4000 Router Series MPLS Configuration Guide

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Configuring MPLS L3VPN

This chapter describes MPLS L3VPN configuration.

Overview

MPLS L3VPN is a L3VPN technology used to interconnect geographically dispersed VPN sites. MPLS

L3VPN uses BGP to advertise VPN routes and uses MPLS to forward VPN packets over a service provider

backbone.

MPLS L3VPN provides flexible networking modes, excellent scalability, and convenient support for MPLS

QoS and MPLS TE.

Basic MPLS L3VPN architecture

Figure 30 Basic MPLS L3VPN architecture

A basic MPLS L3VPN architecture has the following types of devices:

• Customer edge device—A CE device resides on a customer network and has one or more interfaces

directly connected to a service provider network. It does not support VPN or MPLS.

• Provider edge device—A PE device resides at the edge of a service provider network and connects

to one or more CEs. All MPLS VPN services are processed on PEs.

• Provider device—A P device is a core device on a service provider network. It is not directly

connected to any CE. A P device has only basic MPLS forwarding capability and does not handle

VPN routing information.

VPN 1

Site 1

VPN 2

Site 3

VPN 2

VPN 1

Site 2

Site 4