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diff --git a/src/vnet/srmpls/sr_doc.md b/src/vnet/srmpls/sr_doc.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..d60592bb74d --- /dev/null +++ b/src/vnet/srmpls/sr_doc.md @@ -0,0 +1,87 @@ +# SR-MPLS: Segment Routing for MPLS {#srmpls_doc} + +This is a memo intended to contain documentation of the VPP SR-MPLS implementation. +Everything that is not directly obvious should come here. +For any feedback on content that should be explained please mailto:pcamaril@cisco.com + +## Segment Routing + +Segment routing is a network technology focused on addressing the limitations of existing IP and Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) networks in terms of simplicity, scale, and ease of operation. It is a foundation for application engineered routing as it prepares the networks for new business models where applications can control the network behavior. + +Segment routing seeks the right balance between distributed intelligence and centralized optimization and programming. It was built for the software-defined networking (SDN) era. + +Segment routing enhances packet forwarding behavior by enabling a network to transport unicast packets through a specific forwarding path, different from the normal path that a packet usually takes (IGP shortest path or BGP best path). This capability benefits many use cases, and one can build those specific paths based on application requirements. + +Segment routing uses the source routing paradigm. A node, usually a router but also a switch, a trusted server, or a virtual forwarder running on a hypervisor, steers a packet through an ordered list of instructions, called segments. A segment can represent any instruction, topological or service-based. A segment can have a local semantic to a segment-routing node or global within a segment-routing network. Segment routing allows an operator to enforce a flow through any topological path and service chain while maintaining per-flow state only at the ingress node to the segment-routing network. Segment routing also supports equal-cost multipath (ECMP) by design. + +Segment routing can operate with either an MPLS or an IPv6 data plane. All the currently available MPLS services, such as Layer 3 VPN (L3VPN), L2VPN (Virtual Private Wire Service [VPWS], Virtual Private LAN Services [VPLS], Ethernet VPN [E-VPN], and Provider Backbone Bridging Ethernet VPN [PBB-EVPN]), can run on top of a segment-routing transport network. + +**The implementation of Segment Routing in VPP covers both the IPv6 data plane (SRv6) as well as the MPLS data plane (SR-MPLS). This page contains the SR-MPLS documentation.** + +## Segment Routing terminology + +* SegmentID (SID): is an MPLS label. +* Segment List (SL) (SID List): is the sequence of SIDs that the packet will traverse. +* SR Policy: is a set of candidate paths (SID list+weight). An SR policy is uniquely identified by its Binding SID and associated with a weighted set of Segment Lists. In case several SID lists are defined, traffic steered into the policy is unevenly load-balanced among them according to their respective weights. +* BindingSID: a BindingSID is a SID (only one) associated one-one with an SR Policy. If a packet arrives with MPLS label corresponding to a BindingSID, then the SR policy will be applied to such packet. (BindingSID is popped first.) + +## SR-MPLS features in VPP + +The SR-MPLS implementation is focused on the SR policies, as well on its steering. Others SR-MPLS features, such as for example AdjSIDs, can be achieved using the regular VPP MPLS implementation. + +The <a href="https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-filsfils-spring-segment-routing-policy/">Segment Routing Policy (*draft-filsfils-spring-segment-routing-policy*)</a> defines SR Policies. + +## Creating a SR Policy + +An SR Policy is defined by a Binding SID and a weighted set of Segment Lists. + +A new SR policy is created with a first SID list using: + + sr mpls policy add bsid 40001 next 16001 next 16002 next 16003 (weight 5) + +* The weight parameter is only used if more than one SID list is associated with the policy. + +An SR policy is deleted with: + + sr mpls policy del bsid 40001 + +The existing SR policies are listed with: + + show sr mpls policies + +### Adding/Removing SID Lists from an SR policy + +An additional SID list is associated with an existing SR policy with: + + sr mpls policy mod bsid 40001 add sl next 16001 next 16002 next 16003 (weight 3) + +Conversely, a SID list can be removed from an SR policy with: + + sr mpls policy mod bsid 4001 del sl index 1 + +Note that this CLI cannot be used to remove the last SID list of a policy. Instead the SR policy delete CLI must be used. + +The weight of a SID list can also be modified with: + + sr mpls policy mod bsid 40001 mod sl index 1 weight 4 + sr mpls policy mod index 1 mod sl index 1 weight 4 + +### SR Policies: Spray policies + +Spray policies are a specific type of SR policies where the packet is replicated on all the SID lists, rather than load-balanced among them. + +SID list weights are ignored with this type of policies. + +A Spray policy is instantiated by appending the keyword **spray** to a regular SR-MPLS policy command, as in: + + sr mpls policy add bsid 40002 next 16001 next 16002 next 16003 spray + +Spray policies are used for removing multicast state from a network core domain, and instead send a linear unicast copy to every access node. The last SID in each list accesses the multicast tree within the access node. + +## Steering packets into a SR Policy + +To steer packets in Transit into an SR policy, the user needs to create an 'sr steering policy'. + + sr mpls steer l3 2001::/64 via sr policy bsid 40001 + sr mpls steer l3 2001::/64 via sr policy bsid 40001 fib-table 3 + sr mpls steer l3 10.0.0.0/16 via sr policy bsid 40001 |