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Example: Adding a Physical Network Function Device to a Service Chain

Beginning with Contrail 3.0, it is possible to add a physical network function (PNF) device to a service chain. This section provides an example of creating a service chain that includes a PNF.

Prerequisites for Adding a PNF to a Service Chain

Prerequisites

The following are the minimum requirements needed before you can add a PNF to a service chain using the procedure shown in the example included in this topic:

  • at least one MX Series device

  • at least one PNF to connect to the MX device

  • Juniper Networks Junos version that includes the feature accept-local-nexthop

Note:

The Junos feature accept-local-nexthop is available starting with Junos Release 14.1X55. The Contrail service chain with PNF has been tested on Junos 14.1X55. Contact your Juniper Networks customer service representative for more information.

The prerequisite minimum topology is shown in the following figure.

Network topology showing Contrail SDN controller connected to MPLS VPN and MX Router. MX Router links to PNF Device via interfaces ge-1/3/8 and ge-1/3/9.

The following must be preconfigured on the MX Series device.

If the MX is a service control gateway (SCG), the following configuration must also be present to support the service subscriptions:

Procedure: Adding a PNF to a Service Chain

  1. At the Contrail UI, Configure > Infrastructure > BGP Routers, create a BGP router, with the Contrail controller as a peer, the address family you need, and a minimum configuration of the route-target, inet, and the inet-vpn. The following figure provides an example.

    Configuration interface for creating a BGP router in Juniper system with fields for Router Type, Host Name, Vendor ID, IP Address, Router ID, Autonomous System, Local Autonomous System, Address Families, Advanced Options, BGP Port, and Source Port.

  2. Create two virtual networks. Select Configure > Networking > Networks and create a network named IN and a network named OUT. The following figure provides an example.

    Create Network dialog box from Juniper Networks for setting up a new network with fields for name, policy, subnet including IPAM, CIDR, and DHCP settings.

  3. Create a physical router associated with the BGP router. Select Configure > Physical Devices> Physical Routers and create a physical router. The VTEP address of the physical router should be same as the BGP router’s IP address. Associate the physical router with the BGP router created previously, and select for Virtual Networks the networks created for this example (IN and OUT). The following figure provides an example.

    Configuration interface for adding a physical router in Juniper Networks' software. Fields include Name, Vendor, Management IP, VTEP Address, BGP Router, Virtual Networks. Save or cancel options available.

  4. While still on the Add Physical Router window, use the slider to scroll down to the Netconf Settings section and add the appropriate NETCONF information for your system. The following figure provides an example.

    User interface for adding a physical router in a network management system with fields for name, username, password, network settings options, and buttons for saving or canceling configuration.

  5. Add the physical interfaces that connect to the PNF device. Go to Configure > Physical Devices> Interfaces and select the PNF to get to the Add Interfaces window, where you enter the name and type for each interface. The following figure provides an example.

    Add Interface window for Juniper Networks software with Type set to Physical and Name field ge-0/0/0. Options to Cancel or Save.

  6. Add a service appliance set. Go to Configure > Infrastructure> Service Appliance Sets to get to the Create Service Appliance Set window, where you enter the name of the service appliance set. The following figure provides an example.

    Juniper Networks UI dialog box for creating a service appliance set with fields for name, load balancer, HA mode, and key-value properties.

  7. Configure a service template, Configure > Services > Service Templates and click the Create button on Service Templates to get to Add Service Template. Ensure that the Virtualization Type is set to Physical Device, and that the template is associated to the service appliance set previously created. The following figure provides an example.

    Create Service Template dialog box in Juniper Networks UI for configuring network services. Fields for template name, version, virtualization type, appliance set, and interface configuration. Save and Cancel buttons available.

  8. Add a physical router that represents the PNF device. Go to Configure > Physical Devices > Physical Routers to get to the Add Physical Router window, where you enter a name for the physical router. The following figure provides an example.

    Configuration interface for adding a Juniper router with fields for Name, Vendor, Model, Management IP, VTEP Address, BGP Router, Virtual Networks, and Associated Virtual Routers. Cancel and Save buttons included.

  9. Create two interfaces for the PNF. The interfaces should connect to the interfaces already created in this example, and should connect in the manner illustrated in the topology diagram. The interfaces for the other PR should be available from the selection field. The following figure provides an example.

    Juniper Networks interface for adding a network interface with fields for Type, Name, and Physical Interface. Options to Cancel or Save.

  10. Add a service appliance in the service appliance set. Go to Configure > Infrastructure> Service Appliances to get to the Create Service Appliance window, where you enter the name of the service appliance set and the IP address. Also add the left and right interfaces previously created. The following figure provides an example.

    Create Service Appliance dialog box on Juniper Networks platform showing configuration fields for appliance SA-1 with IP 192.168.1.100 using template simple-pnf-svc-tmpl.

    The remaining steps are the same as the steps to create a Contrail service chain, and are summarized in the following steps.

    For more details about service chains, see:

  11. Create a PNF service instance, go to Configure > Services > Service Instances, and click Create, then select the template to use and select the corresponding left, right, or management networks. When using a transparent service chain, the VN for the interfaces can be automatic.

  12. Add a network policy to connect the virtual networks created for this example, go to Configure > Networking > Policies.

  13. Associate the policy to both the left VN and the right VN (IN and OUT in this example). Navigate to Configure > Networking > Network.

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