Extending L2 Domain Switch using VPLS

By | April 2, 2012

When you need a service from Network Operator to connecting 2 or more of your diferent sites in different location, you can request for this kind of services called VPLS / L2VPN.
VPLS (Virtual Private LAN Services) known as Metro Ethernet Services for Point to Multipoint Sites. what technology behind this kind of services? and for what this services actually defined?
VPLS / MetroEthernet can be used to expand and extending L2 Domain over L3 Routing. the basic technology that empowered this services is MPLS (MultiProtocolLabelSwitching), the MPLS technology can produce a services in L2 Domain and L3 Domain with separation of forwarding table into many of virtual forwarding table called VRF. MPLS topology consist of many PE (Provider Equipment) and several Core router called P Router. in MPLS Cloud, it’s used an IGP (internal gateway protocol) dynamic routing technology to connected all PE & P Router all together, and wrap it all using LDP or BGP Signalling. each path from one router to another router is created for label distribution and label switching which is called LSP (Label Switch Path). the LSP used to delivered the data from one router to another router, using vrf from one router can connected many of customer to use the same resources n clouds.

in L3 Domain, it usually called IPVPN MPLS (L3 VPN MPLS), it’s usually using BGP Signalling as Label swichting routing to connected and propagated a routing tabel for one VRF in one router to another router trough LSP’s.
when it’s use in L2 Domain, it can be separated to 2 different technology, a L2VPN MPLS (called for point to point L2 connection) and VPLS (called for point to multipoint L2 Connection). the technology is same, but the VPLS configuration take much detail to config in a router that connecting several site into one L2 broadcast domain.
to be continued…

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