 | Copyright © 2008, Juniper Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. Trademark Notice. | |
Many service providers are looking for ways to provide new revenue-generating services to their customers. One such service is Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). Some enterprise customers are beginning to experiment with this new version of IP, but are reluctant to deploy it broadly. Interconnecting multiple sites that use IPv6 can be challenging. Also, most service providers would prefer to carry this traffic without making major modifications to their core network.
A technique available in JUNOS Release 5.4 allows you to connect IPv6 sites over an IPv4 Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) enabled backbone. Juniper Networks supports the Multiprotocol Border Gateway Protocol (MP-BGP) over IPv4 approach detailed in the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Internet draft draft-ooms-v6ops-bgp-tunnel-06.txt, Connecting IPv6 Islands over IPv4 MPLS using IPv6 Provider Edge Routers (6PE) (expires July 2006). With this technique, IPv6 islands are connected to each other across an IPv4 backbone enabled with MPLS label stacking while MP-BGP is used to announce the IPv6 routes across these MPLS tunnels. This feature can be implemented with label-switched paths (LSPs) using the Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) or Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP).
IPv6 packets are carried over an IPv4 MPLS tunnel. To enable this service, you need to deploy provider edge (PE) routers that can run IPv4, MPLS, and BGP toward the core and IPv6 toward the edge. Since only the PE routers need to run a dual stack of IPv4 and IPv6, the other provider (P) core routers do not need to be upgraded. As a result, this MPLS tunneling technique allows for interoperability with routers from other vendors.
Because of this flexible method of implementation, it is now more attractive for providers to carry IPv6 traffic over their existing core networks and for customers to roll out IPv6 to more sites.
This feature guide covers these topics:
| Copyright © 2008, Juniper Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. Trademark Notice. | |