Cisco ASR 9000 Series Configuration Guidelines

it is much more difficult, and may be impossible, for the service provider to offer value-added Layer 3 services
(this is discussed later in the document).
Ethernet Flow Point
An Ethernet Flow Point (EFP) is a substream partition of a main interface. On Cisco ASR 9000 Series Routers,
the EFP is implemented as an L2 subinterface with an encapsulation statement.
Ethernet Virtual Circuit
An Ethernet Virtual Circuit (EVC) is a point-to-point tunnel. On Cisco ASR 9000 Series Routers, the EVC
is implemented as a pseudowire (PW).
Ethernet OAM Protocols
Ethernet as a Metro Area Network (MAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN) technology benefits greatly from
the implementation of Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) features. OAM features allow
Service Providers to monitor the quality of the connections on a MAN or WAN. Service providers can monitor
specific events, take actions on events, and if necessary, put specific interfaces into loopback mode for
troubleshooting. Ethernet OAM features can be configured to monitor either side or both sides of a link.
For more information on Ethernet OAM protocols, refer to the Configuring Ethernet Interfaces chapter of the
Interface and Hardware Component Configuration Guide for Cisco ASR 9000 Series Routers.
Layer 2 VPN on Ethernet Interfaces
Layer 2 Virtual Private Network (L2VPN) connections emulate the behavior of a LAN across an IP or
MPLS-enabled IP network, allowing Ethernet devices to communicate with each other as if they were connected
to a common LAN segment.
The L2VPN feature enables service providers (SPs) to provide L2 services to geographically disparate customer
sites. Typically, an SP uses an access network to connect the customer to the core network. This access network
may use a mixture of L2 technologies, such as Ethernet and Frame Relay. The connection between the customer
site and the nearby SP edge router is known as an attachment circuit (AC). Traffic from the customer travels
over this link to the edge of the SP core network. The traffic then tunnels through a pseudowire over the SP
core network to another edge router. The edge router sends the traffic down another AC to the customer's
remote site.
The L2VPN feature enables the connection between different types of L2 attachment circuits and pseudowires,
allowing users to implement different types of end-to-end services.
Cisco IOS XR software supports a point-to-point end-to-end service, where two Ethernet circuits are connected
together. An L2VPN Ethernet port can operate in one of two modes:
• Port Mode—In this mode, all packets reaching the port are sent over the pseudowire, regardless of any
VLAN tags that are present on the packets. In VLAN mode, the configuration is performed under the
l2transport configuration mode.
• VLAN Mode—Each VLAN on a CE (customer edge) or access network to PE (provider edge) link can
be configured as a separate L2VPN connection (using either VC type 4 or VC type 5). To configure
L2VPN on VLANs, see The Carrier Ethernet Model chapter in this manual. In VLAN mode, the
configuration is performed under the individual subinterface.
Switching can take place in three ways:
L2VPN and Ethernet Services Configuration Guide for Cisco ASR 9000 Series Routers, IOS XR Release 6.3.x
9
The Carrier Ethernet Model
Ethernet Flow Point

Cisco ASR 9000 Series Specifications

General

Series	ASR 9000
Category	Network Router
Modular Design	Yes
Redundancy	Yes (Hardware and Software)
Operating System	Cisco IOS XR
Interfaces/Ports	10G, 40G, 100G, 400G Ethernet
Expansion Slots	Varies by model
Routing Protocol	BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, EIGRP
Management	CLI, SNMP, NETCONF
Power Supply	Redundant
Port Density	Varies by model
Power Supply Options	AC, DC
Memory	Varies by model
Storage	Varies by model
Dimensions	Varies by model
Weight	Varies by model