The Driver
As an enterprise network architect, I have discovered a hidden tool through my early years of experience in service provider networks - MPLS. I've consistently followed the trend, continually refining my skills in this technology for two main reasons: #1, my genuine interest in it, and #2, the unpredictability of when these skills might be crucial. Indeed, I have had the opportunity to apply these skills in several large-scale enterprise projects, as it often doesn't make sense for small networks to employ such complex technologies.
In two of my previous deployments, the use cases and hardware platforms were as follows:
A nation-wide CCTV network upgrade for a transportation company, transitioning all analog cameras to digital and extending coverage to over 200 stations.
Hardware: Cisco ASR9000 series, Cisco ASR900 series, Cisco Nexus 9000 series, Cisco Catalyst Switch Series.
Technologies: IPv4, IPv6, MPLS L2 (VPLS)/L3 VPN, Multicast VPN, IP-FRR, LFA, IS-IS, Resilient Ethernet Protocol (REP), BGP.
A global-scale network upgrade for an investment bank on the MPLS core, shifting from LDP to Segment Routing.
Hardware: Cisco ASR9000 series.
Technologies: IPv4 MPLS L3 VPN, LDP, Segment Routing, PCEP, IP-FRR, OSPF, TI-LFA.
Packing up the Toolbox
Over the years, I've compiled extensive documentation on my work. However, revisiting these documents can sometimes be overwhelming (it's easy to forget the specifics of what you did!). So, why not document these experiences as they happen?
On a rare occasion, I received a request to walk through several new segment routing ideas and configurations with a friend who embarked on a new job with Arista.
I decided to set up a lab to, firstly, refresh my understanding of the technology and new approaches, and secondly, to experiment with something both novel and intriguing.
This post documents the lab work itself, but I will not delve into the complete details of the configurations and concepts. Instead, I believe it serves as a quick reference for anyone looking to build a similar Proof of Concept (POC) like mine.
The Lab
Again, I built the lab with EVE-NG. I run Arista vEOS 4.29.1F.
This is the EVE-NG lab topology.
Below is the lab network topology.
A quick summary of the design, though pretty straightforward:
6 routers form the MPLS core in a triangle-like topology
IS-IS Level 2
BGP route reflectors at R1 and R2 (for VPNv4 and EVPN)
MPLS Segment Routing
TI-LFA
Flex-Algo is used as a demonstrated feature
L3 VPN across R9 and R8, running eBGP as the PE-CE protocol
L2 VPN using EVPN between R7 and R10
This is it. I will leave the configuration part to Part 2.
Gary Wong@Geelong, Australia. 2023.
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