Interconnect Ethernet-Segment Solution for Dual BGP Instance Services

SR OS supports Interconnect ESs (I-ES) for VXLAN as per IETF Draft draft-ietf-bess-dci-evpn-overlay. An I-ES is a virtual ES that allows DC GWs with two BGP instances to handle VXLAN access networks as any other type of ES. I-ESs support the RFC 7432 multi-homing functions, including single-active and all-active, ESI-based split-horizon filtering, DF election, and aliasing and backup on remote EVPN-MPLS PEs.

In addition to the EVPN multi-homing features, the main advantages of the I-ES redundant solution compared to the redundant solution described in Anycast Redundant Solution for Dual BGP Instance Services are as follows.

Where EVPN-MPLS networks are interconnected to EVPN-VXLAN networks, the I-ES concept applies only to the access VXLAN network; the EVPN-MPLS network does not modify its existing behavior.

Figure 1 shows the use of I-ES for Layer 2 EVPN DCI between VXLAN and MPLS networks.

Figure 1. The Interconnect ES Concept

The following example shows how I-ES-1 would be provisioned on DGW1 and the association between I-ES to a specified VPLS service. A similar configuration would occur on DGW2 in the I-ES.

New I-ES configuration:

DCGW1#config>service>system>bgp-evpn# 
ethernet-segment I-ES-1 virtual create
 esi 01:00:00:00:12:12:12:12:12:00
 service-carving
  mode auto
 multi-homing all-active
 network-interconnect-vxlan 1
 service-id
   service-range 1 to 1000
 no shutdown

Service configuration:

DCGW1#config>service>vpls(1)# 
 vxlan instance 1 vni 1 instance 1 create
 exit
bgp
 route-distinguisher 1:1 
bgp 2
 route-distinguisher 2:2               
bgp-evpn        
  evi 1
  vxlan bgp 1 vxlan-instance 1
   no shutdown
  exit
  mpls bgp 2
   auto-bind-tunnel resolution any                     
   no shutdown

...

DCGW1#config>service>vpls(2)#  
 vxlan instance 1 vni 2 create
 exit
bgp
 route-distinguisher 3:3 
bgp 2
 route-distinguisher 4:4               
 bgp-evpn        
  evi 2
  vxlan bgp 1 vxlan-instance 1
   no shutdown
  exit
  mpls bgp 2
   auto-bind-tunnel resolution any   
   no shutdown
 sap 1/1/1:1 create
 exit 

The above configuration associates I-ES-1 to the VXLAN instance in services VPLS1 and VPLS 2. The I-ES is modeled as a virtual ES, with the following considerations.