IP Addresses and Services Configuration Guide for Cisco 8000 Series Routers, IOS XR Releases

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IP Addresses and Services Configuration Guide for Cisco 8000 Series Routers, IOS XR Releases

Unicast VRRP

Updated: August 12, 2026

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This topic describes how VRRP supports Layer 3 unicast transport mode to enable high availability in cloud network scenarios where Layer 2 multicast or broadcast transports are not supported.

The Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) configuration for Layer 3 unicast transport is a network mechanism that

  • supports Layer 3 unicast transport

  • enables high availability for cloud networks, and

  • utilizes event-driven telemetry for state notifications.

Network architects implement this feature to extend gateway redundancy into environments that restrict Layer 2 multicast and broadcast traffic. Because cloud-native functions require a stable default route, this configuration provides a virtual IP address (VIP) to manage traffic without relying on pre-designated active members.

Table 1. Feature History Table

Feature Name

Release Name

Description

Unicast VRRP

Release 25.4.1

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems (8010 [ASIC: A100])(select variants only*)

This feature is supported on:

  • 8011-32Y8L2H2FH

  • 8011-12G12X4Y-A/D

Unicast VRRP

Release 25.1.1

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems (8700 [ASIC: K100], 8010 [ASIC: A100])(select variants only*)

This feature is supported on:

  • 8712-MOD-M

  • 8011-4G24Y4H-I

Unicast VRRP

Release 24.4.1

Introduced in this release on: Fixed Systems (8200 [ASIC: P100], 8700 [ASIC: P100])(select variants only*); Modular Systems (8800 [LC ASIC: P100])(select variants only*)

*This feature is supported on:

  • 8212-48FH-M

  • 8711-32FH-M

  • 88-LC1-36EH

  • 88-LC1-12TH24FH-E

  • 88-LC1-52Y8H-EM

Unicast VRRP

Release 7.11.1

We have now enabled Layer 3 unicast transport mode in VRRP, allowing it to enhance its capacity to send data to other networks, including cloud networks. Pairwise router redundancy enables high availability in cloud network scenarios. However, a virtual IP (VIP) address is required by the default route of the cloud native function because there is no pre-designated active member in paired routers. HSRP can provide a VIP, but cloud networks do not support Layer 2 multicast or broadcast transports. You can configure VRRP to support Layer 3 unicast transport to overcome the limitation of Layer 2 multicast and broadcast transports.

The feature introduces these changes:

New Command:

CLI:

Modified Commands:

  • show vrrp command is modified to support new fields: Mcast packet in Ucast mode , IPv4 Unicast Peer , and IPv4 Unicast Peer .

YANG Data Model:

New Xpaths for:

Benefits of unicast VRRP

The VRRP configuration for Layer 3 unicast transport provides several benefits for modern network environments:

  • It allows you to deploy redundant gateway solutions in cloud environments that lack Layer 2 multicast support.

  • It uses a virtual IP address to ensure seamless failover between paired routers.

  • It sends state transition notifications through event-driven telemetry to improve monitoring capabilities.