Backup PE Function

A remote PE (PE3 in Figure 1) imports the AD routes per ESI, where the single-active flag is set. PE3 interprets that the Ethernet-Segment is single-active if at least one PE sends an AD route per-ESI with the single-active flag set. MACs for a specified service and ESI are learned from a single PE, that is, the DF for that <ESI, EVI>.

The remote PE installs a single EVPN-MPLS destination (TEP, label) for a received MAC address and a backup next-hop to the PE for which the AD routes per-ESI and per-EVI are received. For instance, in the following command, 00:ca:ca:ba:ca:06 is associated with the remote ethernet-segment eES 01:74:13:00:74:13:00:00:74:13. That eES is resolved to PE (192.0.2.73), which is the DF on the ES.

*A:PE3# show service id 1 fdb detail 
===============================================================================
Forwarding Database, Service 1
===============================================================================
ServId    MAC               Source-Identifier        Type     Last Change
                                                     Age      
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1         00:ca:ca:ba:ca:02 sap:1/1/1:2              L/0      06/12/15 00:33:39
1         00:ca:ca:ba:ca:06 eES:                     Evpn     06/12/15 00:33:39
                            01:74:13:00:74:13:00:00:74:13
1         00:ca:fe:ca:fe:69 eMpls:                   EvpnS    06/11/15 21:53:47
                            192.0.2.69:262118
1         00:ca:fe:ca:fe:70 eMpls:                   EvpnS    06/11/15 19:59:57
                            192.0.2.70:262140
1         00:ca:fe:ca:fe:72 eMpls:                   EvpnS    06/11/15 19:59:57
                            192.0.2.72:262141
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No. of MAC Entries: 5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Legend:  L=Learned O=Oam P=Protected-MAC C=Conditional S=Static
===============================================================================

*A:PE3# show service id 1 evpn-mpls 
===============================================================================
BGP EVPN-MPLS Dest
===============================================================================
TEP Address     Egr Label     Num. MACs   Mcast           Last Change
                 Transport                                
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
192.0.2.69      262118        1           Yes             06/11/2015 19:59:03
                ldp                                        
192.0.2.70      262139        0           Yes             06/11/2015 19:59:03
                ldp                                        
192.0.2.70      262140        1           No              06/11/2015 19:59:03
                ldp                                        
192.0.2.72      262140        0           Yes             06/11/2015 19:59:03
                ldp                                        
192.0.2.72      262141        1           No              06/11/2015 19:59:03
                ldp                                        
192.0.2.73      262139        0           Yes             06/11/2015 19:59:03
                ldp                                        
192.0.2.254     262142        0           Yes             06/11/2015 19:59:03
                bgp                                        
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of entries : 7
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
===============================================================================
===============================================================================
BGP EVPN-MPLS Ethernet Segment Dest
===============================================================================
Eth SegId                     TEP Address     Egr Label   Last Change
                                               Transport  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
01:74:13:00:74:13:00:00:74:13 192.0.2.73      262140      06/11/2015 19:59:03
                                              ldp          
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of entries : 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
===============================================================================

If PE3 sees only two single-active PEs in the same ESI, the second PE is the backup PE. Upon receiving an AD per-ES/per-EVI route withdrawal for the ESI from the primary PE, the PE3 starts sending the unicast traffic to the backup PE immediately.

If PE3 receives AD routes for the same ESI and EVI from more than two PEs, the PE does not install any backup route in the data path. Upon receiving an AD per-ES/per-EVI route withdrawal for the ESI, it flushes the MACs associated with the ESI.