsd_products_support_series_home.html

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Prerequisites for VPLS

Before you configure VPLS, ensure that the network is configured as follows:

•Configure IP routing in the core so that the PE routers can reach each other via IP.

•Configure MPLS in the core so that a label switched path (LSP) exists between the PE routers.

•Configure a loopback interface for originating and terminating Layer 2 traffic. Make sure the PE routers can access the other router's loopback interface. Note that the loopback interface is not needed in all cases. For example, tunnel selection does not need a loopback interface when VPLS is directly mapped to a TE tunnel.

VPLS configuration requires you to identify peer PE routers and to attach Layer 2 circuits to the VPLS at each PE router.

Restrictions for VPLS

•With a Supervisor Engine 2T, Layer 2 protocol tunneling is not supported with VPLS (CSCue45974).

•Split horizon is the default configuration to avoid broadcast packet looping and to isolate Layer 2 traffic. Split horizon prevents packets received from an emulated VC from being forwarded into another emulated VC. This technique is important for creating loop-free paths in a full-meshed network.

•Supported maximum values:

–Total number of VFIs: 4,096 (4K)

–Maximum combined number of edge and the core peer PEs per VFI:

—VPLS: 250

—H-VPLS 500

–Total number of VC: 12,288 (12K)

•No software-based data plane is supported.

•No auto-discovery mechanism is supported.

•Load sharing and failover on redundant CE-PE links are not supported.

•The addition or removal of MAC addresses with Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) is not supported.

•The virtual forwarding instance (VFI) is supported only with the interface vlan command.

Information About VPLS

•VPLS Overview

•Full-Mesh Configuration

•H-VPLS

•Supported Features

VPLS Overview

VPLS (Virtual Private LAN Service) enables enterprises to link together their Ethernet-based LANs from multiple sites via the infrastructure provided by their service provider. From the enterprise perspective, the service provider's public network looks like one giant Ethernet LAN. For the service provider, VPLS provides an opportunity to deploy another revenue-generating service on top of their existing network without major capital expenditures. Operators can extend the operational life of equipment in their network.

Virtual Private LAN Services (VPLS) uses the provider core to join multiple attachment circuits together to simulate a virtual bridge that connects the multiple attachment circuits together. From a customer point of view, there is no topology for VPLS. All of the CE devices appear to connect to a logical bridge emulated by the provider core (see Figure 38-1).

Figure 38-1 VPLS Topology

Full-Mesh Configuration

The full-mesh configuration requires a full mesh of tunnel label switched paths (LSPs) between all the PEs that participate in the VPLS. With full-mesh, signaling overhead and packet replication requirements for each provisioned VC on a PE can be high.

You set up a VPLS by first creating a virtual forwarding instance (VFI) on each participating PE router. The VFI specifies the VPN ID of a VPLS domain, the addresses of other PE routers in the domain, and the type of tunnel signaling and encapsulation mechanism for each peer PE router.

The set of VFIs formed by the interconnection of the emulated VCs is called a VPLS instance; it is the VPLS instance that forms the logic bridge over a packet switched network. The VPLS instance is assigned a unique VPN ID.

The PE routers use the VFI to establish a full-mesh LSP of emulated VCs to all the other PE routers in the VPLS instance. PE routers obtain the membership of a VPLS instance through static configuration using the Cisco IOS CLI.

The full-mesh configuration allows the PE router to maintain a single broadcast domain. Thus, when the PE router receives a broadcast, multicast, or unknown unicast packet on an attachment circuit, it sends the packet out on all other attachment circuits and emulated circuits to all other CE devices participating in that VPLS instance. The CE devices see the VPLS instance as an emulated LAN.

To avoid the problem of a packet looping in the provider core, the PE devices enforce a "split-horizon" principle for the emulated VCs. That means if a packet is received on an emulated VC, it is not forwarded on any other emulated VC.

After the VFI has been defined, it needs to be bound to an attachment circuit to the CE device.

The packet forwarding decision is made by looking up the Layer 2 virtual forwarding instance (VFI) of a particular VPLS domain.

A VPLS instance on a particular PE router receives Ethernet frames that enter on specific physical or logical ports and populates a MAC table similarly to how an Ethernet switch works. The PE router can use the MAC address to switch those frames into the appropriate LSP for delivery to the another PE router at a remote site.

If the MAC address is not in the MAC address table, the PE router replicates the Ethernet frame and floods it to all logical ports associated with that VPLS instance, except the ingress port where it just entered. The PE router updates the MAC table as it receives packets on specific ports and removes addresses not used for specific periods.

H-VPLS

Hierarchical VPLS (H-VPLS) reduces both signaling and replication overhead by using both full-mesh as well as hub and spoke configurations. Hub and spoke configurations operate with split horizon to allow packets to be switched between pseudo-wires (PWs), effectively reducing the number of PWs between PEs.

Note Split horizon is the default configuration to avoid broadcast packet looping. To avoid looping when using the no-split-horizon keyword, be very mindful of your network configuration.

Supported Features

•Multipoint-to-Multipoint Support

•Non-Transparent Operation

•Circuit Multiplexing

•MAC-Address Learning Forwarding and Aging

•Jumbo Frame Support

•Q-in-Q Support and Q-in-Q to EoMPLS Support

•VPLS Services

Multipoint-to-Multipoint Support

Two or more devices are associated over the core network. No one device is designated as the Root node, but all devices are treated as Root nodes. All frames can be exchanged directly between nodes.

Non-Transparent Operation

A virtual Ethernet connection (VEC) can be transparent or non-transparent with respect to Ethernet PDUs (that is, BPDUs). The purpose of VEC non-transparency is to allow the end user to have a Frame Relay-type service between Layer 3 devices.

Circuit Multiplexing

Circuit Multiplexing allows a node to participate in multiple services over a single Ethernet connection. By participating in multiple services, the Ethernet connection is attached to multiple logical networks. Some examples of possible service offerings are VPN services between sites, Internet services, and third-party connectivity for intercompany communications.

MAC-Address Learning Forwarding and Aging

PEs must learn remote MAC addresses and directly attached MAC addresses on customer facing ports. MAC address learning accomplishes this by deriving topology and forwarding information from packets originating at customer sites. A timer is associated with stored MAC addresses. After the timer expires, the entry is removed from the table.

Jumbo Frame Support

Jumbo frame support provides support for frame sizes between 1548 through 9216 bytes. You use the CLI to establish the jumbo frame size for any value specified in the above range. The default value is 1500 bytes in any Layer 2/VLAN interface. You can configure jumbo frame support on a per-interface basis.

Q-in-Q Support and Q-in-Q to EoMPLS Support

With 802.1Q tunneling (Q-in-Q), the CE issues VLAN-tagged packets and the VPLS forwards the packets to a far-end CE. Q-in-Q refers to the fact that one or more 802.1Q tags may be located in a packet within the interior of the network. As packets are received from a CE device, an additional VLAN tag is added to incoming Ethernet packets to segregate traffic from different CE devices. Untagged packets originating from the CE use a single tag within the interior of the VLAN switched network, while previously tagged packets originating from the CE use two or more tags.

VPLS Services

•Transparent LAN Service

•Ethernet Virtual Connection Service

Transparent LAN Service

Transparent LAN Service (TLS) is an extension to the point-to-point port-based EoMPLS, used to provide bridging protocol transparency (for example, bridge protocol data units [BPDUs]) and VLAN values. Bridges see this service as an Ethernet segment. With TLS, the PE router forwards all Ethernet packets received from the customer-facing interface (including tagged, untagged, and BPDUs) as follows:

•To a local Ethernet interface or an emulated VC if the destination MAC address is found in the Layer 2 forwarding table.

•To all other local Ethernet interfaces and emulated VCs belonging to the same VPLS domain if the destination MAC address is a multicast or broadcast address or if the destination MAC address is not found in the Layer 2 forwarding table.

Note With a Supervisor Engine 2T, Layer 2 protocol tunneling is not supported with VPLS, which prevents use of the Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP), the VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP), and the Spanning-Tree Protocol (STP) over VPLS (CSCue45974).

Ethernet Virtual Connection Service

Ethernet Virtual Connection Service (EVCS) is an extension to the point-to-point VLAN-based EoMPLS that allows routers to reach multiple intranet and extranet locations from a single physical port. Routers see subinterfaces through which they access other routers. With EVCS, the PE router forwards all Ethernet packets with a particular VLAN tag received from the customer-facing interface (excluding BPDUs) as follows:

•To a local Ethernet interface or to an emulated VC if the destination MAC address is found in the Layer 2 forwarding table.

•To all other local Ethernet interfaces and emulated VCs belonging to the same VPLS domain if the destination MAC address is a multicast or broadcast address or if the destination MAC address is not found in the Layer 2 forwarding table.

Note Because it has only local significance, the demultiplexing VLAN tag that identifies a VPLS domain is removed before forwarding the packet to the outgoing Ethernet interfaces or emulated VCs.

Default Settings for VPLS

None.

How to Configure VPLS

•Configuring PE Layer 2 Interfaces to CEs

•Configuring Layer 2 VLAN Instances on a PE

•Configuring MPLS in the PE

•Configuring the VFI in the PE

•Associating the Attachment Circuit with the VSI at the PE

•H-VPLS with MPLS Edge

•VPLS Integrated Routing and Bridging

Note•Use the procedures in the QoS chapters to configure QoS for VPLS traffic.

•Provisioning a VPLS link involves provisioning the associated attachment circuit and the VFI on the PE.

Configuring PE Layer 2 Interfaces to CEs

•Configuring 802.1Q Trunks for Tagged Traffic from a CE

•Configuring 802.1Q Access Ports for Untagged Traffic from CE

•Configuring Q-in-Q to Place All VLANs into a Single VPLS Instance

Note•It is important to define the trunk VLANs; use the switchport trunk allow vlan command as shown in the first example below.

•You must configure the Layer 2 interface as a switchport for local bridging. You have the option of selecting tagged or untagged traffic from the CE device.

Configuring 802.1Q Trunks for Tagged Traffic from a CE

Note When EVCS is configured, the PE router forwards all Ethernet packets with a particular VLAN tag to a local Ethernet interface or emulated VC if the destination MAC address is found in the Layer 2 forwarding table.

This example shows how to configure the tagged traffic.

Router(config)# interface GigabitEthernet4/4

Router(config)# no ip address

Router(config-if)# switchport

Router(config-if)# switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q

Router(config-if)# switchport trunk allow vlan 501

Router(config-if)# switchport mode trunk

This example shows how to use the show run interface command to verify the configuration.

Router# show run interface GigabitEthernet4/4

Building configuration...

Current configuration : 212 bytes

!

interface GigabitEthernet4/4

 no ip address

 switchport

 switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q

 switchport trunk allowed vlan 500-1999

 switchport mode trunk

end

Configuring 802.1Q Access Ports for Untagged Traffic from CE

This example shows how to configure the untagged traffic.

Router(config)# interface GigabitEthernet4/4

Router(config)# no ip address

Router(config-if)# speed nonegotiate

Router(config-if)# switchport

Router(config-if)# switchport mode access

Router(config-if)# switchport access vlan 501

This example shows how to use the show run interface command to verify the configuration.

Router# show run interface GigabitEthernet4/4

Building configuration...

Current configuration : 212 bytes

!

interface GigabitEthernet4/4

 speed nonegotiate

 switchport

 switchport mode access

 switchport access vlan 501

end

Configuring Q-in-Q to Place All VLANs into a Single VPLS Instance

Note When TLS is configured, the PE router forwards all Ethernet packets received from the CE device to all local Ethernet interfaces and emulated VCs belonging to the same VPLS domain if the MAC address is not found in the Layer 2 forwarding table.

This example shows how to configure the tagged traffic.

Router(config)# interface GigabitEthernet4/4

Router(config)# no ip address

Router(config-if)# speed nonegotiate

Router(config-if)# switchport

Router(config-if)# switchport access VLAN 501

Router(config-if)# switchport mode dot1q-tunnel

Router(config-if)# l2protocol-tunnel cdp

This example shows how to use the show run interface command to verify the configuration.

Router# show run interface GigabitEthernet4/4

Building configuration...

Current configuration : 212 bytes

!

interface GigabitEthernet4/4

 no ip address

 speed nonegotiate

 switchport 

 switchport access vlan 501

 switchport mode dot1q-tunnel

 l2protocol-tunnel cdp

end

Use the show spanning-tree vlan command to verify the port is not in a blocked state.

Router# show spanning-tree vlan 501

VLAN0501

Spanning tree enabled protocol ieee

  Root ID    Priority    33269

             Address     0001.6446.2300

             This bridge is the root

             Hello Time   2 sec  Max Age 20 sec  Forward Delay 15 sec

  Bridge ID  Priority    33269  (priority 32768 sys-id-ext 501)

             Address     0001.6446.2300

             Hello Time   2 sec  Max Age 20 sec  Forward Delay 15 sec

             Aging Time 0

Interface        Role Sts Cost      Prio.Nbr Type

---------------- ---- --- --------- --------

--------------------------------

Gi4/4            Desg FWD 4         128.388  P2p

Use the show vlan id command to verify that a specific port is configured to send and receive a specific VLAN's traffic.

Router# show vlan id 501

VLAN Name                             Status    Ports

---- -------------------------------- ---------

501  VLAN0501                         active    Gi4/4

VLAN Type  SAID       MTU   Parent RingNo BridgeNo Stp  BrdgMode Trans1

Trans2

---- ----- ---------- ----- ------ ------ -------- ---- -------- ------

501  enet  100501     1500  -      -      -        -    -        0      0

Remote SPAN VLAN

----------------

Disabled

Primary Secondary Type              Ports

------- --------- -----------------

Configuring Layer 2 VLAN Instances on a PE

Configuring the Layer 2 VLAN interface on the PE enables the Layer 2 VLAN instance on the PE router to the VLAN database to set up the mapping between the VPLS and VLANs.

This is an example of configuring a Layer 2 VLAN instance.

Router# config terminal

Enter configuration commands, one per line.  End with CNTL/Z.

Router(config)# vlan 501

Router(config)# interface vlan 501

Router(config-if)# 

Use the show interfaces vlan command to verify the VLAN is in the up state (example not shown).

Configuring MPLS in the PE

To configure MPLS in the PE, you must provide the required MPLS parameters.

Note Before configuring MPLS, ensure that you have IP connectivity between all PEs by configuring Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP) (Open Shortes Path First [OSPF] or Intermediate System to Intermediate System [IS-IS]) between the PEs.

This example shows global MPLS configuration.

Router(config)# mpls label protocol ldp

Router(config)# tag-switching tdp discovery directed hello 

Router(config)# tag-switching tdp router-id Loopback0 force

Use the show ip cef command to verify that the LDP label is assigned.

Router# show ip cef 192.168.17.7

192.168.17.7/32, version 272, epoch 0, cached adjacency to POS4/1

0 packets, 0 bytes

  tag information set

    local tag: 8149

    fast tag rewrite with PO4/1, point2point, tags imposed: {4017}

  via 11.3.1.4, POS4/1, 283 dependencies

    next hop 11.3.1.4, POS4/1

    valid cached adjacency

    tag rewrite with PO4/1, point2point, tags imposed: {4017}

Configuring the VFI in the PE

The virtual switch instance (VFI) specifies the VPN ID of a VPLS domain, the addresses of other PE routers in this domain, and the type of tunnel signaling and encapsulation mechanism for each peer. (This is where you create the VSI and associated VCs.) Configure a VFI as follows:

Note Only MPLS encapsulation is supported.

The following example shows a VFI configuration.

Router(config)# l2 vfi VPLSA manual

Router(config-vfi)# vpn id 100

Router(config-vfi)# neighbor 11.11.11.11 encapsulation mpls

Router(config-vfi)# neighbor 33.33.33.33 encapsulation mpls

Router(config-vfi)# neighbor 44.44.44.44 encapsulation mpls

The following example shows a VFI configuration for hub and spoke.

Router(config)# l2 vfi VPLSA manual

Router(config-vfi)# vpn id 100

Router(config-vfi)# neighbor 9.9.9.9 encapsulation mpls

Router(config-vfi)# neighbor 12.12.12.12 encapsulation mpls

Router(config-vfi)# neighbor 33.33.33.33 encapsulation mpls no-split-horizon

The show mpls 12transport vc command displays various information related to PE1.

Note The show mpls l2transport vc [detail] command is also available to show detailed information about the VCs on a PE router as in the following example.

VPLS-PE2# show mpls l2transport vc 201

Local intf     Local circuit        Dest address    VC ID      Status

-------------  -------------------- --------------- ---------- ----------

VFI test1      VFI                  153.1.0.1       201        UP

VFI test1      VFI                  153.3.0.1       201        UP

VFI test1      VFI                  153.4.0.1       201        UP

Note The VC ID in the output represents the VPN ID; the VC is identified by the combination of the Dest address and the VC ID as in the example below.

The show vfi vfi name command shows VFI status.

nPE-3# show vfi VPLS-2

VFI name: VPLS-2, state: up

  Local attachment circuits:

    Vlan2  

  Neighbors connected via pseudowires:

  Peer Address     VC ID     Split-horizon

  1.1.1.1          2             Y

  1.1.1.2          2             Y

  2.2.2.3          2             N

Associating the Attachment Circuit with the VSI at the PE

After defining the VFI, you must bind it to one or more attachment circuits (interfaces, subinterfaces, or virtual circuits).

This example shows an interface VLAN configuration.

Router(config-if)# interface vlan 100

Router(config-if)# no ip address

Router(config-if)# xconnect vfi VPLS_501

Use the show vfi command for VFI status.

Router# show vfi VPLS_501

VFI name: VPLS_501, state: up

  Local attachment circuits:

    vlan 100

  Neighbors connected via pseudowires:

    192.168.11.1  192.168.12.2  192.168.13.3  192.168.16.6

    192.168.17.7

H-VPLS with MPLS Edge

•Overview

•Configuration on PE1

•Configuration on PE2

•Configuration on PE3

Overview

The Hierarchical VPLS model comprises hub and spoke and full-mesh networks. In a full-mesh configuration, each PE router creates a multipoint-to-multipoint forwarding relationship with all other PE routers in the VPLS domain using VFIs.

In the hub and spoke configuration, a PE router can operate in a non-split-horizon mode that allows inter-VC connectivity without the requirement to add a Layer 2 port in the VLAN.

In the example below, the VLANs on CE1, CE2, CE3, and CE4 (in red) connect through a full-mesh network. The VLANs on CE2, CE5, and ISP POP connect through a hub and spoke network where the ISP POP is the hub and CE2 and CE5 are the spokes. Figure 38-2 shows the configuration example.

Figure 38-2 H-VPLS Configuration

Configuration on PE1

•Configuring VSIs and VCs

•Configuring the CE Device Interface

•Associating the Attachment Circuit with the VFI

Configuring VSIs and VCs

This sample configuration shows the creation of the virtual switch instances (VSIs) and associated VCs. Note that the VCs in green require the no-split-horizon keyword. The no-split-horizon command disables the default Layer 2 split horizon in the data path.

l2 vfi Internet manual

 vpn id 100

 neighbor 120.0.0.3 encapsulation mpls no-split-horizon

 neighbor 162.0.0.2 encapsulation mpls no-split-horizon

l2 vfi PE1-VPLS-A manual

 vpn id 200

 neighbor 120.0.0.3 encapsulation mpls

 neighbor 162.0.0.2 encapsulation mpls

interface Loopback 0

 ip address 20.0.0.1 255.255.255.255

Configuring the CE Device Interface

This sample configuration shows the CE device interface (there can be multiple Layer 2 interfaces in a VLAN).

interface GigEthernet1/1

 switchport

 switchport mode trunk

 switchport trunk encap dot1q

 switchport trunk allow vlan 1001,1002-1005

Associating the Attachment Circuit with the VFI

This sample configuration shows how the attachment circuit (VLAN) is associated with the VFI.

interface Vlan 1001

 xconnect vfi Internet

interface FastEthernet2/1

 switchport

 switchport mode trunk

 switchport trunk encap dot1q

 switchport trunk allow vlan 211,1002-1005

interface Vlan 211

 xconnect vfi PE1-VPLS-A

Configuration on PE2

•Configuring VSIs and VCs

•Configuring the CE Device Interface

•Associating the Attachment Circuit with the VFI

Configuring VSIs and VCs

This sample configuration shows the creation of the virtual switch instances (VSIs) and associated VCs.

l2 vfi Internet manual

 vpn id 100

 neighbor 20.0.0.1 encapsulation mpls

l2 vfi PE2-VPLS-A manual

 vpn id 200:1

 neighbor 120.0.0.3 encapsulation mpls

 neighbor 20.0.0.1 encapsulation mpls

interface Loopback 0

 ip address 162.0.0.2 255.255.255.255

Configuring the CE Device Interface

This sample configuration shows the CE device interface (there can be multiple Layer 2 interfaces in a VLAN).

interface GigEthernet2/1

 switchport

 switchport mode trunk

 switchport trunk encap dot1q

 switchport trunk allow vlan 211,1001,1002-1005

Associating the Attachment Circuit with the VFI

This sample configuration shows how the attachment circuit (VLAN) is associated with the VFI.

interface Vlan 1001

 xconnect vfi Internet

interface Vlan 211

 xconnect vfi PE2-VPLS-A

Configuration on PE3

•Configuring VSIs and VCs

•Configuring the CE Device Interface

•Configuring the Attachment Circuits

•Configuring Port-based EoMPLS on the uPE Device

Configuring VSIs and VCs

This sample configuration shows the creation of the virtual switch instances (VSIs) and associated VCs.

l2 vfi Internet manual

 vpn id 100

 neighbor 20.0.0.1 encapsulation mpls

 neighbor 162.0.0.2 encapsulation mpls

 neighbor 30.0.0.1 encapsulation mpls no-split horizon

l2 vfi PE3-VPLS-A manual 

 vpn id 200

 neighbor 162.0.0.2 encapsulation mpls

 neighbor 20.0.0.1 encapsulation mpls

interface Loopback 0

 ip address 120.0.0.3 255.255.255.255

Configuring the CE Device Interface

This sample configuration shows the CE device interface (there can be multiple Layer 2 interfaces in a VLAN).

interface GigEthernet6/1

 switchport

 switchport mode trunk

 switchport trunk encap dot1q

 switchport trunk allow vlan 211

Configuring the Attachment Circuits

This sample configuration shows the attachment circuits.

interface Vlan 1001

 xconnect vfi Internet

interface Vlan 211

 xconnect vfi PE3-VPLS-A

Configuring Port-based EoMPLS on the uPE Device

This sample configuration shows port-based EoMPLS on the uPE device.

interface GigEthernet 1/1

 xconnect 120.0.0.3 100 encapsulation mpls

VPLS Integrated Routing and Bridging

VPLS integrated routing and bridging can route Layer 3 traffic as well as switch Layer 2 frames for pseudowire connections between provider edge (PE) devices using Virtual Private LAN Services (VPLS) multipoint PE. The ability to route frames to and from these interfaces supports termination of a pseudowire into a Layer 3 network (VPN or global) on the same switch, or to tunnel Layer 3 frames over a Layer 2 tunnel (VPLS).

Note•VPLS integrated routing and bridging is also known as routed pseudowire and routed VPLS.

•VPLS integrated routing and bridging does not support multicast routing.

To configure routing support for the pseudowire, configure an IP address and other Layer 3 features for the Layer 3 domain (VPN or global) in the virtual LAN (VLAN) interface configuration.

•The following example assigns the IP address 10.10.10.1 to the VLAN 100 interface. (Layer 2 forwarding is defined by the VFI VFI100.)

interface vlan 100 

  xconnect vfi VFI100 

  ip address 10.10.10.1 255.255.255.0 

•The following example assigns an IP address 20.20.20.1 of the VPN domain VFI200. (Layer 2 forwarding is defined by the VFI VFI200.)

interface vlan 200 

  xconnect vfi VFI200 

  ip vrf forwarding VFI200 

  ip address 20.20.20.1 255.255.255.0

Configuration Examples for VPLS

In a full-mesh configuration, each PE router creates a multipoint-to-multipoint forwarding relationship with all other PE routers in the VPLS domain using a VFI. An Ethernet or VLAN packet received from the customer network can be forwarded to one or more local interfaces and or emulated VCs in the VPLS domain. To avoid broadcasted packets looping around in the network, no packet received from an emulated VC can be forwarded to any emulated VC of the VPLS domain on a PE router. That is, the Layer 2 split horizon should always be enabled as the default in a full-mesh network.

Figure 38-3 VPLS Configuration Example

Configuration on PE 1

This shows the creation of the virtual switch instances (VSIs) and associated VCs.

l2 vfi PE1-VPLS-A manual

  vpn id 100

  neighbor 2.2.2.2 encapsulation mpls

  neighbor 3.3.3.3 encapsulation mpls

!

interface Loopback 0

  ip address 1.1.1.1 255.255.255.255

This configures the CE device interface (there can be multiple Layer 2 interfaces in a VLAN).

interface FastEthernet0/0

  switchport

  switchport mode dot1qtunnel

  switchport access vlan 100

Here the attachment circuit (VLAN) is associated with the VSI.

interface vlan 100

  no ip address

 xconnect vfi PE1-VPLS-A

This is the enablement of the Layer 2 VLAN instance.

vlan 100

  state active

Configuration on PE 2

This shows the creation of the virtual switch instances (VSIs) and associated VCs.

l2 vfi PE2-VPLS-A manual

  vpn id 100

  neighbor 1.1.1.1 encapsulation mpls

  neighbor 3.3.3.3 encapsulation mpls

!

interface Loopback 0

  ip address 2.2.2.2 255.255.255.255

This configures the CE device interface (there can be multiple Layer 2 interfaces in a VLAN).

interface FastEthernet0/0

  switchport

  switchport mode dot1qtunnel

  switchport access vlan 100

Here the attachment circuit (VLAN) is associated with the VSI.

interface vlan 100

  no ip address

 xconnect vfi PE2-VPLS-A

This is the enablement of the Layer 2 VLAN instance.

vlan 100

  state active

Configuration on PE 3

This shows the creation of the virtual switch instances (VSIs) and associated VCs.

l2 vfi PE3-VPLS-A manual

  vpn id 100

  neighbor 1.1.1.1 encapsulation mpls

  neighbor 2.2.2.2 encapsulation mpls

!

interface Loopback 0

  ip address 3.3.3.3 255.255.255.255

This configures the CE device interface (there can be multiple Layer 2 interfaces in a VLAN).

interface FastEthernet0/1

  switchport

  switchport mode dot1qtunnel

  switchport access vlan 100

!

Here the attachment circuit (VLAN) is associated with the VSI.

interface vlan 100

  no ip address

 xconnect vfi PE3-VPLS-A .

!

This is the enablement of the Layer 2 VLAN instance.

vlan 100

  state active

The show mpls l2 vc command provides information on the status of the VC.

VPLS1# show mpls l2 vc

Local intf     Local circuit        Dest address    VC ID      Status

-------------  -------------------- --------------- ---------- ----------

Vi1            VFI                  22.22.22.22     100        DOWN

Vi1            VFI                  22.22.22.22     200        UP

Vi1            VFI                  33.33.33.33     100        UP

Vi1            VFI                  44.44.44.44     100        UP

Vi1            VFI                  44.44.44.44     200        UP

The show vfi command provides information on the VFI.

PE-1# show vfi PE1-VPLS-A

VFI name: VPLSA, state: up

  Local attachment circuits:

    Vlan100

  Neighbors connected via pseudowires:

    2.2.2.2  3.3.3.3

The show mpls 12transport vc command provides information the virtual circuits.

Router# show mpls l2 vc det

Local interface: VFI vfi17 up

  Destination address: 1.3.1.1, VC ID: 17, VC status: up

    Tunnel label: imp-null, next hop point2point

    Output interface: PO3/4, imposed label stack {18}

  Create time: 3d15h, last status change time: 1d03h

  Signaling protocol: LDP, peer 1.3.1.1:0 up

    MPLS VC labels: local 18, remote 18

    Group ID: local 0, remote 0

    MTU: local 1500, remote 1500

    Remote interface description: 

  Sequencing: receive disabled, send disabled

  VC statistics:

    packet totals: receive 0, send 0

    byte totals:   receive 0, send 0

    packet drops:  receive 0, send 0

Tip For additional information about Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switches (including configuration examples and troubleshooting information), see the documents listed on this page:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps708/tsd_products_support_series_home.html

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