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End-to-End Layer 2 Connectivity Using VPLS-Based Layer 2 VPN

This section describes an enterprise WAN edge use case with the ACX7000 family of routers. The ACX7000 family of routers includes ACX7020, ACX7024, ACX7024X, ACX7100, ACX7332, ACX7348, and ACX7509 routers.

This section describes the essential configurations to establish end-to-end Layer 2 services across enterprise WAN using VPLS-based Layer 2 VPN. Use these configurations to seamlessly integrate customer networks with a resilient service-provider backbone.

You can use the following sample topology for your reference:

The topology shows two customer edge devices (CE1 and CE2) connected to their respective hosts and an enterprise WAN comprising two provider edge devices (PE1 and PE2) and one provider device (P1).

Benefits of using VPLS-based Layer 2 VPN:

  • Transparent Layer 2 connectivity—Enables geographically distributed sites to operate as if they are on the same Ethernet LAN or VLAN.

  • Ethernet-optimized service—Designed specifically for Ethernet services, making it ideal for enterprise LAN extension and data center interconnect use cases.

  • Service provider isolation—Keeps customer traffic logically separated using MPLS labels and VPN identifiers.

  • Scalability—Leverages MPLS to scale Layer 2 services efficiently across large WANs while keeping customer MAC address learning at provider edge, reducing core network complexity and improving overall scalability.

Customer Edge Device Configurations

Note: We recommend ACX7020, ACX7024, and ACX7024X routers as customer edge devices.

Here is the configuration on the CE1 device:

  1. Configure a unique system identity and loopback addressing.

  2. Configure CE interfaces in access or trunk mode to connect hosts and provider edge devices.

    CE to host interfaces:

    CE to PE interfaces:

  3. Create VLANs and associate them with IRB interfaces to enable Layer 2 switching and Layer 3 routing.

Provider Edge and Provider Device Configurations

Note: We recommend ACX7100, ACX7332, ACX7348 routers as provider edge devices and ACX7509 as provider devices.

  1. Configure system parameters and loopback interfaces on provider edge and provider devices.

    Repeat this configuration on other provider edge and provider devices as applicable.

  2. Assign an autonomous system number on provider edge devices.

    Repeat this configuration on other provider edge devices as applicable.

  3. Configure core-facing interfaces on provider edge and provider devices for backbone connectivity.

    On PE1:

    Repeat this configuration on other provider edge devices as applicable.

    On P1:

    Repeat this configuration on other provider devices as applicable.

  4. Configure customer-facing interfaces on provider edge devices with appropriate VLAN tagging and encapsulation.

    Repeat this configuration on other provider edge devices as applicable.

  5. Enable OSPF, MPLS, and LDP on provider edge and provider devices to establish the transport underlay across the provider network.

    Repeat this configuration on other provider edge and provider devices as applicable.

  6. Configure Multiprotocol BGP (MP-BGP) sessions on the provider edge devices to enable exchange of BGP-based VPLS signaling and autodiscovery information.

    Repeat this configuration on other provider edge devices as applicable.

  7. Create and configure a VPLS routing instance for customer Layer 2 VPN services on provider edge devices.

    Repeat this configuration on other provider edge devices as applicable.

  8. Configure VPLS site identifiers to uniquely identify the provider edge participation within the VPLS instance.

    Repeat this configuration on other provider edge devices as applicable.

For more information on Layer 2 services, see Layer 2 VPNs and VPLS User Guide for Routing Devices.

For more details, see Enterprise WAN Validated Designs.

Verification

The following table introduces a list of show commands which you can use to verify the configuration in this example.

Table 1: Operational Commands
What to Check Command Output Expected

OSPF adjacencies

show ospf neighbor

All neighbors showing full adjacency across PE and P devices.

BGP sessions

show bgp summary

Internal BGP (IBGP) sessions to all PE devices are established and Layer 2 VPN table is active.

MPLS-enabled links

show mpls interface

All core MPLS interfaces are up.

LDP peers/sessions

show ldp neighbor / show ldp session

Neighbor adjacencies and LDP sessions are established.

Transport and service labels

show route table mpls.0

LDP and VPLS entries with LSI bindings.

VPLS pseudowires

show vpls connections

All remote sites with incoming and outgoing labels and confirmation that VPLS pseudowires are up.