Use vro and forwarding technology to expand the virtual network

This article describes in detail how to implement the vro and forwarding technology to expand the virtual network, and introduces the configuration of the VFR function. I believe this article will help you.

A virtual network is the trunk line of a virtual system. It connects to a virtual server and storage device. However, virtual systems are generally only used by one facility, so are virtual systems. VRF allows you to create a single virtual system that contains components located in multiple locations.

Virtual systems have become very popular because they bring the following flexibility and cost-saving benefits:

1. The virtual network allows administrators to divide a physical connection into multiple virtual connections. Each virtual connection is completely independent of each other. Generally, a virtual network is used for communication at a specific location or for communication between a group of users.

2. Because of the many changes in this application combination and the workload of one day, the network communication method has changed. The virtual network administrator can assign different bandwidths to each application on a connection. In addition, the combination of multiple physical connections can provide sufficient bandwidth without a single physical connection.

The technology for dividing a LAN into multiple virtual networks was developed and developed by IEEE (International Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) in 1990s. These technologies have been widely used.

The IEEE 802.1q standard defines how a single LAN is divided into multiple virtual LANs. The IEEE 802.1p standard is used together with the IEEE 802.1q standard. This Standard specifies eight priority levels for communications. The Network Administrator assigns an appropriate priority for communications to increase the bandwidth for each application.

However, a virtual LAN is a layer-2 technology. Technologies that extend a 2-layer network to a wider range of fields do exist. However, a virtual LAN is a broadcast domain. As too many nodes are loaded and too much communication, the effective throughput of the broadcast domain will be reduced. A large virtual LAN must use a layer-3 routing protocol to divide into several network segments for manageability.

Vro with VRF function is subdivided into one virtual network

VRF segments A vro or a layer-3 switch into multiple independent virtual devices. Each vro supports a single virtual network.

Vrouters support standard routing protocols such as OSPF or BGP. The routing protocol operations on each vro are unrelated to those on other vrouters on the same physical device. Each vro has a set of independent routes and forwarding tables, so it is not necessary for all vrouters to support the same routing protocol.

Because a single virtual network is completely independent, network address resolution, firewall, and other functions must be performed independently for each virtual network. The Network Address Resolution and firewall functions in the vro that configure the VRF function run in a vro. Therefore, each virtual network can have its own firewall policy and maintain an independent IP address space.

Vrouters configured with VRF function provide gateway to MPLS

An MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) network often provides WAN connections between sites. MPLS enables network administrators to specify the bandwidth and service quality. One or more edge routers of each site are connected to one or more MPLS networks of the edge routers of the provider. Both the customer's edge router and the provider's edge router must support VFR.

In the simplest configuration, you need to use multiple user edge routers, each of which supports a single virtual network. However, this configuration cannot transfer the bandwidth from one virtual network to another.

To achieve the ability to transfer bandwidth, a single user's edge router can connect to a single provider's edge router through a single physical link. Communication from all virtual networks goes through this link. Therefore, the bandwidth allocation on this link can be modified to meet different workload requirements. A single virtual network must be set as a sub-interface of a single interface on each vro.

More often, multiple customer edge routers connect to the Edge Routers of multiple providers to maintain the bandwidth transformation capability and add protection measures in the event of a connection interruption. In this case, all the customer's Edge Routers and the provider's Edge Routers support all virtual networks. VRF is a technology independent of the connection type. Therefore, you can select any connection technology that supports the required total throughput.