Static Route Alternatives?

[ahcadmin1]

Hello,

We currently have an MPLS based WAN and use static routes from our data center to other branches.  Every time we add another site, we have to add static routes to multiple devices and sometimes routes are missed.  Does anyone have any solutions to get away from static routes?

Thanks,

Josh

[Jon Marshall]

Josh

Is the MPLS network provided by an SP ?

If so you need to talk to them to find out what routing protocols they support for the CE to PE peering ie. they should support at least one so yes you should be able to do what you want.

Jon

[ahcadmin1]

Yes, it is provided by an SP.  I'm new to the networking game and was wondering what alternatives there are and which would work best for our environment.  I've read about BGP, but that looks like a protocol that providers would use... am I wrong on that?

[Jon Marshall · Accepted solution]

The answer is it depends on your SP.

BGP is probably the most often used to exchange routes between your CE device and the SPs PE device and if you don't already have a routing protocol in place it may be a good choice.

It can be a complex protocol in terms of what you can do with it but for a standard setup at the customer end for an MPLS VPN it is a relatively simple configuration.

Pretty much every SP should offer BGP.

The other options are to use EIGRP or OSPF but your SP might not necessarily offer these as alternatives.

Which is best really depends on what you are trying to do in terms of your network and also what you already have in place. 

I would talk to your SP to first see what the alternatives are in terms of what they offer.

And of course if you need help with the configuration you can always post another thread on these forums.

Jon

[Joseph W. Doherty]

Disclaimer

The Author of this posting offers the information contained within this posting without consideration and with the reader's understanding that there's no implied or expressed suitability or fitness for any purpose. Information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as rendering professional advice of any kind. Usage of this posting's information is solely at reader's own risk.

Liability Disclaimer

In no event shall Author be liable for any damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, damages for loss of use, data or profit) arising out of the use or inability to use the posting's information even if Author has been advised of the possibility of such damage.

Posting

As Jon notes, most MPLS vendors will offer BGP, few support other IGPs.  However, it's not unheard of to run your own IGP across the MPLS network using tunneling.  If you consider tunneling, ask you MPLS vendor if they support jumbo Ethernet.

[ahcadmin1]

That answers my questions.  Thanks John.