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MPLS and L3VPN lab 6 of 11

A RouterOS PE in a Cisco core

Make a MikroTik router a full PE in an IOS core, with two customers: one on eBGP and one on OSPF. Compare how RouterOS expresses VRFs, route targets and redistribution, read per-VRF labels, and find where the two vendors differ.

Run this lab

It needs Lite: its 6 nodes are set to 6 vCPU and 2,560 MB in total. That fits the free demo too.

In your workspace: Shared, then MPLS and L3VPN guided labs, then 06 - A RouterOS PE in a Cisco core

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Level
Advanced
Time
About 90 minutes
Nodes need
6 vCPU, 2,560 MB
Smallest plan
Lite

The scenario

Wrenfield Networks has picked up a small provider in a market town, and its only router runs RouterOS. Replacing it costs money that nobody wants to spend. So the question for you is simple: can a MikroTik router be a full PE in a Cisco core, with two customers on it?

CustomerVRFAt PE1 (IOS)At PE3 (RouterOS)RD on PE3RT
Alder FoodsALDERCE1, eBGPCE3, eBGP, AS 65203, 192.168.3.0/2465100:365100:100
Birch LogisticsBIRCHLoopback20, 192.168.20.0/24CE4 (RouterOS), OSPF, 192.168.4.0/2465100:465100:200

The same ideas in RouterOS 7:

IdeaIOSRouterOS 7
VRFvrf definition plus vrf forwarding on the interface/ip vrf add name=X interfaces=etherN
RD and RTsUnder the VRF/routing bgp vpn add vrf=X route-distinguisher=... import.route-targets=... export.route-targets=...
Put routes in the VPNredistribute under address-family ipv4 vrfexport.redistribute= on /routing bgp vpn
Take VPN routes out to a customerAutomatic for eBGP in the VRFoutput.redistribute=bgp-mpls-vpn on the customer's connection
Session address familyaddress-family vpnv4address-families=vpnv4 on the connection
DeviceInterfaceAddressConnects to
CE1Loopback1192.168.1.1/24
CE1Gi0/0172.16.1.2/30PE1 Gi0/0
PE1Loopback010.255.0.1/32
PE1Loopback20192.168.20.1/24
PE1Gi0/0172.16.1.1/30CE1 Gi0/0
PE1Gi0/110.0.12.1/30P Gi0/0
PLoopback010.255.0.2/32
PGi0/010.0.12.2/30PE1 Gi0/1
PGi0/110.0.23.1/30PE3 ether1
PE3loopback10.255.0.3/32
PE3ether110.0.23.2/30P Gi0/1
CE3Loopback1192.168.3.1/24
CE3Gi0/0172.16.3.2/30PE3 ether2
CE4ether1172.16.4.2/30PE3 ether3
CE4lan192.168.4.1/24

What you’ll practise

  • Join a RouterOS router to an IOS LDP core
  • Build VRFs, RDs and RTs on RouterOS 7 and a VPNv4 session to an IOS PE
  • Connect an eBGP customer and an OSPF customer to a RouterOS PE
  • Read per-VRF labels beside per-prefix labels on the two PEs
  • Say where interoperability stops, and test around it

The tasks

  1. Join the label core
  2. Create the VRFs
  3. Build the VPNv4 session
  4. Put Alder in the VPN
  5. Put Birch in the VPN, over OSPF
  6. Read the labels
  7. Where the vendors differ

The Lab Tasks pane has the scenario, these tasks, the checks to run, hints and the full solution.

Topology and devices

The network as it opens in EVE-NG, drawn from the lab’s own canvas, and the image each node runs.

Topology of A RouterOS PE in a Cisco core6 nodes, 5 links. Every link is listed as text below the diagram.CE1PE1PPE3CE3CE4Gi0/0Gi0/0Gi0/1Gi0/0Gi0/1ether1ether2Gi0/0ether3ether1
6 nodes, with the interface names each link uses. On a narrow screen, scroll the diagram sideways.
Every link, as text
  • CE1 Gi0/0 to PE1 Gi0/0
  • PE1 Gi0/1 to P Gi0/0
  • P Gi0/1 to PE3 ether1
  • PE3 ether2 to CE3 Gi0/0
  • PE3 ether3 to CE4 ether1
Nodes in A RouterOS PE in a Cisco core, with the image each runs and the vCPU and RAM it’s set to
NodeDeviceImage in Add NodeSet to
CE1Cisco IOSvvios-adventerprisek9-m.spa.159-3.m91 vCPU, 512 MB
PE1Cisco IOSvvios-adventerprisek9-m.spa.159-3.m91 vCPU, 512 MB
PCisco IOSvvios-adventerprisek9-m.spa.159-3.m91 vCPU, 512 MB
PE3MikroTik RouterOSmikrotik-7.14.21 vCPU, 256 MB
CE3Cisco IOSvvios-adventerprisek9-m.spa.159-3.m91 vCPU, 512 MB
CE4MikroTik RouterOSmikrotik-7.14.21 vCPU, 256 MB

How to open this lab

  1. Sign in to your workspace at lab.cloudlabbox.com.

  2. In File Manager, open Shared, then the folder MPLS and L3VPN guided labs.

  3. Open 06 - A RouterOS PE in a Cisco core and start its nodes, then open Lab Tasks for the scenario and the steps.

The lab is read-only. You can start the nodes and configure the devices, but changes to the topology can’t be saved. To change it, rebuild it in your own folder.

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CloudLabBox is independent of Cisco, Juniper Networks and MikroTik. The lab follows exam topics and isn’t vendor training material; vendor names identify the exams and the images in the workspace.