Introduction

Multiprotocol BGP-based multicast VPNs (also referred to as next-generation Layer 3 VPN multicast) constitute the next evolution after dual multicast VPNs (draft-rosen) and provide a simpler solution for administrators who want to configure multicast over Layer 3 VPNs.

The main characteristics of multiprotocol BGP-based multicast VPNs are:

• They extend Layer 3 VPN service (RFC 2547) to support IP multicast for Layer 3 VPN service providers.
• They follow the same architecture as specified by RFC 2547 for unicast VPNs. Specifically, BGP is used as the control plane.
• They eliminate the requirement for the virtual router (VR) model, which is specified in Internet draft draft-rosen-vpn-mcast, Multicast in MPLS/BGP VPNs, for multicast VPNs.
• They rely on RFC-based unicast with extensions for intra-AS and inter-AS communication.

Related Topics

• Applications
• Example: Configuring MBGP Multicast VPNs