[nsp] 6500's and MPLS

[sthaug at nethelp.no]

> If I put an OSM in a 6500, can I do MPLS VPNs with some of the Ethernet 
> ports to CE routers and some of the Ethernet ports to P/PE routers, or 
> do I have to use the OSM to reach other P* resources?

With Sup2/MSFC2/PFC2: To have Ethernet ports towards other P/PE routers
(ie needing MPLS encapsulation), you need the 4 port GE-WAN. To have
Ethernet ports towards CE routers (ie. in VRFs), you can either use the
ports on the GE-WAN directly (however, these ports are an expensive and
scarce resource), or you can use normal Ethernet ports towards the CEs
and connect a normal GigE port (doing switchport VLAN trunk) to a GE-WAN
port (doing 802.1q on GE-WAN subinterfaces, each subinterface in a VRF).

The back to back GE ports trick is documented by Cisco, but is not a
partcularly elegant solution. To avoid it you need the Sup720-3BXL.

Steinar Haug, Nethelp consulting, sthaug at nethelp.no