Virtual Routing and Forwarding - VRF
Cumulus Linux provides virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) to allow for the presence of multiple independent routing tables working simultaneously on the same router or switch. This permits multiple network paths without the need for multiple switches. Think of this feature as VLAN for layer 3, but unlike VLANs, there is no field in the IP header carrying it. Other implementations call this feature VRF-Lite.
The primary use cases for VRF in a data center are similar to VLANs at layer 2: using common physical infrastructure to carry multiple isolated traffic streams for multi-tenant environments, where these streams are allowed to cross over only at configured boundary points, typically firewalls or IDS. You can also use it to burst traffic from private clouds to enterprise networks where the burst point is at layer 3. Or you can use it in an OpenStack deployment.
VRF is fully supported in the Linux kernel, so it has the following characteristics:
- The VRF is presented as a layer 3 master network device with its own associated routing table.
- You can associate any layer 3 interface with a VRF, such as an SVI, swp port or bond, or a VLAN subinterface of a swp port or bond.
- The layer 3 interfaces (VLAN interfaces, bonds, switch virtual interfaces/SVIs) associated with the VRF are enslaved to that VRF; IP rules direct FIB (forwarding information base) lookups to the routing table for the VRF device.
- The VRF device can have its own IP address, known as a VRF-local loopback.
- Applications can use existing interfaces to operate in a VRF context by binding sockets to the VRF device or passing the
ifindexusingcmsg. By default, applications on the switch run against the default VRF. Services started bysystemdrun in the default VRF unless the VRF instance is used. When management VRF is enabled, logins to the switch default to the management VRF. This is a convenience so that you do not have to specify management VRF for each command. Management VRF is enabled by default in Cumulus Linux. - Listen sockets used by services are VRF-global by default unless the application is configured to use a more limited scope (see services in the management VRF). Connected sockets (like TCP) are then bound to the VRF domain in which the connection originates. The kernel provides a sysctl that allows a single instance to accept connections over all VRFs. For TCP, connected sockets are bound to the VRF on which the first packet is received. This sysctl is enabled for Cumulus Linux.
- Connected and local routes are placed in appropriate VRF tables.
- Neighbor entries continue to be per-interface, and you can view all entries associated with the VRF device.
- A VRF does not map to its own network namespace; however, you can nest VRFs in a network namespace.
- You can use existing Linux tools, such as
tcpdump, to interact with a VRF.
Cumulus Linux supports up to 255 VRFs on a switch.
Configure VRF
Each routing table is called a VRF table, and has its own table ID.
To configure VRF, you associate each subset of interfaces to a VRF routing table and configure an instance of the routing protocol (BGP or OSPFv2) for each routing table.Configuring a VRF is similar to configuring other network interfaces. Keep in mind the following:
- A VRF table can have an IP address, which is a loopback interface for the VRF.
- Associated rules are added automatically.
- You can also add a default route to avoid skipping across tables when the kernel forwards the packet.
- Names for VRF tables can be a maximum of 15 characters. You cannot use the name
mgmt; Cumulus Linux uses this name for the management VRF. Also, you cannot use these reserved names:default,unspec,main, orlocal.
To configure a VRF, run the following commands:
The following example commands configure a VRF called rocket with a table ID that is automatically assigned:
cumulus@switch:~$ net add vrf rocket vrf-table auto
cumulus@switch:~$ net add interface swp1 vrf rocket
cumulus@switch:~$ net pending
cumulus@switch:~$ net commit
Edit the /etc/network/interfaces file. The following example configures a VRF called rocket with a table ID that is automatically assigned.
...
auto swp1
iface swp1
vrf rocket
auto rocket
iface rocket
vrf-table auto
...
To load the new configuration, run ifreload -a:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo ifreload -a
Specify a Table ID
Instead of having Cumulus Linux assign a table ID for the VRF table, you can specify your own table ID in the configuration. The table ID to name mapping is saved in /etc/iproute2/rt_tables.d/ for name-based references. Instead of using the auto option as shown above, specify the table ID. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ net add vrf rocket vrf-table 1016
cumulus@switch:~$ net pending
cumulus@switch:~$ net commit
Edit the /etc/network/interfaces file:
...
auto swp1
iface swp1
vrf rocket
auto rocket
iface rocket
vrf-table 1016
...
To load the new configuration, run ifreload -a:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo ifreload -a
The table ID must be in the range of 1001 to 1255, which is reserved in Cumulus Linux for VRF table IDs.
Bring a VRF Up After You Run ifdown
If you take down a VRF using ifdown, you need to run one of the following commands to bring the VRF back up:
ifup --with-depends <vrf-name>ifreload -a
For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo ifdown rocket
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo ifup --with-depends rocket
Use the vrf Command
Run the vrf command to show information about VRF tables not available in other Linux commands, such as iproute.
To show a list of VRF tables, run the vrf list command:
cumulus@switch:~$ vrf list
VRF Table
---------------- -----
rocket 1016
To show a list of processes and PIDs associated with a specific VRF table, run the ip vrf pids <vrf-name> command. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ ip vrf pids rocket
VRF: rocket
-----------------------
dhclient 2508
sshd 2659
bash 2681
su 2702
bash 2720
vrf 2829
To determine which VRF table is associated with a particular PID, run the ip vrf identify <pid> command. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ ip vrf identify 2829
rocket
IPv4 and IPv6 Commands in a VRF Context
You can execute non-VRF-specific Linux commands and perform other tasks against a given VRF table. This typically applies to single-use commands started from a login shell, as they affect only AF_INET and AF_INET6 sockets opened by the command that gets executed; it has no impact on netlink sockets, associated with the ip command.
To execute such a command against a VRF table, run ip vrf exec <vrf-name> <command>. For example, to SSH from the switch to a device accessible through VRF rocket:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo ip vrf exec rocket ssh user@host
Services in VRFs
For services that need to run against a specific VRF, Cumulus Linux uses systemd instances, where the instance is the VRF. In general, you start a service within a VRF with the systemctl start <service>@<vrf-name> command. For example, to run the dhcpd service in the turtle VRF:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo systemctl start dhcpd@turtle
In most cases, the instance running in the default VRF needs to be stopped before a VRF instance can start. This is because the instance running in the default VRF owns the port across all VRFs (it is VRF global). Cumulus Linux stops systemd-based services when the VRF is deleted and starts them when the VRF is created (when you restart networking or run an ifdown/ifup sequence). Refer to the management VRF chapter for details.
The following services work with VRF instances:
chef-clientcollectddhcpddhcrelayhsflowdnetq-agentntp(can only run in the default or management VRF)puppetsnmptrapdsshzabbix-agent
There are cases where systemd instances do not work; you must use a service-specific configuration option instead. For example, to configure rsyslogd to send messages to remote systems over a VRF:
action(type="omfwd" Target="hostname or ip here" Device="mgmt" Port=514
Protocol="udp")
VRF Route Leaking
The most common use case for VRF is to use multiple independent routing and forwarding tables; however, there are situations where destinations in one VRF must be reachable (leaked) from another VRF. For example, to make a service (such as a firewall) available to multiple VRFs or to enable routing to external networks (or the Internet) for multiple VRFs, where the external network itself is reachable through a specific VRF.
Cumulus Linux supports dynamic VRF route leaking. Static route leaking is not supported.
- An interface is always assigned to only one VRF; any packets received on that interface are routed using the associated VRF routing table.
- Route leaking is not allowed for overlapping addresses.
- Route leaking is supported for both IPv4 and IPv6 routes.
- Route leaking is supported with EVPN in a symmetric routing configuration only.
- VRF route leaking is not supported between the tenant VRF and the default VRF with onlink next hops (bgp unnumbered).
- The NCLU command to configure route leaking fails if the VRF is named
red(lowercase letters only). This is not a problem if the VRF is namedRED(uppercase letters) or has a name other than red. To work around this issue, rename the VRF or run thevtyshcommand instead. This is a known limitation innetwork-docopt.
VRF route leaking uses BGP to replicate the leaked routes across VRFs. However, Cumulus Linux cannot replicate the host routes for neighbors local to a switch where the leak is configured. To discover all directly connected neighbors in the source VRF of a leaked route, enable the vrf_route_leak_enable_dynamic option in the /etc/cumulus/switchd.conf file. These routes are then replicated into the target or destination VRF as specified in the leaked route.
The vrf_route_leak_enable_dynamic option makes certain inter-VRF traffic ASIC accelerated. Enable this option if you are experiencing slow performance.
Configure Route Leaking
For route leaking, a destination VRF is interested in the routes of a source VRF. As routes come and go in the source VRF, they are dynamically leaked to the destination VRF through BGP. If the routes in the source VRF are learned through BGP, no additional configuration is necessary. If the routes in the source VRF are learned through OSPF, or if they are statically configured or directly-connected networks have to be reached, the routes need to be first redistributed into BGP (in the source VRF) for them to be leaked.
You can also use route leaking to reach remote destinations as well as directly connected destinations in another VRF. Multiple VRFs can import routes from a single source VRF and a VRF can import routes from multiple source VRFs. This is typically used when a single VRF provides connectivity to external networks or a shared service for many other VRFs. The routes that are leaked dynamically across VRFs can be controlled using a route-map.
Because route leaking happens through BGP, the underlying mechanism relies on the BGP constructs of the Route Distinguisher (RD) and Route Targets (RTs). However, you do not need to configure these parameters; they are automatically derived when you enable route leaking between a pair of VRFs.
When you use route leaking:
- You cannot reach the loopback address of a VRF (the address assigned to the VRF device) from another VRF.
- When using route leaking, you must use the
redistributecommand in BGP to leak non-BGP routes (connected or static routes); you cannot use thenetworkcommand. - Routes in the management VRF with the next-hop as eth0 or the management interface are not leaked.
- Routes learned with iBGP or multi-hop eBGP in a VRF can be leaked even if their next hops become unreachable. Therefore, route leaking for BGP-learned routes is recommended only when they are learned through single-hop eBGP.
- You cannot configure VRF instances of BGP in multiple autonomous systems (AS) or an AS that is not the same as the global AS.
- Do not use the default VRF as a shared service VRF. Create another VRF for shared services.
- An EVPN symmetric routing configuration on a Mellanox switch with a Spectrum ASIC or a Broadcom switch has certain limitations when leaking routes between the default VRF and non-default VRFs. The default VRF has underlay routes (routes to VTEP addresses) that cannot be leaked to any tenant VRFs. If you need to leak routes between the default VRF and a non-default VRF, you must filter out routes to the VTEP addresses to prevent leaking these routes. Use caution with such a configuration. Run common services in a separate VRF (service VRF) instead of the default VRF to simplify configuration and avoid using route-maps for filtering.
In the following example commands, routes in the BGP routing table of VRF rocket are dynamically leaked into VRF turtle.
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf turtle ipv4 unicast import vrf rocket
cumulus@switch:~$ net pending
cumulus@switch:~$ net commit
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo vtysh
switch# configure terminal
switch(config)# router bgp 65001 vrf turtle
switch(config-router)# address-family ipv4 unicast
switch(config-router-af)# import vrf rocket
switch(config-router-af)# end
switch# write memory
switch# exit
cumulus@switch:~$
The NCLU and vtysh commands save the configuration in the /etc/frr/frr.conf file. For example:
...
router bgp 65001 vrf turtle
!
address-family ipv4 unicast
import vrf rocket
...
Exclude Certain Prefixes
You can exclude certain prefixes from being imported. The prefixes must be configured in a route map.
The following example configures a route map to match the source protocol BGP and imports the routes from VRF turtle to VRF rocket. For the imported routes, the community is set to 11:11 in VRF rocket.
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf rocket ipv4 unicast import vrf turtle
cumulus@switch:~$ net add routing route-map turtle-to-rocket-IPV4 permit 10
cumulus@switch:~$ net add routing route-map turtle-to-rocket-IPV4 permit 10 match source-protocol bgp
cumulus@switch:~$ net add routing route-map turtle-to-rocket-IPV4 permit 10 set community 11:11
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf rocket ipv4 unicast import vrf route-map turtle-to-rocket-IPV4
cumulus@switch:~$ net pending
cumulus@switch:~$ net commit
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo vtysh
switch# configure terminal
switch(config)# router bgp 65001 vrf rocket
switch(config-router)# address-family ipv4 unicast
switch(config-router-af)# import vrf turtle
switch(config-router-af)# route-map turtle-to-rocket-IPV4 permit 10
switch(config-route-map)# match source-protocol bgp
switch(config-route-map)# set community 11:11
switch(config-route-map)# exit
switch(config)# router bgp 65001 vrf rocket
switch(config-router)# address-family ipv4 unicast
switch(config-router-af)# import vrf route-map turtle-to-rocket-IPv4
switch(config-router-af)# end
switch# write memory
switch# exit
cumulus@switch:~$
Verify Route Leaking Configuration
To check the status of VRF route leaking, run the NCLU net show bgp vrf <vrf-name> ipv4|ipv6 unicast route-leak command or the vtysh show ip bgp vrf <vrf-name> ipv4|ipv6 unicast route-leak command. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ net show bgp vrf turtle ipv4 unicast route-leak
This VRF is importing IPv4 Unicast routes from the following VRFs:
rocket
Import RT(s): 0.0.0.0:3
This VRF is exporting IPv4 Unicast routes to the following VRFs:
rocket
RD: 10.1.1.1:2
Export RT: 10.1.1.1:2
- To view the BGP routing table, run the NCLU
net show bgp vrf <vrf-name> ipv4|ipv6 unicastcommand or the vtyshshow ip bgp vrf <vrf-name> ipv4|ipv6 unicastcommand. - To view the FRR IP routing table, use the NCLU
net show route vrf <vrf-name>command or the vtyshshow ip route vrf <vrf-name>command. These commands show all routes, including routes leaked from other VRFs.
The following example commands show all routes in VRF turtle, including routes leaked from VRF rocket:
cumulus@switch:~$ net show route vrf turtle
Codes: K - kernel route, C - connected, S - static, R - RIP,
O - OSPF, I - IS-IS, B - BGP, P - PIM, E - EIGRP, N - NHRP,
T - Table, v - VNC, V - VNC-Direct, A - Babel, D - SHARP,
F - PBR,
> - selected route, * - FIB route
VRF turtle:
K * 0.0.0.0/0 [255/8192] unreachable (ICMP unreachable), 6d07h01m
C>* 10.1.1.1/32 is directly connected, turtle, 6d07h01m
B>* 10.0.100.1/32 [200/0] is directly connected, rocket(vrf rocket), 6d05h10m
B>* 10.0.200.0/24 [20/0] via 10.10.2.2, swp1.11, 5d05h10m
B>* 10.0.300.0/24 [200/0] via 10.20.2.2, swp1.21(vrf rocket), 5d05h10m
C>* 10.10.2.0/30 is directly connected, swp1.11, 6d07h01m
C>* 10.10.3.0/30 is directly connected, swp2.11, 6d07h01m
C>* 10.10.4.0/30 is directly connected, swp3.11, 6d07h01m
B>* 10.20.2.0/30 [200/0] is directly connected, swp1.21(vrf rocket), 6d05h10m
Delete Route Leaking Configuration
To remove route leaking configuration, run the following commands. These commands ensure that all leaked routes are removed and routes are no longer leaked from the specified source VRF.
The following example commands delete leaked routes from VRF rocket to VRF turtle:
cumulus@switch:~$ net del bgp vrf turtle ipv4 unicast import vrf rocket
cumulus@switch:~$ net pending
cumulus@switch:~$ net commit
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo vtysh
switch# configure terminal
switch(config)# router bgp 65001 vrf turtle
switch(config-router)# address-family ipv4 unicast
switch(config-router-af)# no import vrf rocket
switch(config-router-af)# end
switch# write memory
switch# exit
cumulus@switch:~$
Do not use the kernel commands; they are no longer supported and might cause issues when used with VRF route leaking in FRR.
FRRouting Operation in a VRF
In Cumulus Linux, BGP, OSPFv2 and static routing (IPv4 and IPv6) are supported within a VRF context. Various FRRouting routing constructs, such as routing tables, nexthops, router-id, and related processing are also VRF-aware.
FRRouting learns of VRFs provisioned on the system as well as interface attachment to a VRF through notifications from the kernel.
You can assign switch ports to each VRF table with an interface-level configuration, and BGP instances can be assigned to the table with a BGP router-level command.
Because BGP is VRF-aware, per-VRF neighbors, both iBGP and eBGP, as well as numbered and unnumbered interfaces are supported. Non-interface-based VRF neighbors are bound to the VRF, which is how you can have overlapping address spaces in different VRFs. Each VRF can have its own parameters, such as address families and redistribution. Incoming connections rely on the Linux kernel for VRF-global sockets. BGP neighbors can be tracked using BFD, both for single and multiple hops. You can configure multiple BGP instances, associating each with a VRF.
A VRF-aware OSPFv2 configuration also supports numbered and unnumbered interfaces. Supported layer 3 interfaces include SVIs, sub-interfaces and physical interfaces. The VRF supports types 1 through 5 (ABR/ASBR - external LSAs) and types 9 through 11 (opaque LSAs) link state advertisements, redistributing other routing protocols, connected and static routes, and route maps. As with BGP, you can track OSPF neighbors with BFD.
Cumulus Linux does not support multiple VRFs in multi-instance OSPF.
VRFs are provisioned using NCLU. VRFs can be pre-provisioned in FRRouting too, but they become active only when configured with NCLU.
- You pre-provision a VRF in FRRouting by running the command
vrf vrf-name. - You can pre-provision a BGP instance corresponding to a VRF with the NCLU
net add bgp vrf <vrf-name> autonomous-system <value>command. Under this context, all existing BGP parameters can be configured: neighbors, peer-groups, address-family configuration, redistribution, and so on. - An OSPFv2 instance can be configured using the NCLU
net add ospf vrf <vrf-name>command; as with BGP, you can configure all OSPFv2 parameters. - You can provision static routes (IPv4 and IPv6) in a VRF by specifying the VRF along with the static route configuration. For example,
ip route prefix dev vrf <vrf-name>. The VRF has to exist for this configuration to be accepted - either already defined through/etc/network/interfacesor pre-provisioned in FRRouting.
Example VRF Configuration in BGP
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1012 autonomous-system 64900
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1012 router-id 6.0.2.7
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1012 neighbor ISL peer-group
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1012 neighbor ISLv6 peer-group
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1012 neighbor swp1.2 interface v6only peer-group ISLv6
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1012 neighbor swp1.2 remote-as external
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1012 neighbor swp3.2 interface v6only peer-group ISLv6
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1012 neighbor swp3.2 remote-as external
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1012 neighbor 169.254.2.18 remote-as external
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1012 neighbor 169.254.2.18 peer-group ISL
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1012 ipv4 unicast network 20.7.2.0/24
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1012 ipv4 unicast neighbor ISL activate
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1012 neighbor ISL route-map ALLOW_BR2 out
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1012 ipv6 unicast network 2003:7:2::/125
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1012 ipv6 unicast neighbor ISLv6 activate
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1012 neighbor ISLv6 route-map ALLOW_BR2_v6 out
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo vtysh
switch# configure terminal
switch(config)# router bgp 65001 vrf vrf1012
switch(config-router)# bgp router-id 6.0.2.7
switch(config-router)# no bgp default ipv4-unicast
switch(config-router)# neighbor ISL peer-group
switch(config-router)# neighbor ISLv6 peer-group
switch(config-router)# neighbor swp1.2 interface v6only peer-group ISLv6
switch(config-router)# neighbor swp1.2 remote-as external
switch(config-router)# neighbor swp3.2 interface v6only peer-group ISLv6
switch(config-router)# neighbor swp3.2 remote-as external
switch(config-router)# neighbor 169.254.2.18 remote-as external
switch(config-router)# neighbor 169.254.2.18 peer-group ISL
switch(config-router)# address-family ipv4 unicast
switch(config-router-af)# network 20.7.2.0/24
switch(config-router-af)# neighbor ISL activate
switch(config-router-af)# neighbor ISL route-map ALLOW_BR2 out
switch(config-router-af)# exit
switch(config-router)# address-family ipv6 unicast
switch(config-router-af)# network 2003:7:2::/125
switch(config-router-af)# neighbor ISLv6 activate
switch(config-router-af)# neighbor ISLv6 route-map ALLOW_BR2_v6 out
switch(config-router-af)# end
switch# write memory
switch# exit
cumulus@switch:~$
The NCLU and vtysh commands save the configuration in the /etc/frr/frr.conf file. For example:
...
router bgp 64900 vrf vrf1012
bgp router-id 6.0.2.7
no bgp default ipv4-unicast
neighbor ISL peer-group
neighbor ISLv6 peer-group
neighbor swp1.2 interface v6only peer-group ISLv6
neighbor swp1.2 remote-as external
neighbor swp3.2 interface v6only peer-group ISLv6
neighbor swp3.2 remote-as external
neighbor 169.254.2.18 remote-as external
neighbor 169.254.2.18 peer-group ISL
!
address-family ipv4 unicast
network 20.7.2.0/24
neighbor ISL activate
neighbor ISL route-map ALLOW_BR2 out
exit-address-family
!
address-family ipv6 unicast
network 2003:7:2::/125
neighbor ISLv6 activate
neighbor ISLv6 route-map ALLOW_BR2_v6 out
exit-address-family
...
Example VRF Configuration in OSPF
cumulus@switch:~$ net add ospf vrf vrf1
cumulus@switch:~$ net add ospf vrf vrf1 router-id 4.4.4.4
cumulus@switch:~$ net add ospf vrf vrf1 log-adjacency-changes detail
cumulus@switch:~$ net add ospf vrf vrf1 network 10.0.0.0/24 area 0.0.0.1
cumulus@switch:~$ net add ospf vrf vrf1 network 9.9.0.0/16 area 0.0.0.0
cumulus@switch:~$ net add ospf vrf vrf1 redistribute connected
cumulus@switch:~$ net add ospf vrf vrf1 redistribute bgp
cumulus@switch:~$ net add interface swp1 ospf network point-to-point
cumulus@switch:~$ net add interface swp2 ospf network point-to-point
cumulus@switch:~$ net pending
cumulus@switch:~$ net commit
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo vtysh
switch# configure terminal
switch(config)# router ospf vrf vrf1
switch(config-router)# ospf router-id 4.4.4.4
switch(config-router)# log-adjacency-changes detail
switch(config-router)# redistribute connected
switch(config-router)# redistribute bgp
switch(config-router)# network 9.9.0.0/16 area 0.0.0.0
switch(config-router)# network 10.0.0.0/24 area 0.0.0.1
switch(config-router)# exit
switch(config)# interface swp1
switch(config-if)# ip address 192.0.2.1/32
switch(config-if)# ip ospf network point-to-point
switch(config-if)# exit
switch(config)# interface swp2
switch(config-if)# ip address 192.0.2.1/32
switch(config-if)# ip ospf network point-to-point
switch(config-if)# exit
switch(config)# exit
switch# write memory
switch# exit
cumulus@switch:~$
The NCLU and vtysh commands save the configuration in the /etc/frr/frr.conf file. For example:
...
interface swp1
ip address 192.0.2.1/32
ip ospf network point-to-point
!
interface swp2
ip address 192.0.2.1/32
ip ospf network point-to-point
!
router ospf vrf vrf1
ospf router-id 4.4.4.4
log-adjacency-changes detail
redistribute connected
redistribute bgp
network 9.9.0.0/16 area 0.0.0.0
network 10.0.0.0/24 area 0.0.0.1
...
Show VRF Information
To show VRF information, you can use NCLU, vtysh, or Linux commands.
To show the routes in a VRF, run the net show route vrf <vrf-name> command. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ net show route vrf rocket
RIB entry for rocket
=================
Codes: K - kernel route, C - connected, S - static, R - RIP,
O - OSPF, I - IS-IS, B - BGP, T - Table,
> - selected route, * - FIB route
C>* 169.254.2.8/30 is directly connected, swp1.2
C>* 169.254.2.12/30 is directly connected, swp2.2
C>* 169.254.2.16/30 is directly connected, swp3.2
To show the BGP summary for a VRF, run the net show bgp vrf <vrf-name> summary command. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ net show bgp vrf rocket summary
BGP router identifier 6.0.2.7, local AS number 64900 vrf-id 14
BGP table version 0
RIB entries 1, using 120 bytes of memory
Peers 6, using 97 KiB of memory
Peer groups 2, using 112 bytes of memory
Neighbor V AS MsgRcvd MsgSent TblVer InQ OutQ Up/Down State/PfxRcd
s3(169.254.2.18)
4 65000 102039 102040 0 0 0 3d13h03m 0
s1(169.254.2.10)
4 65000 102039 102040 0 0 0 3d13h03m 0
s2(169.254.2.14)
4 65000 102039 102040 0 0 0 3d13h03m 0
Total number of neighbors 3
To show BGP (IPv4) routes in a VRF, run the net show bgp vrf <vrf-name> command. For example::
cumulus@switch:~$ net show bgp vrf vrf1012
BGP table version is 0, local router ID is 6.0.2.7
Status codes: s suppressed, d damped, h history, * valid, > best, = multipath,
i internal, r RIB-failure, S Stale, R Removed
Origin codes: i - IGP, e - EGP, ? - incomplete
Network Next Hop Metric LocPrf Weight Path
20.7.2.0/24 0.0.0.0 0 32768 i
Total number of prefixes 1
To show BGP IPv6 routes in the VRF, you need to run the vtysh show bgp vrf <vrf-name> command.
To show the OSPF VRFs, run the net show ospf vrf all command. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ net show ospf vrf all
Name Id RouterId
Default-IP-Routing-Table 0 6.0.0.7
vrf1012 45 9.9.12.7
vrf1013 52 9.9.13.7
vrf1014 59 9.9.14.7
vrf1015 65535 0.0.0.0 <- OSPF instance not active, pre-provisioned config.
vrf1016 65535 0.0.0.0
Total number of OSPF VRFs: 6
To show all the OSPF routes in a VRF, run the net show ospf vrf <vrf-name> route command. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ net show ospf vrf vrf1012 route
Codes: K - kernel route, C - connected, S - static, R - RIP,
O - OSPF, I - IS-IS, B - BGP, P - PIM, E - EIGRP, N - NHRP,
T - Table, v - VNC, V - VNC-Direct, A - Babel,
> - selected route, * - FIB route
VRF vrf1012:
O>* 6.0.0.1/32 [110/210] via 200.254.2.10, swp2s0.2, 00:13:30
* via 200.254.2.14, swp2s1.2, 00:13:30
* via 200.254.2.18, swp2s2.2, 00:13:30
O>* 6.0.0.2/32 [110/210] via 200.254.2.10, swp2s0.2, 00:13:30
* via 200.254.2.14, swp2s1.2, 00:13:30
* via 200.254.2.18, swp2s2.2, 00:13:30
O>* 9.9.12.5/32 [110/20] via 200.254.2.10, swp2s0.2, 00:13:29
* via 200.254.2.14, swp2s1.2, 00:13:29
* via 200.254.2.18, swp2s2.2, 00:13:29
To show which interfaces are in a VRF (either BGP or OSPF), run the net show vrf list command. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ net show vrf list
VRF: mgmt
--------------------
eth0 UP a0:00:00:00:00:11 <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP>
VRF: turtle
--------------------
vlan13@bridge UP 44:38:39:00:00:03 <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP>
vlan13-v0@vlan13 UP 44:39:39:ff:00:13 <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP>
vlan24@bridge UP 44:38:39:00:00:03 <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP>
vlan24-v0@vlan24 UP 44:39:39:ff:00:24 <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP>
vlan4001@bridge UP 44:39:39:ff:40:94 <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP>
To show the interfaces for a specific VRF, run the net show vrf list <vrf-name> command. For xample:
cumulus@switch:~$ net show vrf list turtle
VRF: turtle
--------------------
vlan13@bridge UP 44:38:39:00:00:03 <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP>
vlan13-v0@vlan13 UP 44:39:39:ff:00:13 <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP>
vlan24@bridge UP 44:38:39:00:00:03 <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP>
vlan24-v0@vlan24 UP 44:39:39:ff:00:24 <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP>
vlan4001@bridge UP 44:39:39:ff:40:94 <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP>
You can only specify one VRF with the net show vrf list <vrf-name> command. For example, net show vrf list mgmt turtle is an invalid command.
To show the VNIs for the interfaces in a VRF, run the net show vrf vni command. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ net show vrf vni
VRF VNI VxLAN IF L3-SVI State Rmac
turtle 104001 vxlan4001 vlan4001 Up 44:39:39:ff:40:94
To see the VNIs for the interfaces in a VRF in JSON format, run the net show vrf vni json command. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ net show vrf vni json
{
"vrfs":[
{
"vrf":"turtle",
"vni":104001,
"vxlanIntf":"vxlan4001",
"sviIntf":"vlan4001",
"state":"Up",
"routerMac":"44:39:39:ff:40:94"
}
]
}
To show all VRFs learned by FRRouting from the kernel, run the show vrf command. The table ID shows the corresponding routing table in the kernel.
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo vtysh
switch# show vrf
vrf vrf1012 id 14 table 1012
vrf vrf1013 id 21 table 1013
vrf vrf1014 id 28 table 1014
To show the VRFs configured in BGP (including the default VRF), run the show bgp vrfs command. A non-zero ID is a VRF that has also been provisioned (defined in the /etc/network/interfaces file).
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo vtysh
switch# show bgp vrfs
Type Id RouterId #PeersCfg #PeersEstb Name
DFLT 0 6.0.0.7 0 0 Default
VRF 14 6.0.2.7 6 6 vrf1012
VRF 21 6.0.3.7 6 6 vrf1013
VRF 28 6.0.4.7 6 6 vrf1014
Total number of VRFs (including default): 4
To show interfaces known to FRRouting and attached to a specific VRF, run the show interface vrf <vrf-name> command. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo vtysh
switch# show interface vrf vrf1012
Interface br2 is up, line protocol is down
PTM status: disabled
vrf: vrf1012
index 13 metric 0 mtu 1500
flags: <UP,BROADCAST,MULTICAST>
inet 20.7.2.1/24
inet6 fe80::202:ff:fe00:a/64
ND advertised reachable time is 0 milliseconds
ND advertised retransmit interval is 0 milliseconds
ND router advertisements are sent every 600 seconds
ND router advertisements lifetime tracks ra-interval
ND router advertisement default router preference is medium
Hosts use stateless autoconfig for addresses.
To show VRFs configured in OSPF, run the show ip ospf vrfs command. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo vtysh
switch# show ip ospf vrfs
Name Id RouterId
Default-IP-Routing-Table 0 0.0.0.0
rocket 57 0.0.0.10
turtle 58 0.0.0.20
Total number of OSPF VRFs (including default): 3
To show all OSPF routes in a VRF, run the show ip ospf vrf all route command. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo vtysh
switch# show ip ospf vrf all route
============ OSPF network routing table ============
N 7.0.0.0/24 [10] area: 0.0.0.0
directly attached to swp2
============ OSPF router routing table =============
============ OSPF external routing table ===========
============ OSPF network routing table ============
N 8.0.0.0/24 [10] area: 0.0.0.0
directly attached to swp1
============ OSPF router routing table =============
============ OSPF external routing table ===========
To see the routing table for each VRF, use the show ip route vrf all command. The OSPF route is denoted in the row that starts with O.
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo vtysh
switch# show ip route vrf all
Codes: K - kernel route, C - connected, S - static, R - RIP,
O - OSPF, I - IS-IS, B - BGP, P - PIM, E - EIGRP, N - NHRP,
T - Table, v - VNC, V - VNC-Direct, A - Babel,
> - selected route, * - FIB route
VRF turtle:
K>* 0.0.0.0/0 [0/8192] unreachable (ICMP unreachable)
O 7.0.0.0/24 [110/10] is directly connected, swp2, 00:28:35
C>* 7.0.0.0/24 is directly connected, swp2
C>* 7.0.0.5/32 is directly connected, turtle
C>* 7.0.0.100/32 is directly connected, turtle
C>* 50.1.1.0/24 is directly connected, swp31s1
VRF rocket:
K>* 0.0.0.0/0 [0/8192] unreachable (ICMP unreachable)
O
8.0.0.0/24 [110/10]
is directly connected, swp1, 00:23:26
C>* 8.0.0.0/24 is directly connected, swp1
C>* 8.0.0.5/32 is directly connected, rocket
C>* 8.0.0.100/32 is directly connected, rocket
C>* 50.0.1.0/24 is directly connected, swp31s0
To list all VRFs, and include the VRF ID and table ID, run the ip -d link show type vrf command. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ ip -d link show type vrf
14: vrf1012: <NOARP,MASTER,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc pfifo_fast state UNKNOWN mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
link/ether 46:96:c7:64:4d:fa brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff promiscuity 0
vrf table 1012 addrgenmode eui64
21: vrf1013: <NOARP,MASTER,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc pfifo_fast state UNKNOWN mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
link/ether 7a:8a:29:0f:5e:52 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff promiscuity 0
vrf table 1013 addrgenmode eui64
28: vrf1014: <NOARP,MASTER,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc pfifo_fast state UNKNOWN mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
link/ether e6:8c:4d:fc:eb:b1 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff promiscuity 0
vrf table 1014 addrgenmode eui64
To show the interfaces attached to a specific VRF, run the ip -d link show vrf <vrf-name> command. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ ip -d link show vrf vrf1012
8: swp1.2@swp1: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc noqueue master vrf1012 state UP mode DEFAULT group default
link/ether 00:02:00:00:00:07 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff promiscuity 0
vlan protocol 802.1Q id 2 <REORDER_HDR>
vrf_slave addrgenmode eui64
9: swp2.2@swp2: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc noqueue master vrf1012 state UP mode DEFAULT group default
link/ether 00:02:00:00:00:08 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff promiscuity
vlan protocol 802.1Q id 2 <REORDER_HDR>
vrf_slave addrgenmode eui64
10: swp3.2@swp3: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc noqueue master vrf1012 state UP mode DEFAULT group default
link/ether 00:02:00:00:00:09 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff promiscuity 0
vlan protocol 802.1Q id 2 <REORDER_HDR>
vrf_slave addrgenmode eui64
11: swp4.2@swp4: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc noqueue master vrf1012 state UP mode DEFAULT group default
link/ether 00:02:00:00:00:0a brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff promiscuity 0
vlan protocol 802.1Q id 2 <REORDER_HDR>
vrf_slave addrgenmode eui64
12: swp5.2@swp5: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc noqueue master vrf1012 state UP mode DEFAULT group default
link/ether 00:02:00:00:00:0b brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff promiscuity 0
vlan protocol 802.1Q id 2 <REORDER_HDR>
vrf_slave addrgenmode eui64
13: br2: <NO-CARRIER,BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP> mtu 1500 qdisc noqueue master vrf1012 state DOWN mode DEFAULT group default
link/ether 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff promiscuity 0
bridge forward_delay 100 hello_time 200 max_age 2000 ageing_time 30000 stp_state 0 priority 32768
vlan_filtering 0 vlan_protocol 802.1Q bridge_id 8000.0:0:0:0:0:0 designated_root 8000.0:0:0:0:0:0
root_port 0 root_path_cost 0 topology_change 0 topology_change_detected 0 hello_timer 0.00
tcn_timer 0.00 topology_change_timer 0.00 gc_timer 202.23 vlan_default_pvid 1 group_fwd_mask 0
group_address 01:80:c2:00:00:00 mcast_snooping 1 mcast_router 1 mcast_query_use_ifaddr 0 mcast_querier 0
mcast_hash_elasticity 4096 mcast_hash_max 4096 mcast_last_member_count 2 mcast_startup_query_count 2
mcast_last_member_interval 100 mcast_membership_interval 26000 mcast_querier_interval 25500
mcast_query_interval 12500 mcast_query_response_interval 1000 mcast_startup_query_interval 3125
nf_call_iptables 0 nf_call_ip6tables 0 nf_call_arptables 0
vrf_slave addrgenmode eui64
To show IPv4 routes in a VRF, run the ip route show table <vrf-name> command. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ ip route show table vrf1012
unreachable default metric 240
broadcast 20.7.2.0 dev br2 proto kernel scope link src 20.7.2.1 dead linkdown
20.7.2.0/24 dev br2 proto kernel scope link src 20.7.2.1 dead linkdown
local 20.7.2.1 dev br2 proto kernel scope host src 20.7.2.1
broadcast 20.7.2.255 dev br2 proto kernel scope link src 20.7.2.1 dead linkdown
broadcast 169.254.2.8 dev swp1.2 proto kernel scope link src 169.254.2.9
169.254.2.8/30 dev swp1.2 proto kernel scope link src 169.254.2.9
local 169.254.2.9 dev swp1.2 proto kernel scope host src 169.254.2.9
broadcast 169.254.2.11 dev swp1.2 proto kernel scope link src 169.254.2.9
broadcast 169.254.2.12 dev swp2.2 proto kernel scope link src 169.254.2.13
169.254.2.12/30 dev swp2.2 proto kernel scope link src 169.254.2.13
local 169.254.2.13 dev swp2.2 proto kernel scope host src 169.254.2.13
broadcast 169.254.2.15 dev swp2.2 proto kernel scope link src 169.254.2.13
broadcast 169.254.2.16 dev swp3.2 proto kernel scope link src 169.254.2.17
169.254.2.16/30 dev swp3.2 proto kernel scope link src 169.254.2.17
local 169.254.2.17 dev swp3.2 proto kernel scope host src 169.254.2.17
broadcast 169.254.2.19 dev swp3.2 proto kernel scope link src 169.254.2.17
To show IPv6 routes in a VRF, run the ip -6 route show table <vrf-name> command. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ ip -6 route show table vrf1012
local fe80:: dev lo proto none metric 0 pref medium
local fe80:: dev lo proto none metric 0 pref medium
local fe80:: dev lo proto none metric 0 pref medium
local fe80:: dev lo proto none metric 0 pref medium
local fe80::202:ff:fe00:7 dev lo proto none metric 0 pref medium
local fe80::202:ff:fe00:8 dev lo proto none metric 0 pref medium
local fe80::202:ff:fe00:9 dev lo proto none metric 0 pref medium
local fe80::202:ff:fe00:a dev lo proto none metric 0 pref medium
fe80::/64 dev br2 proto kernel metric 256 dead linkdown pref medium
fe80::/64 dev swp1.2 proto kernel metric 256 pref medium
fe80::/64 dev swp2.2 proto kernel metric 256 pref medium
fe80::/64 dev swp3.2 proto kernel metric 256 pref medium
ff00::/8 dev br2 metric 256 dead linkdown pref medium
ff00::/8 dev swp1.2 metric 256 pref medium
ff00::/8 dev swp2.2 metric 256 pref medium
ff00::/8 dev swp3.2 metric 256 pref medium
unreachable default dev lo metric 240 error -101 pref medium
To see a list of links associated with a particular VRF table, run the ip link list <vrf-name> command. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ ip link list rocket
VRF: rocket
--------------------
swp1.10@swp1 UP 6c:64:1a:00:5a:0c <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP>
swp2.10@swp2 UP 6c:64:1a:00:5a:0d <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP>
To see a list of routes associated with a particular VRF table, run the ip route list <vrf-name> command. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ ip route list rocket
VRF: rocket
--------------------
unreachable default metric 8192
10.1.1.0/24 via 10.10.1.2 dev swp2.10
10.1.2.0/24 via 10.99.1.2 dev swp1.10
broadcast 10.10.1.0 dev swp2.10 proto kernel scope link src 10.10.1.1
10.10.1.0/28 dev swp2.10 proto kernel scope link src 10.10.1.1
local 10.10.1.1 dev swp2.10 proto kernel scope host src 10.10.1.1
broadcast 10.10.1.15 dev swp2.10 proto kernel scope link src 10.10.1.1
broadcast 10.99.1.0 dev swp1.10 proto kernel scope link src 10.99.1.1
10.99.1.0/30 dev swp1.10 proto kernel scope link src 10.99.1.1
local 10.99.1.1 dev swp1.10 proto kernel scope host src 10.99.1.1
broadcast 10.99.1.3 dev swp1.10 proto kernel scope link src 10.99.1.1
local fe80:: dev lo proto none metric 0 pref medium
local fe80:: dev lo proto none metric 0 pref medium
local fe80::6e64:1aff:fe00:5a0c dev lo proto none metric 0 pref medium
local fe80::6e64:1aff:fe00:5a0d dev lo proto none metric 0 pref medium
fe80::/64 dev swp1.10 proto kernel metric 256 pref medium
fe80::/64 dev swp2.10 proto kernel metric 256 pref medium
ff00::/8 dev swp1.10 metric 256 pref medium
ff00::/8 dev swp2.10 metric 256 pref medium
unreachable default dev lo metric 8192 error -101 pref medium
You can also show routes in a VRF using the ip [-6] route show vrf <vrf-name> command. This command omits local and broadcast routes, which can clutter the output.
BGP Unnumbered Interfaces with VRF
BGP unnumbered interface configurations are supported with VRF. In BGP unnumbered, there are no addresses on any interface. However, debugging tools like traceroute need at least a single IP address per node as the node’s source IP address. Typically, this address is assigned to the loopback device. With VRF, you need a loopback device for each VRF table since VRF is based on interfaces, not IP addresses. While Linux does not support multiple loopback devices, it does support the concept of a dummy interface, which is used to achieve the same goal.
An IP address can be associated with the VRF device, which will then act as the dummy (loopback-like) interface for that VRF.
The BGP unnumbered configuration is the same as for a non-VRF, applied under the VRF context.
To configure BGP unnumbered:
cumulus@switch:~$ net add vrf vrf1 vrf-table auto
cumulus@switch:~$ net add vrf vrf1 ip address 6.1.0.6/32
cumulus@switch:~$ net add vrf vrf1 ipv6 address 2001:6:1::6/128
cumulus@switch:~$ net add interface swp1 link speed 10000
cumulus@switch:~$ net add interface swp1 link autoneg off
cumulus@switch:~$ net add interface swp1 vrf vrf1
cumulus@switch:~$ net add vlan 101 ip address 20.1.6.1/24
cumulus@switch:~$ net add vlan 101 ipv6 address 2001:20:1:6::1/80
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bridge bridge ports vlan101
Here is the FRRouting BGP configuration:
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1 autonomous-system 65001
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1 bestpath as-path multipath-relax
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1 bestpath compare-routerid
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1 neighbor LEAF peer-group
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1 neighbor LEAF remote-as external
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1 neighbor LEAF capability extended-nexthop
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1 neighbor swp1.101 interface peer-group LEAF
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1 neighbor swp2.101 interface peer-group LEAF
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1 ipv4 unicast redistribute connected
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1 ipv4 unicast neighbor LEAF activate
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1 ipv6 unicast redistribute connected
cumulus@switch:~$ net add bgp vrf vrf1 ipv6 unicast neighbor LEAF activate
cumulus@switch:~$ net pending
cumulus@switch:~$ net commit
Edit the /etc/network/interfaces file. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo nano /etc/network/interfaces
...
auto swp1
iface swp1
link-autoneg on
link-speed 10000
vrf vrf1
auto bridge
iface bridge
bridge-ports vlan101
bridge-vids 101
bridge-vlan-aware yes
auto vlan101
iface vlan101
address 20.1.6.1/24
address 2001:20:1:6::1/80
vlan-id 101
vlan-raw-device bridge
auto vrf1
iface vrf1
address 6.1.0.6/32
address 2001:6:1::6/128
vrf-table auto
...
Here is the FRRouting BGP configuration:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo vtysh
switch# configure terminal
switch(config)# router bgp 65001 vrf vrf1
switch(config-router)# no bgp default ipv4-unicast
switch(config-router)# bgp bestpath as-path multipath-relax
switch(config-router)# bgp bestpath compare-routerid
switch(config-router)# neighbor LEAF peer-group
switch(config-router)# neighbor LEAF remote-as external
switch(config-router)# neighbor LEAF capability extended-nexthop
switch(config-router)# neighbor swp1.101 interface peer-group LEAF
switch(config-router)# neighbor swp2.101 interface peer-group LEAF
switch(config-router)# address-family ipv4 unicast
switch(config-router-af)# redistribute connected
switch(config-router-af)# neighbor LEAF activate
switch(config-router-af)# exit
switch(config-router)# address-family ipv6 unicast
switch(config-router-af)# redistribute connected
switch(config-router-af)# neighbor LEAF activate
switch(config-router-af)# end
switch# write memory
switch# exit
cumulus@switch:~$
The NCLU and vtysh commands save the configuration in the /etc/frr/frr.conf file. For example:
...
router bgp 65001 vrf vrf1
no bgp default ipv4-unicast
bgp bestpath as-path multipath-relax
bgp bestpath compare-routerid
neighbor LEAF peer-group
neighbor LEAF remote-as external
neighbor LEAF capability extended-nexthop
neighbor swp1.101 interface peer-group LEAF
neighbor swp2.101 interface peer-group LEAF
!
address-family ipv4 unicast
redistribute connected
neighbor LEAF activate
exit-address-family
!
address-family ipv6 unicast
redistribute connected
neighbor LEAF activate
exit-address-family
...
DHCP with VRF
Because you can use VRF to bind IPv4 and IPv6 sockets to non-default VRF tables, you can start DHCP servers and relays in any non-default VRF table using the dhcpd and dhcrelay services. These services must be managed by systemd to run in a VRF context. In addition, the services must be listed in the /etc/vrf/systemd.conf file. By default, this file already lists these two services, as well as others. You can add more services as needed, such as dhcpd6 and dhcrelay6 for IPv6.
If you edit /etc/vrf/systemd.conf, run sudo systemctl daemon-reload to generate the systemd instance files for the newly added services. Then you can start the service in the VRF using systemctl start <service>@<vrf-name>.service, where <service> is the name of the service (such as dhcpd or dhcrelay) and <vrf-name> is the name of the VRF.
For example, to start the dhcrelay service after you configure a VRF named turtle, run:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo systemctl start dhcrelay@turtle.service
To enable the service at boot time, you must also enable the service:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo systemctl enable dhcrelay@turtle.service
In addition, you need to create a separate default file in /etc/default for every instance of a DHCP server and/or relay in a non-default VRF; this is where you set the server and relay options. To run multiple instances of any of these services, you need a separate file for each instance. The files must be named as follows:
isc-dhcp-server-<vrf-name>isc-dhcp-server6-<vrf-name>isc-dhcp-relay-<vrf-name>isc-dhcp-relay6-<vrf-name>
See the example configuration below for more details.
- Cumulus Linux does not support DHCP server and relay across VRFs; the server and host cannot be in different VRF tables. In addition, the server and relay cannot be in different VRF tables.
- Typically, a service running in the default VRF owns a port across all VRFs. If the VRF local instance is preferred, first disable and stop the global instance.
- VRF is a layer 3 routing feature; only run programs that use AF_INET and AF_INET6 sockets in a VRF. VRF context does not affect any other aspects of the operation of a program.
- This method only works with
systemd-based services.
Example Configuration
In the following example, there is one IPv4 network with a VRF named rocket and one IPv6 network with a VRF named turtle.
| IPv4 DHCP Server/relay network | IPv6 DHCP Server/relay network |
|---|---|
 |
 |
Configure each DHCP server and relay as follows:
-
Create the file
isc-dhcp-server-rocketin/etc/default/. Here is sample content:# Defaults for isc-dhcp-server initscript # sourced by /etc/init.d/isc-dhcp-server # installed at /etc/default/isc-dhcp-server by the maintainer scripts # # This is a POSIX shell fragment # # Path to dhcpd's config file (default: /etc/dhcp/dhcpd.conf). DHCPD_CONF="-cf /etc/dhcp/dhcpd-rocket.conf" # Path to dhcpd's PID file (default: /var/run/dhcpd.pid). DHCPD_PID="-pf /var/run/dhcpd-rocket.pid" # Additional options to start dhcpd with. # Don't use options -cf or -pf here; use DHCPD_CONF/ DHCPD_PID instead #OPTIONS="" # On what interfaces should the DHCP server (dhcpd) serve DHCP requests? # Separate multiple interfaces with spaces, e.g. "eth0 eth1". INTERFACES="swp2" -
Enable the DHCP server:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo systemctl enable dhcpd@rocket.service -
Start the DHCP server:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo systemctl start dhcpd@rocket.service -
Check status:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo systemctl status dhcpd@rocket.service
You can create this configuration using the vrf command (see IPv4 and IPv6 Commands in a VRF Context above for more details):
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo ip vrf exec rocket /usr/sbin/dhcpd -f -q -cf /
/etc/dhcp/dhcpd-rocket.conf -pf /var/run/dhcpd-rocket.pid swp2
-
Create the file
isc-dhcp-server6-turtlein/etc/default/. Here is sample content:# Defaults for isc-dhcp-server initscript # sourced by /etc/init.d/isc-dhcp-server # installed at /etc/default/isc-dhcp-server by the maintainer scripts # # This is a POSIX shell fragment # # Path to dhcpd's config file (default: /etc/dhcp/dhcpd.conf). DHCPD_CONF="-cf /etc/dhcp/dhcpd6-turtle.conf" # Path to dhcpd's PID file (default: /var/run/dhcpd.pid). DHCPD_PID="-pf /var/run/dhcpd6-turtle.pid" # Additional options to start dhcpd with. # Don't use options -cf or -pf here; use DHCPD_CONF/ DHCPD_PID instead #OPTIONS="" # On what interfaces should the DHCP server (dhcpd) serve DHCP requests? # Separate multiple interfaces with spaces, e.g. "eth0 eth1". INTERFACES="swp3" -
Enable the DHCP server:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo systemctl enable dhcpd6@turtle.service -
Start the DHCP server:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo systemctl start dhcpd6@turtle.service -
Check status:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo systemctl status dhcpd6@turtle.service
You can create this configuration using the vrf command (see IPv4 and IPv6 Commands in a VRF Context above for more details):
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo ip vrf exec turtle dhcpd -6 -q -cf /
/etc/dhcp/dhcpd6-turtle.conf -pf /var/run/dhcpd6-turtle.pid swp3
-
Create the file
isc-dhcp-relay-rocketin/etc/default/. Here is sample content:# Defaults for isc-dhcp-relay initscript # sourced by /etc/init.d/isc-dhcp-relay # installed at /etc/default/isc-dhcp-relay by the maintainer scripts # # This is a POSIX shell fragment # # What servers should the DHCP relay forward requests to? SERVERS="102.0.0.2" # On what interfaces should the DHCP relay (dhrelay) serve DHCP requests? # Always include the interface towards the DHCP server. # This variable requires a -i for each interface configured above. # This will be used in the actual dhcrelay command # For example, "-i eth0 -i eth1" INTF_CMD="-i swp2s2 -i swp2s3" # Additional options that are passed to the DHCP relay daemon? OPTIONS="" -
Enable the DHCP relay:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo systemctl enable dhcrelay@rocket.service -
Start the DHCP relay:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo systemctl start dhcrelay@rocket.service -
Check status:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo systemctl status dhcrelay@rocket.service
You can create this configuration using the vrf command (see IPv4 and IPv6 Commands in a VRF Context above for more details):
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo ip vrf exec rocket /usr/sbin/dhcrelay -d -q -i /
swp2s2 -i swp2s3 102.0.0.2
-
Create the file
isc-dhcp-relay6-turtlein/etc/default/. Here is sample content:# Defaults for isc-dhcp-relay initscript # sourced by /etc/init.d/isc-dhcp-relay # installed at /etc/default/isc-dhcp-relay by the maintainer scripts # # This is a POSIX shell fragment # # What servers should the DHCP relay forward requests to? #SERVERS="103.0.0.2" # On what interfaces should the DHCP relay (dhrelay) serve DHCP requests? # Always include the interface towards the DHCP server. # This variable requires a -i for each interface configured above. # This will be used in the actual dhcrelay command # For example, "-i eth0 -i eth1" INTF_CMD="-l swp18s0 -u swp18s1" # Additional options that are passed to the DHCP relay daemon? OPTIONS="-pf /var/run/dhcrelay6@turtle.pid" -
Enable the DHCP relay:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo systemctl enable dhcrelay6@turtle.service -
Start the DHCP relay:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo systemctl start dhcrelay6@turtle.service -
Check status:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo systemctl status dhcrelay6@turtle.service
You can create this configuration using the vrf command (see IPv4 and IPv6 Commands in a VRF Context above for more details):
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo ip vrf exec turtle /usr/sbin/dhcrelay -d -q -6 -l /
swp18s0 -u swp18s1 -pf /var/run/dhcrelay6@turtle.pid
Use ping or traceroute on a VRF
You can run ping or traceroute on a VRF from the default VRF.
To ping a VRF from the default VRF, run the ping -I <vrf-name> command. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ ping -I turtle
To run traceroute on a VRF from the default VRF, run the traceroute -i <vrf-name> command. For example:
cumulus@switch:~$ sudo traceroute -i turtle
Caveats and Errata
- Switches using the Hurricane2 ASIC (such as the Penguin Computing Arctica 4804IP) do not support VRFs.
- Table selection is based on the incoming interface only; currently, packet attributes or output-interface-based selection are not available.
- Setting the router ID outside of BGP using the
router-idoption causes all BGP instances to get the same router ID. If you want each BGP instance to have its own router ID, specify therouter-idunder the BGP instance usingbgp router-id. If both are specified, the one under the BGP instance overrides the one provided outside BGP. - You cannot configure EVPN address families within a VRF.
- When you take down a VRF using
ifdown, Cumulus Linux removes all routes associated with that VRF from FRR but it does not remove the routes from the kernel.