SRv6 utilizes the IPv6 data plane natively to deliver Segment Routing capabilities which dramatically simplifies network deployments. By eliminating the need for MPLS label shims and transporting SRv6 SIDs as IPv6 addresses, any IPv6 capable router can forward an SRv6 packet. This means that you can run SRv6 services over any IPv6-enabled infrastructure. This lab will introduce you to the basics of SRv6 with L3VPN over a purely IPv6 transport.

Service providers and other large organizations rely on MPLS on multiple platforms to deliver mission-critical applications and services. Segment Routing is the next-generation technology that replaces MPLS, and here we look at SR-MPLS along with an advanced feature called Flexible Algorithm (Flex-Algo). Segment Routing with Flex-Algo enables the router to assign a user-defined algorithm to the IGP that is implemented dynamically and on-demand.

SRv6, a native IPv6 data plane protocol, offers Segment Routing capabilities that significantly simplify network deployments. It employs source routing by encoding the path in the packet header. SRv6 utilizes the IPv6 Routing Extension Header to carry multiple IPv6 addresses, including multiple SRv6 SIDs. SRv6 uSID takes this concept further by allowing a single 128-bit IPv6 destination address to carry up to six individual uSIDs, or labels, in MPLS terms. In this lab, we will explore the use of Flexible Algorithm (FA) with SRv6 uSID and BGP L3VPN.

This article provides a concise overview of the solution, including both hardware and software components.