How many VRFs support a SUP7E

[payala]

Hello,

I have a customer that wants to change his CORE devices, he is concerned about the VRFs instances that he can configure, I know that in the SUP2T from the 6500 supports 8,192 VRFs:

MPLS in hardware to enable use of Layer 3 VPNs and EoMPLS tunneling. Up to 8192 VRFs with a total of up to 256K* forwarding entries per system.

According to the next link:

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/interfaces-modules/catalyst-6500-series-supervisor-engine-2t/data_sheet_c78-648214.html

I want to make a comparison between a 6500 with SUP2T and a 4500 with sUP7E but I can't find anything about the VRFs instances in the SUP7E.

Could anyone please help me answering that question???

Thanks a lot

[Leo Laohoo · Accepted solution]

I can't find anything about the VRFs instances in the SUP7E.

This because all Cat 3k and 4k only support 64 VRF-lite instances.  

[payala]

Thanks a lot for the answer, now I have a question, in the next link:

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/switches/catalyst-4500-series-switches/data_sheet_c78-612364.html

You will see the next output: 

Features at a Glance
Cisco IOS XE Software LAN Base: This feature set on the Supervisor 7-E-based bundles provides Layer 2 features for access.

Cisco IOS XE Software IP Base: This feature set is upgradable with a software activation license (SAL). It includes all Layer 2 features and some basic Layer 3 features. ISSU/SSO is supported in this package.

Cisco IOS XE Software Enterprise Services: This feature set is upgradable with a SAL; it supports full Layer 3 protocols and advanced features such as complete routing scalability (256,000), BGP, VRF, Policy-Based Routing, and so on.

As you can see there with the Enterprise Services, VRF is supported, and nothing about VRF-LITE, do you have the information about what you told me???

[Leo Laohoo]

I can't find anything about the VRFs instances in the SUP7E.

UPDATE:  It's 64.

As you can see there with the Enterprise Services, VRF is supported, and nothing about VRF-LITE, do you have the information about what you told me???

Go here.  Search for "vrf-lite instance".  

[payala]

Thanks a lot Leo for the reply... :D

As far as I know VRF = MPLS VPN and VRF-LITE is VRF without MPLS, am I right???

My customer is running VRFs without MPLS, he is only using the VRF to separate their customers, he is a satellite carrier... Basically what you told me is that he only can configure 64 VRFs, he can only handle 64 "clients"??? Is that right that the 6500 SUP2T can handle 8,192 or am I watching a different value (I attached on my first link???)

Sorry to bother you but my customer asked me to get a CORE switch and I'm consider the best solution.

[Leo Laohoo]

my customer asked me to get a CORE switch and I'm consider the best solution.

Oh good.  You haven't purchased anything yet.  

If you have to purchase a 4500R+E then look at getting the Sup8E instead of the Sup7E.  I believe either cards have the same price.  

What are the chances of your customer going full MPLS/VRF?  This is something you need to listen out for.  Frankly, if your client is doing VRF-Lite, it's not a major leap to go MPLS/VRF.  

How many interfaces (1- or 10 Gbps) are you looking at.  The smallest (and cheapest) appliance which can do MPLS/VRF is ME-3800X.  

If your client has the budget, I'd recommend your client look into 6807X.  

By the way, what's going to be connected to the switch?  Are they servers or access ports to clients?

[payala]

This is the problem. The customer has 2 4507 with SUP-V I think and he want to upgrade. He asked me about one 6509 with SUP2T but I suggested to upgrade to 4507R+E with SUP7E and VSS, I think that the budget of the customer is low...

He needs at least 4 modules of 48 ports so he can receive all their customers. Regarding SUP7 vs SUP8 the main difference is that the SUP8 supports WLC in the module, and has more switching capacity (928 Gbps vs 848 Gbps of the SUP7).

Thanks again

Let me send a copy of the configuration:

CORE-SWITCH#show run
Building configuration...

Current configuration : 77236 bytes
!
version 12.2
no service pad
service timestamps debug uptime
service timestamps log uptime
service password-encryption
service compress-config
!
hostname CORE-SWITCH
!
boot-start-marker
boot system flash bootflash:cat4500-entservicesk9-mz.122-31.SGA9.bin
boot-end-marker

...

ip vrf TMX1

!
ip vrf TMX2
!
ip vrf TMX3

!
ip vrf TMX4
!

...

interface Vlan51
 description TMX1
 ip vrf forwarding TMX1
 ip address 192.168.150.65 255.255.255.240
!
interface Vlan52
 description TMX2
 ip vrf forwarding TMX2
 ip address 192.168.150.113 255.255.255.240
!

...

As you can see the configuration is so simple, I copy only the VRF side so you can see the VRF configuration that he is doing, as far as I know this is VRF-LITE, BTW he has a lot of static routing with VRFs

[Leo Laohoo]

If you need further proof, then go here.  Again, search for "vrf-lite". 

And it's also mentioned here:  

The IP Base image supports Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) for Routed Access, Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP) "limited" Stub Routing, Nonstop Forwarding/Stateful Switchover (NSF/SSO), and RIPv1/v2. The IP Base image does not support enhanced routing features such as BGP, Intermediate System-to-Intermediate System (IS-IS), Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX), AppleTalk, Virtual Routing Forwarding (VRF-lite), GLBP, and policy-based routing (PBR).