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Configuring an LDP-over-RSVP VPN Topology
This example shows how to set up a VPN topology
in which LDP packets are tunneled over an RSVP LSP. This configuration
consists of the following components (see Figure 25):
- One VPN (VPN-A)
- Two PE routers
- LDP as the signaling protocol between the PE routers and
their adjacent P routers
- An RSVP LSP between two of the P routers over which LDP
is tunneled
Figure 25: Example of an LDP-over-RSVP
VPN Topology

The following steps describe how this topology is established
and how packets are sent from CE Router CE2 to CE Router CE1:
- The P routers P1 and P3 establish RSVP LSPs between
each other and install their loopback addresses in their inet.3 routing tables.
- PE Router PE1 establishes an LDP session with Router
P1 over interface so-1/0/0.0.
- Router P1 establishes an LDP session with Router
P3’s loopback address, which is reachable using the RSVP LSP.
- Router P1 sends its label bindings, which include
a label to reach Router PE1, to Router P3. These label bindings
allow Router P3 to direct LDP packets to Router PE1.
- Router P3 establishes an LDP session with Router
PE2 over interface so0-0/0/0.0 and establishes an LDP session
with Router P1’s loopback address.
- Router P3 sends its label bindings, which include
a label to reach Router PE2, to Router P1. These label bindings
allow Router P1 to direct LDP packets to Router PE2’s loopback
address.
- Routers PE1 and PE2 establish IBGP sessions with
each other.
- When Router PE1 announces to Router PE2 routes
that it learned from Router CE1, it includes its VPN label. (The
PE router creates the VPN label and binds it to the interface between
the PE and CE routers.) Similarly, when Router PE2 announces
routes that it learned from Router CE2, it sends its VPN label to
Router PE1.
When Router PE2 wants to forward a packet to Router
CE1, it pushes two labels onto the packet’s label stack: first
the VPN label that is bound to the interface between Router PE1 and
Router CE1, then the LDP label used to reach Router PE1. Then it forwards
the packets to Router P3 over interface so-0/0/1.0.
- When Router P3 receives the packets from Router PE2, it
swaps the LDP label that is on top of the stack (according to its
LDP database) and also pushes an RSVP label onto the top of the stack
so that the packet can now be switched by the RSVP LSP. At this point,
there are three labels on the stack: the inner (bottom) label is the
VPN label, the middle is the LDP label, and the outer (top) is the
RSVP label.
- Router P2 receives the packet and switches it to Router
P1 by swapping the RSVP label. In this topology, because Router P2
is the penultimate-hop router in the LSP, it pops the RSVP label and
forwards the packet over interface so-1/1/0.0 to Router P1.
At this point, there are two labels on the stack: The inner label
is the VPN label, and the outer one is the LDP label.
- When Router P1 receives the packet, it pops the outer
label (the LDP label) and forwards the packet to Router PE1 using
interface so-1/0/0.0. In this topology, Router PE1 is
the egress LDP router, so Router P1 pops the LDP label instead of
swapping it with another label. At this point, there is only one label
on the stack, the VPN label.
- When Router PE1 receives the packet, it pops the VPN label
and forwards the packet as an IPv4 packet to Router CE1 over interface ge-1/1/0.0.
A similar set of operations occurs for packets
sent from Router CE1 that are destined for Router CE2.
The following list explains how, for packets being
sent from Router CE2 to Router CE1, the LDP, RSVP, and VPN
labels are announced by the various routers. These steps include examples
of label values (illustrated in Figure 26).
- LDP labels
- Router PE1 announces LDP label 3 for itself to Router P1.
- Router P1 announces LDP label 100,001 for Router PE1
to Router P3.
- Router P3 announces LDP label 100,002 for Router PE1
to Router PE2.
- RSVP labels
- Router P1 announces RSVP label 3 to Router P2.
- Router P2 announces RSVP label 100,003 to Router P3.
- VPN label
- Router PE1 announces VPN label 100,004 to Router PE2
for the route from Router CE1 to Router CE2.
Figure 26: Label Pushing and Popping

For a packet sent from Host B in Figure 26 to Host A, the packet headers and labels
change as the packet travels to its destination:
- The packet that originates from Host B has a source address
of B and a destination address of A in its header.
- Router CE2 adds to the packet a next-hop of interface so-1/0/0.
- Router PE2 swaps out the next-hop of interface so-1/0/0 and replaces it with a next-hop of PE1. It also adds
two labels for reaching Router PE1, first the VPN label (100,004),
then the LDP label (100,002). The VPN label is thus the inner (bottom)
label on the stack, and the LDP label is the outer label.
- Router P3 swaps out the LDP label added by Router PE2
(100,002) and replaces it with its LDP label for reaching Router PE1
(100,001). It also adds the RSVP label for reaching Router P2
(100,003).
- Router P2 removes the RSVP label (100,003) because
it is the penultimate hop in the MPLS LSP.
- Router P1 removes the LDP label (100,001) because
it is the penultimate LDP router. It also swaps out the next-hop of
PE1 and replaces it with the next-hop interface, so-1/0/0.
- Router PE1 removes the VPN label (100,004). It also
swaps out the next-hop interface of so-1/0/0 and replaces
it with its next-hop interface, ge-1/1/0.
- Router CE1 removes the next-hop interface of ge-1/1/0, and the packet header now contains just a source address
of B and a destination address of A.
The final section in this example, LDP-over-MPLS VPN Configuration Summarized by Router, consolidates the statements needed to
configure VPN functionality on each of the service P routers shown
in Figure 25.
 |
Note:
In this example, a private AS number is used for
the route distinguisher and the route target. This number is used
for illustration only. When you are configuring VPNs, you should use
an assigned AS number.
|
The following sections explain how to configure
the VPN functionality on the PE and P routers. The CE routers do not
have any information about the VPN, so you configure them normally.
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