[c-nsp] Need some ideas on trunking vlans over ATM

[Steven Pfister]

I've got a situation where I have several (older) remote sites connected to a central site via ATM (they're being phased out for the most part). I need to find a way to have one particular vlan at each site assigned to a couple of ports on a switch at the central site. This only needs to be temporary and we only need one site's vlan to be active at a time (we're setting up new servers for each remote site, and it's necessary to have the new server in the site's vlan, and it's not convenient go actually go to each site).

A typical setup is (starting at the remote site):

core 3500 switch -> 3640 router -> 8510msr switch -> ATM cloud -> 8510msr switch -> 4507R central core switch

I've noticed that the 8510s don't seem to understand vlans (no 'vlan' or 'vtp' commands). I'm assuming they'd need an IOS upgrade maybe, or should all versions do vlans?

The ATM configuration was done before I got here, and I don't have much experience with it. I'm assuming that since IP connectivity seems fine between the sites, this should be do-able.

Some ideas I've come across (both personal research and with help from the Cisco TAC):

- apparently there's an 'atm bind' command to bind vlans to pvcs, but none of the 8510s or the 3640 seem to have it. I'm assuming either it's not available for my equipment, or not the IOS that it's running
- I've had a suggestion to build a GRE tunnel, I'm guessing between the core switch at the remote site and the switch at the central site and use IRB.
- use IRB at the 3640. I'm guessing I'd also need to get the 8510s passing vlans.

Hopefully, I'm at least close with some of this and this is actually possible.

Thanks!

--Steve

Steve Pfister
Technical Coordinator, 
The Office of Information Technology
Dayton Public Schools
115 S. Ludlow St. 
Dayton, OH 45402
 
Office (937) 542-3149
Cell (937) 673-6779
Direct Connect: 137*131747*8
Email spfister at dps.k12.oh.us