Segment Routing

Clarence Filsfils Kris Michielsen

Cisco Fellow @ cisco Systems Technical Leader Engineering @ cisco Systems
November 2015
Segment Routing
Introduction
Clarence Filsfils
Kris Michielsen
Illustration and Examples Conventions
•  The examples in this presentation follow these conventions:
–  Router-id of NodeX: 1.1.1.X
–  Link address XY:
IPv4 99.X.Y.X/24 with X<Y
IPv6 99::X:Y:X/112 with X<Y and X, Y in decimal representation
–  Prefix-SID index of NodeX: X
–  Prefix-SIDs are labels in the range [16000 – 23999]
> This is the default Segment Routing Global Block (SRGB)
–  Adjacency-SIDs are labels with the format 24NXY for the Nth adjacency XàY
–  LDP/RSVP/BGP3107/… labels are in the range [90000 – 99999]

© 2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 3

Segment Routing
•  Source Routing
–  the source chooses a path and encodes it in the packet header as an
ordered list of segments
–  the rest of the network executes the encoded instructions
•  Segment: an identifier for any type of instruction
–  forwarding or service
•  In this presentation: IGP-based forwarding construct

© 2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 4

Segment Routing – Forwarding Plane
•  MPLS: an ordered list of segments is represented as a stack
of labels
–  Segment Routing re-uses MPLS data plane without any change
–  Segment represented as MPLS label
–  Applicable to IPv4 and IPv6 address families
•  IPv6: an ordered list of segments is encoded in a routing
extension header
•  This presentation: MPLS data plane

© 2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 5

Global and Local Segments
•  Global Segment
–  Any node in SR domain understands associated instruction
–  Each node in SR domain installs the associated instruction in its
forwarding table
–  MPLS: global label value in Segment Routing Global Block (SRGB)
•  Local Segment
–  Only originating node understands associated instruction
–  MPLS: locally allocated label

© 2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 6

Global Segments – Global Label Indexes
•  Global Segments always distributed as a label range
(SRGB) + Index
–  Index must be unique in Segment Routing Domain
•  Best practice: same SRGB on all nodes
–  “Global model”, requested by all operators
–  Global Segments are global label values, simplifying network
operations
–  Default SRGB: 16,000 – 23,999
> Other vendors also use this label range

© 2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 7

IGP segments
•  Two basic building blocks distributed by IGP
–  Prefix Segments
–  Adjacency Segments

© 2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 8

IGP Prefix Segment
16005
•  Shortest-path to the IGP prefix 1.1.1.5/32
–  Equal Cost MultiPath (ECMP)-aware
1 2 16005
•  Global Segment
16005

•  Label = 16000 + Index 16005

–  Advertised as index
5
16005
16005
•  Distributed by ISIS/OSPF
3 4
16005
All nodes use default SRGB
16,000 – 23,999
© 2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 9
IGP Prefix Segment
•  Shortest-path to the IGP prefix 16004
–  Equal Cost MultiPath (ECMP)-aware
1 2
•  Global Segment
16004
•  Label = 16000 + Index 16004 16004

–  Advertised as index 16004

5
16004
•  Distributed by ISIS/OSPF
3 4
1.1.1.4/32

16004
All nodes use default SRGB
16,000 – 23,999
© 2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 10
IGP Adjacency Segment Adj to 5

•  Forward on the IGP adjacency 24025

•  Local Segment 1 2
•  Advertised as label value Adj to 4

24024
•  Distributed by ISIS/OSPF 5

3 4

All nodes use default SRGB

16,000 – 23,999
© 2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 11
 All nodes use default SRGB

Combining IGP Segments

16,000 – 23,999
16004
24045
•  Steer traffic on any path through Packet to 5
the network
1 2
•  Path is specified by list of
segments in packet header, a
stack of labels 5
•  No path is signaled 24045
Packet to 5
•  No per-flow state is created
3 4
•  Single protocol: IS-IS or OSPF
16004 24045

© 2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 12

Visit us:
cisco.com
segment-routing.net
Acknowledgements:

Ahmed Bashandy
Robert Hanzl
Steven Luong
Stefano Previdi
Peter Psenak
Thank you.