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MPLS Benefit???????

kevin.hu
Level 3
Level 3

Hi all,

I am investigating why we, as an enterprise, should move toward MPLS. What benefit does it give you? Anyone implements MPLS (not buying MPLS service) on their network and do you notice any difference? Do you gain any more speed? Are you able to control traffic better than tuning/redesigning IGP? Why QoS on MPLS is better? Please let me know. Thank you!

1 Accepted Solution

Accepted Solutions

Hi Kevin,

I am glade that it all makes sense to you now, please review the book i told you about for further knowledge, as for your question, the answer will be YES, in order to isolate the customers traffic and permit address space overlap you'll have to configure VRF-Lite all the way until the final CE.

HTH, please rate if it does helps.

Best regards,

Mohammed Mahmoud.

View solution in original post

9 Replies 9

alexander.muhin
Level 1
Level 1

Hi,

here is some links.. I think they would be useful for you.

http://www.eventreg.com/cisco_emea_nw2005/content_viewer/

- IPM-D02 - Designing an Enterprise MPLS Network

- IPM-D03 - Advanced MPLS Deployment in Enterprise Networks

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns483/networking_solutions_customer_profile0900aecd802b1d7f.html

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns656/networking_solutions_program_category_home.html

- Next Generation Enterprise MPLS VPN-Based MAN Design and Implementation Guide

A little bit off topic :-)

http://www.juniper.net/solutions/literature/white_papers/200183.pdf

Regards,

Alexander

Thanks Alexander. I am asking people's feedback from their own MPLS migration on the enterprise network. Anyone else?

Hi dear,

Ya it has many advantages

let me share my experience--

suppose one customer in already running on your backbone with his four sites and u want to add one more site and u want to communicate between each of five. .now if u will go with trditional vpn u could have full mesh ..Next if we give solution like lease line then we need to go for star topology and necessary config in all routers

.

Now in case of MPLS we need to link it to nearer MPLS backbone and import and export routes with config under VRF. and more importantly we need not to make any config in customer sites regarding MPLS (U can just add default route to that site towards MPLS)

More over u can also go for ATM over MPLS and FR over MPLS.

Hope this helps

mahesh

dear mahesh

Thanks for you answer.

But Sounds like it must enable VRF if its using MPLS. Actually I don?t see exactly how it is different between MPLS and VRF.

For me, VRF is VRF and MPLS is MPLS. Without VRF-lite, are there any benefits from VRF-lite ?

Or could you give some configuration or explain about it.

I look forwad to hearing from you soon.

Criss

Dear Criss,

First of all, there is a huge difference between MPLS(including VRF logic) and VRF-Lite:

VRF-Lite does not include the Provider Edge MPLS functionality. More specifically, MPLS label switching and MPLS control plane are not supported in the VRF-Lite implementation.

With VRF-lite, multiple customers can share one CE, and only one physical link is used between the CE and the PE. The shared CE maintains separate VRF tables for each customer and switches or routes packets for each customer based on its own routing table. VRF-lite extends limited PE functionality to a CE device, giving it the ability to maintain separate VRF tables to extend the privacy and security of a VPN to the branch office.

As for MPLS, it is the optimum Peer-to-Peer VPN Model, with address overlapping and security advantages, with fast label switching, optimum traffic flow and traffic engineering.

Try this book its a very useful one talking in a practical way:

MPLS Fundamentals

Luc De Ghein, CCIE

No. 1897

HTH,

Mohammed Mahmoud.

Mohammed,

Thanks for the info. It totally makes sense now. For us, we want to deliver VRF all the way to the edge without pushing MPLS all the way to the edge.

One question, if multiple customers share one CE, but it takes several CEs hops to reach PE, it means that all intermidiate CEs need to run VRF-lite to route different VRFs?

Even if I searched about MPLS a lot with VRF, GRE tunnelling, I don't see outstanding merits. As below, i am writing. if you need to relay comments, keep in touch until making clear.

1. First issue.

MPLS and IP routing

: To forward packet ??? -> IP routing is fast switching regarding ASIC. what about MPLS ??? how much fast ??? do you think customers can realise higher speed between ip routing and MPLS ?

2. Second Issue.

: GRE tunnelling also has the same feature as VRF. It can have multiple tunneling between site and site. what about VRF ??? it's not the same ? something different between GRE and VRF ??? why do people say VRF is the best ??

3. Third Issue.

: QoS...between legacy QoS and MPLS TE.

What only I can agree is that we can easily build up site by site as a VPN. but i do not see other merits.

For your reference, i configured VRF over MPLS by Dynamips emulator.

IOS : 7200 * 1IOS C7200-ADVENTERPRISEK9-M), Version 12.4(2)T5

3725 * 4 IOS C3725-ENTSERVICESK9-M), Version 12.3(17a)

Attched File.

Hi Kevin,

I am glade that it all makes sense to you now, please review the book i told you about for further knowledge, as for your question, the answer will be YES, in order to isolate the customers traffic and permit address space overlap you'll have to configure VRF-Lite all the way until the final CE.

HTH, please rate if it does helps.

Best regards,

Mohammed Mahmoud.

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