Describes the functionality of advertising IPv4 NLRI with IPv6 next hops to enable communication across mixed-protocol networks. Explains support for default and non-default VRFs and how this feature increases network flexibility by allowing IPv4 routes to use IPv6 next hops.
Advertising IPv4 network layer reachability information (NLRI) with IPv6 next hops is a multiprotocol BGP feature that
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enables seamless communication between IPv4 devices across an IPv6 core
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supports both default and non-default virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) instances, and
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increases network flexibility and efficiency by allowing IPv4 routes to use IPv6 next hops without requiring address family alignment between network segments.
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Feature Name |
Release Information |
Feature Description |
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Advertising IPv4 NLRI with IPv6 next hops in the non-default VRF |
Release 25.4.1 |
Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems (8700 [ASIC: K100])(select variants only*) *This feature is supported on:
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Advertising IPv4 NLRI with IPv6 Next Hops in the non-default VRF |
Release 25.1.1 |
Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems (8010 [ASIC: A100])(select variants only*) *This feature is supported on Cisco 8011-4G24Y4H-I routers. |
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Advertising IPv4 NLRI with IPv6 next hops in the non-default VRF |
Release 24.4.1 |
Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems(8700)(select variants only*) *Advertising IPv4 NLRI with IPv6 NextHops in the non-default VRF is now supported on Cisco 8712-MOD-M routers |
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Advertising IPv4 NLRI with IPv6 next hops in the non-default VRF |
Release 24.2.11 |
This feature enhances network efficiency and security by allowing you to create default and non-default virtual routing tables. Thesetables isolate traffic through customized routing policies, allowing for the communication of IPv4 address family over IPv6 next hops specifically within non-default VRFs. |
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Advertising IPv4 NLRI with IPv6 next hops in MP-BGP networks |
Release 25.1.1 |
Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems (8010 [ASIC: A100])(select variants only*) *This feature is supported on Cisco 8011-4G24Y4H-I routers. |
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Advertising IPv4 NLRI with IPv6 next hops in MP-BGP networks |
Release 24.4.1 |
Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems(8700)(select variants only*) *Advertising IPv4 NLRI with IPv6 NextHops in the non-default VRF is now supported on Cisco 8712-MOD-M routers |
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Advertising IPv4 NLRI with IPv6 next hops in MP-BGP networks |
Release 7.3.1 |
With the capability of Multiprotocol BGP for exchanging IPv4 address family over IPv6 next hop, legacy IPv4 packets from edge devices can traverse through IPv6 core networks seamlessly. This feature allows IPv4 NLRI to be encoded and advertised over IPv6 next hop in a single BGP session. This feature supports exchanging the IPv4 address family over the IPv6 next hop only in the default VRF. Configure the ipv4 forwarding-enable command on the edge router connected to the core interface to encode IPv4 packets over IPv6 next hop. |
You can use this feature in networks where devices with different address families coexist. For example, an IPv4 core may be surrounded by IPv6 devices, or the reverse. In these mixed environments, multiprotocol BGP (MP-BGP) allows you to advertise IPv4 routes using IPv6 next hops, so reachability information can cross address family boundaries. Common reasons for deploying such topologies include limited availability of IPv4 addresses for interface assignment and phased migration to an all-IPv6 network.
By enabling IPv4 forwarding on interfaces, you ensure that the type of address family used does not limit traffic flow across the network.