MPLS backbone to support ipv6

[NAVIN PARWAL]

Folks,

We currently have MPLS backbone comprised of about 12 routers in the core. We could like to implement support for IPV6. Has anyone implemented this in their MPLS network yet. I know very few providers have deployed ipv6 support on their MPLS network. Could someone point out areas I should be focussing on to make this happen?

Thanks,

Parwal

[Harold Ritter]

Parwal,

If you want to offer ipv6 transit over your MPLS core then you can use the 6PE feature. This feature allows you to take ipv6 traffic from one edge of the network to the other without running IPv6 natively in the core of your network.

http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/software/ios123/123cgcr/ipv6_c/sa_mpls6.htm

Hope this helps,

[NAVIN PARWAL]

Is this feature supported on 7200 series routers? Any design considerations that i need to think about before implementing support for IPV6?

Any suggestions advice would be highly appreciate.

Thanks

[Harold Ritter]

It is indeed supported on the 7200 platform. No special design consideration I can think of on the top of my head.

Hope this helps,

[NAVIN PARWAL]

One last question, I promise to rate this post.

What version of code would you advice.

12.4.7T? advanced enterprise services or service provider, they both support Ipv6.

We want to have L3 MPLS, Muticast VPN capabilities as well.

the core would consist of over 30 7206Vxr routers.

Thanks

[Harold Ritter]

If the features required on these boxes are SP centric, I would go with the latest 12.0S with the SP feature set.

Hope this helps,

[NAVIN PARWAL]

Yes the features are SP centric, can you PLEASE tell me why 12.0S and not 12.4, is 12.0S more stable? I know i have asked this question multiple times but i am just not getting it. Any advice would be highly appreciated.

[Harold Ritter]

Simply because 12.0S is more SP centric and usually gets all the SP features first.

Hope this helps,

[NAVIN PARWAL]

Just looked at the feature Navigator, if i go with 12.0(s) code 6PE fearure is not supported in the Core. I would have to go with 12.4 as it only supports 6 PE in the code. All the routers that we have are 7200 series, No GSRs.

Any thoughts on 12.4.7 code. Has anyone used it for enterprise MPLS or SP MPLS, any issues? bugs?

Thanks

[Harold Ritter]

You are correct, 12.0S on the 7200 doesn't support 6PE. Sorry about that. I don't get to deal with 7200s too often. I would rather recommend the latest 12.2S in that case. 12.2S is the SP centric code for the 7200 platform.

Hope this helps,

[NAVIN PARWAL]

Many thanks for the response, it is always nice to see someone from cisco participating on this forum.

My question is based on the features that we have decided to go for IPV6, L3MPLS VPN, Multicast VPN do you see any problem if we went with 12.4(7) SP code? instead of 12.2S. I know you mentioned that 12.2(S) is SP centric and would get features faster.

From Bugs and stability point of view what would be your opion, 12.2S or 12.4.7?

Thanks

[Harold Ritter]

It is always a pleasure for me to participate to this forum.

Let's put it this way, there is probably very few people running the services you mentionned on 12.4 Mainline code. So in this context it would be hard to comment on the stability of 12.4 with regard to these services.

On the other hand, there is fair number of SP using the 12.2S code on the 7200 platform to deliver these services.

Hope this helps,

[NAVIN PARWAL]

Do you know providers who are running 12.2S at the edge and offering the following services:

1) IPV6 support

2) L3 MPLS VPN

3) Multicast VPN

4) QOS

I think the problem we are having is the our core routers are also 7200 which makes us different than SP. Can you forsee any issue we might run into if we go with 12.2(s) down the line considering that we have 7200 everywhere in the core.

Thanks

[Harold Ritter]

I certainly providers delivering these services using the 7200 platform and 12.2S combination.

The 12.2S code will be just fine for use in the core as well as the edge.

Hope this helps,

[NAVIN PARWAL]

I had one more questions, if we have 7500 and 7600 series routers as well, what would be the service provider centril code for these, would it still be 12.2(S).