[c-nsp] Re: [ URGENT: help on WCCP v2 , router 2811/3640 IOS 12.2(2)T/12.3(7)T]

[Lincoln Dale]

[i haven't been involved with anything WCCP-related for at least 5 
years, so this may be out of date..]

L2-based forwarding for WCCPv2 was developed in order to allow 
hardware-accelerated WCCP on those router/switch platforms that support 
forwarding in hardware (& hence didn't have to drop down to a 'slower' 
software-based forwarding path).

as such, L2-forwarding was developed for Catalyst 6500 IOS images (12.1E 
if my memory serves correctly) and i believe Cisco 7200 images (12.0S / 
12.2S) also had it.  there was also some limited support for the 
Catalyst 3550 as well if i remember correctly.

on software-forwarding platforms (e.g. 36xx, 26xx), there is no 
"performance hit" for traffic being encapsulated in GRE, so it may well 
be that those platforms / IOS-software-release-trains haven't got the 
L2-forwarding nor hash-mask support as there wasn't significant need or 
demand for them to have it.

as such, it is mandatory for a WCCP client-side implementation to be 
able to support GRE.


cheers,

lincoln.


Ananth A wrote:

> Hi!
> I am developing a client part for WCCPv2 protocol, to deploy along 
> with a proxy server (not squid) as a plugin.
> I had my lab setup with router 2811 with IOS 12.3(8) T
>
> I was intended to Use L2 feature of WCCP2.
> I deployed my plugin on a proxy system to behave as a content engine.
> I connected this proxy system and router on the same subnet to make 
> sure that they are L2 connected.
> i.e. reachable at MAC level.
> I configured My plugin to negotiate for L2 METHOD of packet forwarding..
>
> By protocol. I should be getting a I_SEE_YOU from my router which 
> advertises the different methods of packet forwarding supported by 
> this router, This info would be in Capability Info Component of 
> I_SEE_YOU. Absence of this info means that the router supports only 
> GRE method of packet redirection.
>
> But, My router is not sending  Capability Info Comp in its I_SEE_YOU. 
> Which makes me decide that this router does not support L2 rewrite.
>
> I tried with 3640 , IOS 12.2 (2)T also. I am getting the exact 
> behavior as got with 2811....
> My questions are.........
> *1) Router 2811/3640 really does not support L2 rewrite or am i wrong 
> somewhere?
>
> 2) I am looking for using L2 rewrite feature. Can you suggest me a 
> router , IOS which has L2 rewrite feature?
>
> 3) Is L2 rewrite a hardware feature or is a IOS feature?
> *
> Awaiting desperately for your reply....
>