- IP Services
- Workflows Needed To Create an IP VPN
- Do the RFC2547bis MIBs Support the Workflows?
- Operating the VPN
- Conclusion
- References
Do the RFC2547bis MIBs Support the Workflows?
RFC2547 uses MPLS as an application technology. The powerful PE routers operate as edge devices that move the raw IP packets received from the CE devices, through the core as MPLS-encapsulated packets, out to the appropriate PE on the other side of the core. The latter then pushes the IP traffic into the destination CE.
The IETF section that handles this area is called the provider provisioned VPN (PPVPN) group. This workgroup created a draft MIB [3] that has been implemented by many of the IP vendors producing this technology. The PPVPN MIB contains the details of the VPN configuration and has an implied relationship with the MPLS MIBs, specifically, the TE-MIB [4] (assuming for the moment that the core contains traffic-engineered tunnels).
TIP
The latest PPVPN MIB includes an object called mplsL3VpnVrfRteXCPointerprompted by the author! This object allows a VRF route entry to be tied to an LSP and facilitates an end-to-end VPN service definition. By adding this, the MIB now pretty much supports the workflows discussed in this article.