Configuring an Ethernet Switch as the CE Device

For VPLS configurations, the CE device does not necessarily need to be a router. You can link the PE routers directly to Ethernet switches. However, be aware of the following configuration issues:

• When you configure VPLS routing instances and establish two or more connections between a CE Ethernet switch and a PE router, you must enable the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) on the switch to prevent loops.
• JUNOS Software allows standard Bridge Protocol Data Unit (BPDU) frames to pass through emulated Layer 2 connections, such as those configured with Layer 2 VPNs, Layer 2 circuits, and VPLS instances. However, CE Ethernet switches that generate proprietary BPDU frames might not be able to run STP across Juniper Networks routing platforms configured for these emulated Layer 2 connections.