Multihop virtual private dialup networking (VPDN) is a specialized VPDN configuration that allows packets to pass through multiple tunnels. Ordinarily, packets are not allowed to pass through more than one tunnel. In a multihop deployment, the VPDN tunnel is terminated after each hop and a new tunnel is initiated to the next hop destination.
Multihop VPDN deployments can also be used to configure a device as a tunnel switch. A tunnel switch acts as both a network access server (NAS) and a tunnel server, able to receive packets from an incoming VPDN tunnel and send them out over an outgoing VPDN tunnel. Tunnel switch configurations can be used between Internet service providers (ISPs) to provide wholesale VPDN services.
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Prerequisites for Multihop VPDN
Before you configure multihop VPDN, a VPDN deployment must be configured. For more information about VPDN deployments that are compatible with multihop VPDN scenarios, see the Configuring a Multihop Tunnel Switch.
Restrictions for Multihop VPDN
Only the Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) is supported on the Cisco ASR 1000 Series Aggregation Services Routers.
Multihop VPDN can be used to configure a device as a tunnel switch. A tunnel switch acts as both a NAS and a tunnel server, receiving packets from an incoming VPDN tunnel and sending them out over an outgoing VPDN tunnel. Tunnel switch configurations can be used between ISPs to provide wholesale VPDN services. A VPDN tunnel switch on the Cisco ASR 1000 Series Aggregation Services Routers can forward L2TP sessions. L2F or Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) are not supported.
In an L2TP tunnel switching deployment, the tunnel endpoints are considered the originating NAS and the terminating tunnel server. The tunnel switch is not considered a tunnel endpoint.
The figure below shows a network scenario using a basic L2TP tunnel switching deployment.
Figure 1
Tunnel Switching Using Multihop VPDN
The tunnel switch can be configured to terminate incoming VPDN tunnels from multiple devices, and to initiate outgoing VPDN tunnels to one or more tunnel servers.
The Subscriber Service Switch (SSS) framework is supported for VPDN tunnel switching. SSS supports additional Layer 2 protocols, including PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE) and generic routing encapsulation (GRE). Configuring SSS for VPDN tunnel switching is optional. SSS profiles increase the scalability of tunnel switching configurations, particularly in multiprotocol environments.
Multihop VPDN can be used to configure a device as a tunnel switch. A tunnel switch acts as both a NAS and a tunnel server, and must be configured with both a NAS VPDN group and a tunnel server VPDN group.
Tunnel switching using the SSS infrastructure is supported. SSS allows L2TP, L2F, PPTP, PPPoE, PPPoA, GRE, and general packet radio service (GPRS) sessions to be switched over virtual links using a tunnel switch. SSS configurations are not required for tunnel switching data over L2TP, L2F, or PPTP tunnels, but SSS increases the scalability of tunnel switching deployments.
Note
On the Cisco ASR 1000 Series Aggregation Services Router, a multihop VPDN tunnel switch can be configured to forward L2TP tunnels only.
Perform these tasks to configure a device as a multihop VPDN tunnel switch:
Prerequisites for Configuring a Multihop Tunnel Switch
The tunnel endpoints must be configured for VPDN tunneling as described in the Configuring NAS-Initiated Dial-In VPDN Tunneling module.
If you want to perform VPDN tunnel authorization searches based on the multihop hostname, you must configure the search to use the multihop hostname as described in the Configuring AAA for VPDNs module.
Enabling Multihop VPDN on the Tunnel Switch
In tunnel switching deployments, packets must traverse multiple tunnels. Multihop VPDN must be enabled on the tunnel switch for the deployment to function.
Configuring the Multihop Tunnel Switch to Terminate Incoming VPDN Tunnels
A tunnel switch must be configured as a tunnel server, allowing it to terminate incoming VPDN tunnels. You can configure a tunnel switch to terminate tunnels from multiple devices.
SUMMARY STEPS
1.enable
2.configureterminal
3.vpdn-groupname
4.descriptionstring
5.accept-dialin
6.protocoll2tp
7.virtual-templatenumber
8.exit
9.terminate-fromhostnamehost-name
DETAILED STEPS
Command or Action
Purpose
Step 1
enable
Example:
Router> enable
Enables privileged EXEC mode.
Enter your password if prompted.
Step 2
configureterminal
Example:
Router# configure terminal
Enters global configuration mode.
Step 3
vpdn-groupname
Example:
Router(config)# vpdn-group 1
Creates a VPDN group and to enters VPDN group configuration mode.
Step 4
descriptionstring
Example:
Router(config-vpdn)# description myvpdngroup
(Optional) Adds a description to a VPDN group.
Step 5
accept-dialin
Example:
Router(config-vpdn)# accept-dialin
Configures a tunnel switch to accept requests from a NAS to establish a tunnel, creates an accept-dialin VPDN subgroup, and enters VPDN accept dial-in subgroup configuration mode.
Step 6
protocoll2tp
Example:
Router(config-vpdn-acc-in)# protocol l2tp
Specifies the Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol that the VPDN group will use.
Step 7
virtual-templatenumber
Example:
Router(config-vpdn-acc-in)# virtual-template 1
(Optional) Specifies which virtual template will be used to clone virtual access interfaces.
This step is not required if the virtual access interface is not going to be cloned when a user connects.
You must perform the task in the Configuring the Multihop Tunnel Switch to Initiate Outgoing VPDN Tunnels section.
Configuring the Multihop Tunnel Switch to Initiate Outgoing VPDN Tunnels
A tunnel switch must be configured as a NAS, allowing it to initiate outgoing VPDN tunnels. You can configure a tunnel switch to initiate tunnels to multiple devices.
Creates a VPDN group and enters VPDN group configuration mode.
Step 4
descriptionstring
Example:
Router(config-vpdn)# description myvpdngroup
(Optional) Adds a description to a VPDN group.
Step 5
request-dialin
Example:
Router(config-vpdn)# request-dialin
Configures a tunnel switch to request the establishment of a tunnel to a tunnel server, creates a request-dialin VPDN subgroup, and enters VPDN request dial-in subgroup configuration mode.
Step 6
protocoll2tp
Example:
Router(config-vpdn-req-in)# protocol l2tp
Specifies the Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol that the VPDN group will use.
Requests that PPP calls from a specific domain name be tunneled.
or
Requests that PPP calls from a specific DNIS number or DNIS group be tunneled.
or
Enables the tunnel switch to initiate a tunnel based on the NAS host name or the ingress tunnel ID.
Note
If you use the
multihop-hostname command to configure your tunnel switch, you must configure
vpdnsearch-order command with the
multihop-hostname keyword. For more information on configuring the VPDN tunnel authorization search order, see the Configuring AAA for VPDNs module.
Router(config-vpdn)# initiate-to ip 10.1.1.1 limit 12
Specifies an IP address that will be used for Layer 2 tunneling.
limit--Maximum number of connections that can be made to this IP address.
priority--Priority for this IP address.
Note
The
priority keyword is typically not configured on a tunnel switch. Information used for load balancing and failover is configured on a remote authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server instead. For more information about configuring load balancing and failover priorities using a remote AAA server, see the Configuring AAA for VPDNs module.
Multiple tunnel servers can be configured on the tunnel switch by configuring multiple
initiate-to commands.
Example Configuring Multihop VPDN Tunnel Switching
The following example configures a NAS, tunnel switch, and tunnel server to establish a multihop VPDN tunnel using L2TP:
NAS Configuration
! Configure the NAS to initiate VPDN dial-in sessions to the tunnel switch
vpdn-group 1
request-dialin
protocol l2tp
domain cisco.com
!
initiate-to ip 172.22.66.25
local name ISP-NAS
! Configure the tunnel switch to use the multihop hostname in the authentication search.
vpdn search-order multihop-hostname domain dnis
!
! Configure the tunnel switch to accept dial-in sessions from the NAS
vpdn-group tunnelin
accept-dialin
protocol l2tp
virtual-template 1
!
terminate-from hostname ISP-NAS
local name ISP-Sw
!
! Configure the tunnel switch to initiate VPDN dial-in sessions to the tunnel server
vpdn-group tunnelout
request-dialin
protocol l2tp
multihop-hostname ISP-NAS
!
initiate-to ip 10.2.2.2
local name ISP-Sw
Tunnel Server Configuration
! Configure the tunnel server to accept dial-in sessions from the NAS
vpdn-group 1
accept-dialin
protocol l2tp
virtual-template 1
!
terminate-from hostname ISP-Sw
local name ENT-TS
Where to Go Next
You can perform any of the relevant optional tasks in the Configuring Additional VPDN Features and in the VPDN Tunnel Management modules.
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The following table provides release information about the feature or features described in this module. This table lists only the software release that introduced support for a given feature in a given software release train. Unless noted otherwise, subsequent releases of that software release train also support that feature.
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Table 1
Feature Information for Multihop VPDN
Feature Name
Software Releases
Feature Configuration Information
Multihop VPDN
Cisco IOS XE Release 2.2
This feature was introduced on Cisco ASR 1000 Series Routers.
Multihop VPDN is a specialized VPDN configuration that allows packets to pass through multiple tunnels. Ordinarily, packets are not allowed to pass through more than one tunnel. In a multihop deployment, the VPDN tunnel is terminated after each hop and a new tunnel is initiated to the next hop destination.
No commands were introduced or modified by this feature.
Subscriber Service Switch
Cisco IOS XE Release 2.2.1
This feature provides flexibility on where and how many subscribers are connected to available services and how those services are defined. The primary focus of SSS is to direct PPP from one point to another using a Layer 2 subscriber policy. The policy will manage tunneling of PPP in a policy-based bridging fashion.
The following VPDN commands were introduced or modified by this feature:
multihop-hostname and
vpdnsearch-order.
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