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Difference between L2VPN and L3 VPN

krunallakhani
Level 1
Level 1

Hi,

I read an atricles on an internet but still bit confused for the use and defination of L2 & L3 VPN.

Can someone please explain below terms and its usage :

1)L2 MPLS VPN

2)L3 MPLS VPN

1 Accepted Solution

Accepted Solutions

Hello,

With an L2VPN service you connect with your MPLS provider at layer 2. Hence, you do not run any IP services or any routing with your MPLS provider. Hence your two remote sites being connected via this L2VPN service see each other as directly connected at L3 and you run routing protocols between your two sites.

With L3VPN service you connect with your MPLS provider at layer 3. Hence, you will have to run IP services with your provider. Hence you will peer up with your provider using a Routing Protocol and engage in route exchange. The MPLS provider will then send these routes to their remote PE and then advertise these routes to your remote site at L3. At the remote site you would also peer up with L3 to your provider and have this routes advertised to you. So in this scenario, your two remote site routers will not appear as directly connected.

Let me know if that clears up any of your doubts. 

Thx,

Vic 

View solution in original post

8 Replies 8

Victor Acevedo
Cisco Employee
Cisco Employee

Hello,

Please take a look at the following post where this query was addressed. Let us know if you still have questions between these two technologies. 

https://supportforums.cisco.com/discussion/13042026/l2-vpn-vs-l3-vpn

Thx,

Vic 

Victor thanks for the information but

I would like still more information, because this is a generic information provided but i would like for what purpose and what is the exact differnce between L2VPN and L3VPN in MPLS 

Hello,

With an L2VPN service you connect with your MPLS provider at layer 2. Hence, you do not run any IP services or any routing with your MPLS provider. Hence your two remote sites being connected via this L2VPN service see each other as directly connected at L3 and you run routing protocols between your two sites.

With L3VPN service you connect with your MPLS provider at layer 3. Hence, you will have to run IP services with your provider. Hence you will peer up with your provider using a Routing Protocol and engage in route exchange. The MPLS provider will then send these routes to their remote PE and then advertise these routes to your remote site at L3. At the remote site you would also peer up with L3 to your provider and have this routes advertised to you. So in this scenario, your two remote site routers will not appear as directly connected.

Let me know if that clears up any of your doubts. 

Thx,

Vic 

Thanks Victor. 

Not a problem!

Vic 

L2 VPN and L3 VPN

L2 VPN

  • The Service Provider establishes Layer 2 VCs between customer sites
  • The customer is responsible for higher layers

L3 VPN

  • The Service Provider Infrastructure appears as point to point links to the customer
  • The Service Provider does not see customer routes and is responsible only for providing the point-to-point transport of customer data.

Is the above response for L3VPN is correct?

Hi,

 

Yes, at high level that would be correct.

 

Regards,

Harold Ritter
Sr Technical Leader
CCIE 4168 (R&S, SP)
harold@cisco.com
México móvil: +52 1 55 8312 4915
Cisco México
Paseo de la Reforma 222
Piso 19
Cuauhtémoc, Juárez
Ciudad de México, 06600
México
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