Besides IS-IS, what good is CLNP?

CriscoSystems · ‎11-28-2008

So I've got to get comfy with IS-IS to pass my BSCI exam and frankly I find the whole thing 90% of ridiculous.

I'd like to get more comfy with understanding the CLNP specification (I mean what functionally is the difference between CLNP and CLNS), how can I see it in action on my 2500s in any use other than routing IS-IS packets? Are there applications (that can be installed on PC's or Macs) that send and receive CLNP packets?

CLNP. IS-IS. Ridiculous. Everything should run AppleTalk.

Giuseppe Larosa · ‎11-28-2008

Hello Seth,

many years ago CLNP was expected to replace IPv4:

TUBA: replacing IP with CLNP

Katz, D. Ford, P.S.

Cisco Systems Inc., Menlo Park, CA;

This paper appears in: Network, IEEE

Publication Date: May 1993

Volume: 7, Issue: 3

On page(s): 38-47

ISSN: 0890-8044

References Cited: 25

CODEN: IENEET

INSPEC Accession Number: 4453058

Digital Object Identifier: 10.1109/65.224020

Current Version Published: 2002-08-06

However, there have been some application areas for neglected CLNP/CLNS:

- ATM NSAPs, PNNI routing protocol uses it for SVCs signalling

- SDH nodes and other TELCO devices management SW run over CLNP as asked by internation standards institutes: I took part in a project where we had to find a way to carry CLNP traffic over MPLS L3 VPN. This was for a mobile phone operator and the nodes were many.

Some appletalk concepts, Some IPX concepts are present in IPv6.

Data networks as any other ecosystem reuse everything.

Hope to help

Giuseppe