Deploy Layer3 EVPN over Segment Routing MPLS in Nexus 9300

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Updated:October 20, 2021

Document ID:215791

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Background Information

MPLS L3VPN Recap

Overview of EVPN with L3VPN (MPLS SR)

Configure

Topology

High-Level Configuration

Verify

Troubleshoot

Related Information

Introduction

This document describes how to deploy/configure Layer3 (L3) Ethernet VPN (EVPN) over Segment Routing (SR) Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) [Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) / Internal Border Gateway Protocol (iBGP)] on Nexus 9300 products.

Prerequisites

Requirements

Cisco recommends that you have knowledge of these topics:

Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)
L3VPN
EVPN
SR

Components Used

The information in this document is based on these software and hardware versions:

SPINE Hardware - 93360YC-FX2 that runs Release 9.3.(3)
LEAF Hardware - 93240YC-FX2 that runs Release 9.3.(3)
CLIENT - 93216TC-FX2

The information in this document was created from the devices in a specific lab environment. All of the devices used in this document started with a cleared (default) configuration. If your network is live, make sure that you understand the potential impact of any command.

Background Information

MPLS L3VPN Recap

A VPN is:

An IP-based network delivering private network services over a public infrastructure.
A set of sites that are allowed to communicate with each other privately over the Internet or other public or private networks.

Conventional VPNs are created by configuring a full mesh of tunnels or permanent virtual circuits (PVCs) to all sites in a VPN. This type of VPN is not easy to maintain or expand, as the addition of a new site requires a change to each edge device in the VPN.

MPLS-based VPNs are created in L3 and are based on the peer model. The peer model enables the service provider and the customer to exchange L3 routing information. The service provider relays the data between the customer sites without customer involvement.

MPLS VPNs are easier to manage and expand than conventional VPNs. When a new site is added to an MPLS VPN, only the edge router of the service provider that provides services to the customer site needs to be updated.

These are the components of the MPLS VPN:

Provider (P) router - Router in the core of the provider network. P routers run MPLS switching and do not attach VPN labels to routed packets. VPN labels are used to direct data packets to the correct private network or customer edge router.
PE router - Router that attaches the VPN label to incoming packets based on the interface or subinterface on which they are received, and also attaches the MPLS core labels. A PE router attaches directly to a CE router.
Customer (C) router - Router in the Internet Service Provider (ISP) or enterprise network.
Customer edge (CE) router - Edge router on the network of the ISP that connects to the PE router on the network. A CE router must interface with a PE router.

Overview of EVPN with L3VPN (MPLS SR)

Data Center (DC) deployments have adopted VXLAN EVPN or MPLS EVPN for its benefits such as EVPN control-plane learning, multitenancy, seamless mobility, redundancy, and easier POD additions. Similarly, the CORE is either a Label Distribution Protocol (LDP)-based MPLS L3VPN network or transitioning from the traditional MPLS L3VPN LDP-based underlay to a more sophisticated solution like SR.

SR is adopted for its benefits such as:

Unified IGP and MPLS control planes
Simpler traffic engineering methods
Easier configuration
Software-Defined Networking (SDN) adoption

EVPN (RFC 7432) is BGP MPLS-based solution that has been used for next-generation Ethernet services in a virtualized data center network. It uses several building blocks such as Route Distinguisher (RD), Route Target (RT), and Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) from MPLS technologies that exist.

L3 EVPN over SR which was introduced in NXOS 7.0(3)I6(1) release uses the EVPN Type-5 route with MPLS encapsulation. It offers Multi-tenant, Scalability, and High Performance for evolved data center services.

Note: In DC, the data plane can be VXLAN or MPLS.

Traditional MPLS L3 VPN	MPLS L3 VPN over SR
Main Build Blocks: RD, RT, and VRF	Main Build Blocks: RD, RT, and VRF
Underlay Layer for Transport: IGP, LDP, and RSVP-TE	Underlay Layer for Transport: IGP/BGP-LU and SR-TE
Overlay Layer for Service: VPNv4 and VPNv6	Overlay Layer for Service: EVPN