This design document is for the refresh of the Implementing Cisco MPLS (MPLS) v2.3 instructor-led training (ILT) course, which is used for the Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Cisco CCIP® certification tract. The course is five days long and uses standard ILT form. This update to the course reflects the most-recent developments in network design and technologies, using real-world scenarios to help reinforce the learning of key objectives.

MPLS Features

• Lesson 1: Describing Basic MPLS Concepts

o MPLS Overview
o MPLS Terminology
o MPLS Architecture Components

• Lesson 2: Describing MPLS Labels and Label Stack

o MPLS Labels
o MPLS Label Imposition
o MPLS Label Stack

• Lesson 3: Identifying MPLS Applications

o MPLS Services
o MPLS IP Routing
o MPLS VPNs
o MPLS Traffic Engineering
o MPLS Quality of Service
o Any Transport over MPLS
o Interactions Between MPLS services
Label Assignment and Distribution
? Lesson 1: Discovering LDP Neighbors
o Label-Distributing Protocols
o LDP Session Establishment
o Discovering LDP Neighbors
o Negotiating LDP Sessions
? Lesson 2: Describing Typical Label Distribution in Frame-Mode MPLS
o Propagating Labels Across a Network
o Label Switched Paths
o Propagating Labels by Using PHP
o Impact of IP Aggregation on LSPs
o Allocating Labels in a Frame-Mode MPLS Network
o Distributing and Advertising Labels
Detecting Frame-Mode Loops

• Lesson 3: Describing Convergence in Frame-Mode MPLS

o MPLS Steady-State Operation
o Link Failure State
o Routing Protocol Convergence After a Link Failure
o MPLS Convergence After a Link Failure
o Link Recovery Actions
Frame-Mode MPLS Implementation on Cisco IOS Platforms

• Lesson 1: Using Cisco Express Forwarding Switching

o Cisco IOS Platform Switching Mechanisms
o Using Standard IP Switching
o Cisco Express Forwarding Switching Architecture
o Configuring IP Cisco Express Forwarding
o Monitoring IP Cisco Express Forwarding

• Lesson 2: Configuring Frame-Mode MPLS on Cisco IOS Platforms

o MPLS Configuration Tasks
o Configuring the MPLS ID on a Router
o Configuring MPLS on a Frame-Mode Interface
o Configuring a Label-Switching MTU
o Configuring IP TTL Propagation
o Configuring Conditional Label Distribution

• Lesson 3: Monitoring Frame-Mode MPLS on Cisco IOS Platforms

o Monitoring MPLS
o Monitoring LDP
o Monitoring Label Switching
o Debugging MPLS and LDP

• Lesson 4: Troubleshooting Frame-Mode MPLS on Cisco IOS Platforms

o Common Frame-Mode MPLS Issues
o Solving LDP Session Startup Issues
o Solving Label Allocation Issues
o Solving Label Distribution Issues
o Solving Packet-Labeling Issues
o Solving Intermittent MPLS Failures
o Solving Packet Propagation Issues
MPLS Virtual Private Network Technology

• Lesson 1: Introducing Virtual Private Networks

o Basic VPN Overview
o VPN Implementation Models
o Benefits and Drawbacks of VPNs

• Lesson 2: Introducing MPLS VPN Architecture

o MPLS VPN Architecture
o Methods of Propagating Routing Information Across the P-Network
o Route Distinguishers
o Route Targets

• Lesson 3: Introducing the MPLS VPN Routing Model

o MPLS VPN Routing
o Support for Internet Routing
o Routing Tables on PE Routers
o Identifying End-to-End Routing Update Flow

• Lesson 4: Forwarding MPLS VPN Packets

o End-to-End VPN Forwarding Mechanisms
o VPN Penultimate Hop Popping
o Propagating VPN Labels Between PE Routers
o Effects of MPLS VPNs on Label Propagation
o Effects of MPLS VPNs on Packet Forwarding
MPLS VPN Implementation

• Lesson 1: Using MPLS VPN Mechanisms of Cisco IOS Platforms

o VRF Table
o Need for Routing Protocol Contexts
o VPN-Aware Routing Protocols
o Using VRF Tables
o Propagating BGP Routes—Outbound
o Propagating BGP Routes—Inbound
o Propagating Non-BGP Routes—Outbound
o Propagating Non-BGP Routes—Inbound

• Lesson 2: Configuring VRF Tables

o VRF Configuration Tasks
o Creating VRF Tables and Assigning RDs
o Specifying Export and Import RTs
o Using MPLS VPN IDs
o Assigning an Interface to a VRF Table
o Typical Configuration to Enable VRFs

• Lesson 3: Configuring an MP-BGP Session Between PE Routers

o Configuring BGP Address Families
o Enabling BGP Neighbors
o Configuring MP-BGP
o Configuring MP-IBGP
o Configuring MP-BGP Community Propagation
o Disabling IPv4 Route Exchange

• Lesson 4: Configuring Small-Scale Routing Protocols Between PE and CE Routers

o Configuring PE-CE Routing Protocols
o Selecting the VRF Routing Context for BGP
o Configuring Per-VRF Static Routes
o Configuring RIP PE-CE Routing
o Configuring EIGRP PE-CE Routing
o Configuring SOO for EIGRP PE-CE Loop Prevention

• Lesson 5: Monitoring MPLS VPN Operations

o Monitoring VRFs
o Monitoring VRF Routing
o Monitoring MP-BGP Sessions
o Monitoring an MP-BGP VPNv4 Table
o Monitoring Per-VRF Cisco Express Forwarding and LFIB Structures
o Monitoring Labels Associated with VPNv4 Routes
o Identifying Other MPLS VPN Monitoring Commands

• Lesson 6: Configuring OSPF as the Routing Protocol Between PE and CE Routers

o Enhanced OSPF Hierarchical Model
o Propagating OSPF Customer Routes
o Implementing MPLS VPNs as an OSPF Superbackbone
o Configuring OSPF PE-CE Routing
o Using the OSPF Down Bit
o Optimizing Packet Forwarding Across the MPLS VPN Backbone
o Using the OSPF Tag Field
o Sham Link
o Configuring a Sham Link

• Lesson 7: Configuring BGP as the Routing Protocol Between PE and CE Routers

o Configuring a Per-VRF BGP Routing Context
o Reasons for Limiting the Number of Routes in a VRF
o Limiting the Number of Prefixes Received from a BGP Neighbor
o Limiting the Total Number of VRF Routes
o Identifying AS-Override Issues
o Identifying the Allow as Issue
o Implementing SOO for Loop Prevention

• Lesson 8: Troubleshooting MPLS VPNs

o Identifying Preliminary Steps in MPLS VPN Troubleshooting
o Verifying the Routing Information Flow
o Validating CE-to-PE Routing Information Flow
o Validating PE–to-PE Routing Information Flow
Validating PE-to-CE Routing Information Flow
o Identifying the Issues When Verifying the Data Flow
o Validating Cisco Express Forwarding Status
o Validating the End-to-End LSP
o Validating the LFIB Status
Complex MPLS VPNs

• Lesson 1: Introducing Overlapping VPNs

o Participants in Overlapping VPNs
o Typical Overlapping VPN Usages
o Overlapping VPN Routing
o Overlapping VPN Data Flow
o Configuring Overlapping VPNs

• Lesson 2: Introducing Central Services VPNs

o Access Characteristics of a Central Services VPN
o Routing Characteristics of a Central Services VPN
o Identifying Central Services VPN Data Flow Model
o Configuring a Central Services VPN
o Integrating a Central Services VPN with a Simple VPN
o Identifying the RD Requirements When Integrating Central Services and Simple VPNs
o Identifying the RT Requirements When Integrating Central Services and Overlapping VPNs

• Lesson 3: Using Advanced VRF Import and Export Features

o Advanced VRF Features
o Configuring Selective VRF Import
o Configuring Selective VRF Export

• Lesson 4: Introducing the Managed CE Routers Service

o Requirements of Managed CE Routers
o VRF and RD Requirements
o Configuring Managed CE Routers
Internet Access and MPLS VPNs

• Lesson 1: Combining Internet Access with MPLS VPNs

o Customer Internet Connectivity Scenarios
o Internet Design Models for Service Providers
o Internet Access Through Global Routing
o Internet Access as a Separate VPN
o Internet Access Through Route Leaking

• Lesson 2: Implementing Separate Internet Access and VPN Services

o Classical Internet Access for a VPN Customer
o Using Separate Subinterfaces
o Accessing the Internet from Every Customer Site
o Separate Internet Access Benefits and Limitations

• Lesson 3: Implementing Internet Access as a Separate VPN

o Internet Access as a Separate VPN
o Implementing Redundant Internet Access
o Implementing Classical Internet Access for a VPN Customer
o Implementing Internet Access from Every Customer Site
o Implementing Wholesale Internet Access
o Running an Internet Backbone in a VPN
MPLS Traffic Engineering Overview

• Lesson 1: Introducing Traffic Engineering Concepts

o Traffic Engineering Overview
o Business Drivers for Traffic Engineering
o Congestion Avoidance and Traffic Engineering
o Traffic Engineering with a Layer 2 Overlay Model
o Traffic Engineering with a Layer 3 Model
o MPLS Traffic Engineering Model

• Lesson 2: Understanding MPLS TE Components

o Traffic Tunnel Concepts
o Traffic Tunnel Characteristics
o Traffic Tunnel Attributes
o Network Links and Link Attributes
o Constraint-Based Path Computation
o Traffic Engineering Process
o Role of RSVP in Path Setup and Trunk Admission Control
o Forwarding Traffic to a Tunnel

• Lesson 3: Configuring MPLS Traffic Engineering on Cisco IOS Platforms

o MPLS TE Configuration Flowchart
o Enabling Device-Level MPLS-TE Support
o Configuring IGP for MPLS TE Support
o Enabling Basic MPLS-TE on an Interface
o Creating and Configuring a Traffic Tunnel
o Mapping Traffic into Tunnels with Autoroute

• Lesson 4: Monitoring Basic MPLS TE on Cisco IOS Platforms

o Monitoring MPLS TE Tunnels
o Monitoring MPLS TE

After completing this course the student should be able to:

• Describe the features of MPLS
• Describe how MPLS labels are assigned and distributed
• Configure and troubleshoot frame-mode MPLS on Cisco IOS platforms
• Describe the MPLS peer-to-peer architecture and explain the routing and packet-forwarding model in this architecture
• Configure, monitor, and troubleshoot VPN operations
• Describe how the MPLS VPN model can be used to implement managed services and Internet access
• Describe the various Internet access implementations that are available and the benefits and drawbacks of each model
• Describe the tasks and commands that are necessary to implement MPLS TE