cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
cancel
534
Views
0
Helpful
4
Replies

Connecting 2,3 or 4 sites over MPLS

mortonjes
Level 1
Level 1

Hi. I have some routing experience but I don't have much experience routing over a service providers MPLS network and had some questions..

Say I had 3 sites in different cities. I want to be able to route my data traffice to each site. I would like to use a MPLS provider.

Does the provider hand-off copper and/or fiber to me?

If fiber, is it usually single mode for anything above 10 megabits?

Would the hand-off be a layer 2 or 3 hand-off?

If layer 2, do I trunk with the providers directly connected interface/port?

If layer 3, do I "peer" with the providers directly connected interface with a routing protocol?

If I want to use EIGRP between my 3 sites, can I configure them to all be in the same AS?

I'm assuming I would need a layer2 and or layer 3 device at each of the locations to interface into the provider. What type of router/layer3 switch would be good for something like this? (Must be able to handle heavy traffic. Say, sustained 40 megabit throughput throughout the day.)

Does anyone know of or have any configuration samples/diagrams of the "customer side" of routing over MPLS? (I've seen a lot of docs on configuring MPLS but that's not what I want to do.) My goal is to interface with the carrier to use their backbone and just pass/route my data-traffic to my different sites.

Any advice/pointers/help would be GREATLY appreciated!

2 Accepted Solutions

Accepted Solutions

Giuseppe Larosa
Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame

Hello Jesse,

a L3 MPLS VPN service is a good solution for your needs.

In this case the MPLS service provider will give you a L3 interface.

MPLS L3 VPN uses a peer-model: your router will build a routing relationship with the PE node that is directly attached.

EIGRP is a viable option and the configuration in your side doesn't change from the conventional one.

All the additional configuration is on the service provide side that will emulate an EIGRP domain (a single EIGRP AS as you asked) by exchanging EIGRP routes inside BGP extended communities (but again you shouldn't care about this) between PE nodes over MP-BGP.

Be aware that some MPLS service providers will charge more for EIGRP protocol then eBGP.

A layer 2 VPN solution is also possible but if you need to route L3 traffic only I would take a L3 MPLS VPN service.

The link should be fiber for the simple reason that otherwise the provider needs to place a device in your office to give you an RJ 45 link.

If L3 VPN the access link is a routed link

A Cisco device good for 40 Mbps can be 2851 or 3825.

As I wrote above the configuration is standard on your side.

Hope to help

Giuseppe

View solution in original post

netwalkr1
Level 1
Level 1

Hi Jesse:

As Giuseppe stated the hand-off is going to be L3 addressed. We offer our customers DS1,DS3,Copper RJ-45 or SX/LX (where we have fiber facilities). Currently, we only offer our customers Static or eBGP (v4) as routing options. I also agree with Giuseppe that the 3825/2821 are good CPE options for your bandwidth requirement. Keep in mind that advance QoS policies, encryption, etc... can affect throughput. If you want to email me (sgomez@decommunications.com) I can send you our MPLS (IP/VPN) implementation guide and we can talk about your site locations.

HTH,

Shaun

View solution in original post

4 Replies 4

Giuseppe Larosa
Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame

Hello Jesse,

a L3 MPLS VPN service is a good solution for your needs.

In this case the MPLS service provider will give you a L3 interface.

MPLS L3 VPN uses a peer-model: your router will build a routing relationship with the PE node that is directly attached.

EIGRP is a viable option and the configuration in your side doesn't change from the conventional one.

All the additional configuration is on the service provide side that will emulate an EIGRP domain (a single EIGRP AS as you asked) by exchanging EIGRP routes inside BGP extended communities (but again you shouldn't care about this) between PE nodes over MP-BGP.

Be aware that some MPLS service providers will charge more for EIGRP protocol then eBGP.

A layer 2 VPN solution is also possible but if you need to route L3 traffic only I would take a L3 MPLS VPN service.

The link should be fiber for the simple reason that otherwise the provider needs to place a device in your office to give you an RJ 45 link.

If L3 VPN the access link is a routed link

A Cisco device good for 40 Mbps can be 2851 or 3825.

As I wrote above the configuration is standard on your side.

Hope to help

Giuseppe

Most helpful. Thank you very much!

netwalkr1
Level 1
Level 1

Hi Jesse:

As Giuseppe stated the hand-off is going to be L3 addressed. We offer our customers DS1,DS3,Copper RJ-45 or SX/LX (where we have fiber facilities). Currently, we only offer our customers Static or eBGP (v4) as routing options. I also agree with Giuseppe that the 3825/2821 are good CPE options for your bandwidth requirement. Keep in mind that advance QoS policies, encryption, etc... can affect throughput. If you want to email me (sgomez@decommunications.com) I can send you our MPLS (IP/VPN) implementation guide and we can talk about your site locations.

HTH,

Shaun

Thanks Giuseppe and Shaun

Getting Started

Find answers to your questions by entering keywords or phrases in the Search bar above. New here? Use these resources to familiarize yourself with the community: