VPLS with peered 6524's

[mmarchuk]

I have a infrastructure based on ME6524's that are interconnected using broadband wireless links. As such, the network is a partial mesh of switches that we're offering L3 and L2 services on.

Currently, the L2 services are supplied by simply trunking VLAN's all over the place. The desire is to move to MPLS for the L3 traffic with VPLS providing L2 services. However, I noticed within another post that the ME6524 is only supported as a u-PE. In our case, the 6524 is functioning as the CE/uPE/PE/P which makes it difficult compose a design that would permit L2 multi-point (any to any) Ethernet services in any other way than is currently provisioned.

Is there a better design using the ME6524's to create a VPLS-like implementation?

[n.nandrekar · Accepted solution]

I dont think so. Only using provider-bridging (802.1ad) would you be able to provide vpls like multipoint service. .1ad is Q-in-Q. But it has scalability limitations and I guess thats what you are using right now.

VPLS is supported only on the regular (nom-metro) 6500 chassis that too with specific wan modules (sip-400 / 600)

VPLS is a feature of the core and 6524 is not positioned to be a aggrigating core device. Its position is as a U-PE which provides Q-in-Q or EoMPLS connectivity to the MPLS core for provisioning of H-VPLS.

Regards,

Niranjan