IP hashing as an LSR

It is now possible to include IP header in the hash routine at an LSR for the purpose of spraying labeled-IPv4 and labeled-IPv6 packets over multiple equal cost paths in ECMP in an LDP LSP and over multiple links of a LAG group in all types of LSPs.

A couple of configurable options are supported. The first option is referred to as the Label-IP Hash option and is designated in the CLI as lbl-ip. When enabled, the hash algorithm parses down the label stack and after it hits the bottom of the stack, it checks the next nibble. If the nibble value is four or six then it assumes it is an IPv4 or IPv6 packet. The result of the hash of the label stack, along with the incoming port and system IP address, is fed into another hash along with source and destination address fields in the IP packet’s header. The second option is referred to as IP-only hash and is enabled in CLI by entering the ip-only keyword. It operates the same way as the Label-IP Hash method except the hash is performed exclusively on the source and destination address fields in the IP packet header. This method supports both IPv4 and IPv6 payload and operates on packets received on an IP interface on an IOM3-XP/IMM port only.

By default, MPLS packet hashing at an LSR is based on the whole label stack, along with the incoming port and system IP address. This method is referred to as Label-Only Hash option and is enabled in CLI by entering the lbl-only keyword.

The lbl-only, lbl-ip and ip-only hashing options can be configured system-wide and can also be overridden on a per-IP-interface basis.