Course Outlines

Module 1: MPLS Features

Lesson 1: Describing Basic MPLS Concepts

• Provide an overview of MPLS forwarding, features, and benefits
• Define MPLS terminology
• Describe the main components of the MPLS architecture

Lesson 2: Describing MPLS Labels and Label Stack

• Describe the features and format of MPLS labels
• Describe where MPLS labels are imposed in an IP packet
• Describe the features of an MPLS label stack

Lesson 3: Identifying MPLS Applications

• Describe the various services that are used with MPLS
• Describe the features of MPLS unicast and multicast IP routing
• Describe MPLS use in VPNs
• Describe MPLS use in TE environments
• Describe MPLS use in QoS environments
• Describe AToM
• Identify the interactions that occur between various MPLS services

Module 2: Label Assignment and Distribution

Lesson 1: Discovering LDP Neighbors

• Describe several varieties of protocols that distribute labels
• Describe how LDP sessions are established between adjacent neighbors
• Describe how LDP neighbors are discovered
• Describe the process of LDP session negotiation between LDP neighbors

Lesson 2: Describing Typical Label Distribution in Frame-Mode MPLS

• Describe how labels are propagated across a network
• Describe the function of LSPs
• Describe the function of PHP
• Describe the impact that IP aggregation has on LSPs
• Describe how labels are allocated in a frame-mode MPLS network
• Describe how MPLS labels are distributed and advertised in a frame-mode network
• Describe how frame-mode loops are detected

Lesson 3: Describing Convergence in Frame-Mode MPLS

• Describe the MPLS steady-state environment
• Describe what happens in the routing tables when a link failure occurs
• Describe routing protocol convergence after a link failure
• Describe frame-mode MPLS convergence after a link failure
• Describe IP and MPLS convergence actions after a link failure has been resolved

Module 3: Frame-Mode MPLS Implementation on Cisco IOS Platforms

Lesson 1: Using Cisco Express Forwarding Switching

• Describe the various switching mechanisms used by Cisco IOS platforms
• Describe the function of standard IP switching on Cisco IOS platforms
• Describe the architecture of Cisco Express Forwarding switching
• Configure IP Cisco Express Forwarding switching
• Monitor IP Cisco Express Forwarding switching

Lesson 2: Configuring Frame-Mode MPLS on Cisco IOS Platforms

• Describe the MPLS configuration tasks
• Configure the MPLS ID on a router
• Configure MPLS on a frame-mode interface
• Configure a label-switching MTU
• Configure IP TTL propagation
• Configure conditional label distribution

Lesson 3: Monitoring Frame-Mode MPLS on Cisco IOS Platforms

• Describe how to monitor MPLS
• Describe how to monitor LDP
• Describe how to monitor label switching
• Describe how to debug MPLS and LDP

Lesson 4: Troubleshooting Frame-Mode MPLS on Cisco IOS Platforms

• Identify the common issues that arise in MPLS networks
• Solve LDP session startup issues
• Solve label allocation issues that can arise in MPLS networks
• Solve label distribution issues that can arise in MPLS networks
• Solve packet-labeling issues that can arise in MPLS networks
• Solve intermittent MPLS failures
• Solve packet propagation issues in MPLS networks

Module 4: MPLS VPN Technology

Lesson 1: Introducing Virtual Private Networks

• Provide an overview of virtual private networks
• Identify the two major VPN implementation models
• Describe the benefits and drawbacks of each type of VPN model

Lesson 2: Introducing MPLS VPN Architecture

• Describe the MPLS VPN architecture
• Describe the different methods of propagating routing information across the provider network
• Describe the features of RDs
• Describe the features of RTs

Lesson 3: Introducing the MPLS VPN Routing Model

• Describe the routing requirements for MPLS VPNs
• Describe how IPv4 is used to provide support for existing Internet routing
• Identify the routing tables implemented in the PE router to support MPLS VPNs
• Describe the end-to-end flow of routing updates in an MPLS VPN

Lesson 4: Forwarding MPLS VPN Packets

• Describe the end-to-end MPLS VPN forwarding mechanisms
• Describe the operation of PHP in an MPLS VPN environment
• Describe how labels are propagated between PE routers
• Describe the effects of MPLS VPNs on label propagation
• Describe the effects of MPLS VPNs on packet forwarding

Module 5: MPLS VPN Implementation

Lesson 1: Using MPLS VPN Mechanisms of Cisco IOS Platforms

• Describe the characteristics of a VRF table
• Describe the need for routing protocol contexts
• Describe the characteristics of VPN-aware routing protocols
• Describe how VRF tables are used
• Describe the outbound BGP route propagation process in an MPLS VPN implementation
• Describe the outbound non-BGP route propagation process in an MPLS VPN implementation
• Describe the inbound route propagation process in an MPLS VPN implementation

Lesson 2: Configuring VRF Tables

• Identify the tasks that are required to configure a VRF table
• Create a VRF table and assign RDs
• Specify export and import RTs
• Describe the optional use of VPN IDs
• Assign an interface to a VRF table
• Describe a typical Cisco IOS configuration that enables VRFs

Lesson 3: Configuring an MP-BGP Session Between PE Routers

• Configure BGP address families
• Describe the requirements for enabling BGP neighbors in an MPLS VPN environment
• Identify the process steps involved in configuring MP-BGP in an MPLS VPN environment
• Configure MP-IBGP in an MPLS VPN environment
• Configure MP-BGP community propagation in an MPLS VPN environment
• Disable IPv4 route exchange in an MPLS VPN environment

Lesson 4: Configuring Small-Scale Routing Protocols Between PE and CE Routers

• Identify the requirements for configuring PE-CE routing protocols
• Select the VRF routing context for BGP on the PE router
• Configure per-VRF static routes
• Configure a RIP PE-CE routing session
• Configure an EIGRP PE-CE routing session

Lesson 5: Monitoring MPLS VPN Operations

• Monitor VRF information
• Monitor VRF routing
• Monitor MP-BGP sessions
• Monitor an MP-BGP VPNv4 table
• Monitor per-VRF Cisco Express Forwarding and LFIB structures
• Monitor labels associated with VPNv4 routes
• Identify the command syntax that is used with other MPLS VPN monitoring commands

Lesson 6: Configuring OSPF as the Routing Protocol Between PE and CE Routers

• Describe the features of the OSPF hierarchical model
• Describe the propagation of OSPF customer routes across the MPLS VPN backbone
• Describe how an MPLS VPN is implemented as an OSPF superbackbone
• Configure a PE-CE OSPF routing session
• Describe how the OSPF down bit is used to address the route loop issue
• Describe how packet forwarding is optimized across the MPLS VPN backbone
• Describe how the OSPF tag field is used to address the root loop issue
• Describe the features of a sham link
• Configure a sham link

Lesson 7: Configuring BGP as the Routing Protocol Between PE and CE Routers

• Configure a per-VRF BGP routing context
• Explain the reason for limiting the number of routes in a VRF
• Describe how to limit the number of prefixes received from a BGP neighbor
• Describe how to limit the total number of VRF routes
• Identify the issues encountered when a customer wants to reuse the same AS number on several sites
• Identify the issues encountered when a customer site links two VPNs
• Implement SOO for loop prevention

Lesson 8: Troubleshooting MPLS VPNs

• Identify the preliminary steps in MPLS VPN troubleshooting
• Identify the issues that you should consider when verifying the routing information flow in an MPLS VPN
• Describe the process used to validate CE-to-PE routing information flow
• Describe the process used to validate PE-to-PE routing information flow
• Describe the process used to validate PE-to-CE routing information flow
• Identify the issues that you should consider when verifying the data flow in an MPLS VPN
• Describe how to validate Cisco Express Forwarding status
• Describe how to validate the end-to-end lLSP
• Describe how to validate the LFIB status

Module 6: Complex MPLS VPNs

Lesson 1: Introducing Overlapping VPNs

• Identify the participants in overlapping VPNs
• Identify typical overlapping VPN usages
• Describe the routing update flow in an overlapping VPN
• Describe the data flow in an overlapping VPN
• Configure overlapping VPNs

Lesson 2: Introducing Central Services VPNs

• Describe the access characteristics of a central services VPN
• Describe the routing characteristics of a central services VPN
• Describe the data flow within a central services VPN
• Configure a central services VPN
• Identify the connectivity requirements when you are integrating a central services VPN with an overlapping VPN
• Identify the RD requirements when you are integrating a central services VPN with an overlapping VPN
• Identify the RT requirements when you are integrating a central services VPN with an overlapping VPN

Lesson 3: Using Advanced VRF Import and Export Features

• Identify advanced VRF features
• Configure selective VRF imports
• Configure selective VRF exports

Lesson 4: Introducing the Managed CE Routers Service

• Identify the overall requirements of a managed CE routers VPN
• Identify the VRF and RD requirements of a managed CE routers VPN
• Configure a managed CE routers VPN

Module 7: Internet Access and MPLS VPNs

Lesson 1: Combining Internet Access with MPLS VPNs

• Describe common customer Internet connectivity scenarios
• Identify the two major design models for combining Internet access with MPLS VPN services
• Describe the benefits and drawback of Internet access through global routing
• Describe the benefits and drawback of Internet access in a separate VPN
• Describe the disadvantages of providing Internet access through route leaking

Lesson 2: Implementing Separate Internet Access and VPN Services

• Describe the features of classical Internet access for a VPN customer
• Describe how separate subinterfaces are implemented to support Internet access by using global routing
• Describe how Internet access can be obtained for every customer site
• Identify the benefits and limitations of separating Internet access from VPN services

Lesson 3: Implementing Internet Access as a Separate VPN

• Describe the features of using Internet access as a separate VPN
• Describe how to implement a redundant Internet access implementation
• Describe how to implement classical Internet access for a VPN customer
• Describe how to implement Internet access from every customer site
• Describe how to implement wholesale Internet access
• Identify the benefits and limitations of running an Internet backbone in a VPN

Module 8: MPLS TE Overview

Lesson 1: Introducing Traffic Engineering Concepts

• Identify the concepts behind TE
• Identify the major business drivers for implementing TE
• Identify congestion avoidance and how TE can reduce some congestion-avoidance issues
• Identify how TE is implemented using a Layer 2 overlay model
• Identify how TE is implemented using a Layer 3 model
• Identify how TE is implemented using the MPLS-TE model

Lesson 2: Understanding MPLS TE Components

• Identify, at a conceptual level, how a traffic tunnel functions
• Identify traffic tunnel characteristics
• Identify traffic tunnel attributes
• Identify the relation between network links and link attributes
• Identify the function of constraint-based path computation
• Identify TE procedures
• Identify the role of RSVP in path setup and admission control
• Identify how using TE modifies the forwarding table mechanism

Lesson 3: Configuring MPLS Traffic Engineering on Cisco IOS Platforms

• Identify the tasks that are required to implement MPLS TE
• Enable device-level MPLS TE support
• Enable MPLS TE support in an IS-IS environment
• Enable MPLS TE support in an OSPF environment
• Enable MPLS TE on an interface
• Create and configure a traffic tunnel
• Enable traffic tunnels with autoroute

Lesson 4: Monitoring Basic MPLS TE on Cisco IOS Platforms

• Monitor MPLS TE tunnels
• Monitor MPLS TE, including verifying RSVP information on an interface, verifying that MPLS TE is present in the global routing table, and verifying that IP traffic is forwarded through the MPLS TE tunnels