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Configuring Network Services Mode

Network Services Mode Overview

A network services mode defines how the router chassis recognizes and uses certain modules. You can configure network services modes on MX Series 5G Universal Routing Platforms and on T4000 Core Routers with Type 5 FPCs.

On MX Series 5G Universal Routing Platforms, you can configure IP Network Services mode, Enhanced IP Network Services mode, Ethernet Network Services mode, or Enhanced Ethernet Network Services mode.

You can use either Enhanced IP Network Services mode or Enhanced Ethernet Network Services mode to improve the scaling and performance specific to filters in a subscriber access network that uses statically configured subscriber interfaces. For more information about using enhanced network services modes with firewall filters, see Firewall Filters and Enhanced Network Services Mode Overview.

On MX240, MX480, and MX960 routers, the MPC5E and MPC7E line cards power on only if the configured network services mode is enhanced-ip or enhanced-ethernet. All other MPCs work with any of the network services modes. MX2010 and MX2020 support only enhanced-ip and enhanced-ethernet network services modes.

Note:

If Dense Port Concentrators (DPCs) in Ethernet Network Services mode or Enhanced Ethernet Network Services mode are up and running, you cannot configure the system for IP Network Services mode. You must first disable any Ethernet Network Services mode DPCs before switching to IP Network Services mode.

Note:

When a chassis starts without any functioning FPCs, the Network Services mode defaults to IP Network Services. When the first FPC comes online, the configured Networks Services mode is applied.

Note:

Starting from Junos OS Release 13.3, you can configure the Enhanced IP Network Services mode and Enhanced Ethernet Network Services mode on MX240, MX480 and MX960 routers with an SCBE2. Specify the enhanced-ip option or the enhanced-ethernet option at the [edit chassis network-services] hierarchy level.

You can configure T4000 Core Routers with Type 5 FPCs to run in Enhanced Network Services mode to enable improved virtual private LAN service (VPLS) MAC address learning. For more information, see enhanced-mode.

Table 1 explains how different modules function when the MX Series 5G Universal Routing Platform chassis is configured to run in different network services modes.

Table 1: Network Services Mode Functions

Configuration Upon Boot or Configuration Change

Module Function

IP Network Services mode (default; upon boot)

All modules except DPCE-X and DPCE-X-Q are powered on.

Starting with Junos OS Release 15.1, you can limit the maximum number of logical interfaces on MX Series routers with MS-DPCs to 64,000 for enhanced IP network services mode. To do this, include the limited-ifl-scaling option with the network-services enhanced-ip statement at the [edit chassis] hierarchy level. Using the limited-ifl-scaling option prevents any collision of logical interface indices that can occur in a scenario in which you enable the Enhanced IP Network Services mode on the router which also contains an MS-DPC.

Ethernet Network Services mode (upon boot)

All modules are powered on. However, operating in Ethernet Network Services mode restricts certain BGP protocol functions and does not support Layer 3 VPN, unicast RPF, and source and destination class usage (SCU and DCU) functions. In addition, the number of externally configured filter terms is restricted to 64K.

Ethernet Network Services mode provides support for only Layer 2.5 functions.

Enhanced IP Network Services mode (upon boot)

Only MPCs, MS-MPCs, and MS-DPCs are powered on.

Note:

Only Multiservices DPCs (MS-DPCs) and MS-MPCs are powered on with the enhanced network services mode options. No other DPCs function with the enhanced network services mode options.

Enhanced Ethernet Network Services mode (upon boot)

Only MPCs, MS-MPCs, and MS-DPCs are powered on. All restrictions for operating in Ethernet Network Services mode apply.

Note:

Only Multiservices DPCs (MS-DPCs) and MS-MPCs are powered on with the enhanced network services mode options. No other DPCs function with the enhanced network services mode options.

Change from IP Network Services mode to Ethernet Network Services mode

DPCE-X and DPCE-X-Q modules are powered on. No reboot is required. No impact to MPCs or MS-DPCs.

Change from Ethernet Network Services mode to IP Network Services mode

Invalid modification. No commit occurs. A warning message indicates if any FPCs (along with their slot location) must be offline before switching to other network services. No impact to MPCs or MS-DPCs.

Change from Enhanced Ethernet Network Services mode to Enhanced IP Network Services mode.

Reboot is required.

Change from Enhanced IP Network Services mode to Enhanced Ethernet Network Services mode

Reboot is required.

Change from IP Network Services mode to Enhanced IP Network Services mode

System reboot is required (PFE/FPCs)

Change from Ethernet Network Services mode to Enhanced Ethernet Network Services mode

Reboot is required.

For details on the Layer 2.5 support for Ethernet Network Services mode, see Restricted Software Features in Ethernet Network Services Mode.

Network Services on SCBE2

The following scenarios are to be noted when you use an MX Series router with an SCBE2:

  • You must configure the set chassis network-services (enhanced-ip | enhanced-ethernet) configuration command and reboot the router to bring up the FPCs on the router. However, after the router reboots, the MS DPC, the MX FPC, and the ADPC are powered off.

  • All the FPCs and DPCs in the router are powered off when you reboot the router without configuring either the enhanced-ip option or the enhanced-ethernet option at the [edit chassis network-services] hierarchy level.

  • You must reboot the router when you configure or delete the enhanced-ip option or the enhanced-ethernet option at the [edit chassis network-services] hierarchy level. The following warning message, which prompts you to reboot the router, is displayed when you configure or delete the enhanced-ip or the enhanced-ethernet configuration statement at the [edit chassis network-services] hierarchy level.

  • Starting with Junos OS Release 14.2, you must perform a commit synchronization of the settings between dual Routing Engines under some specific conditions. If you configure or remove the enhanced-ip or the enhanced-ethernet option at the [edit chassis network-services] hierarchy level on one of the Routing Engines on a router that contains dual Routing Engines, perform commit synchronization of the settings between the two Routing Engines by entering the commit synchronize command at the [edit system] hierarchy level. In addition, you must reboot all of the Routing Engines simultaneously (using the CLI command request system reboot both-routing-engines) when the enhanced IP network services mode is changed. The reboot is performed to prevent any unexpected system behavior.

Note:

Dynamic multicast replication mode is supported on SCBE2. Static multicast replication mode is not supported on SCBE2.

Note:

If a route’s next hop is a unicast next hop through integrated routing and bridging (IRB) and the corresponding MAC address is learned over a label-switched interface (LSI), the IRB derives the Layer 2 information from the indirect next hop for the LSI. If you configure the load-balance per-packet policy statement, the indirect next hop of the LSI points to a unilist, which has all the member links to load balance the packets toward the MPLS cloud. You should configure the enhanced-ip option to enable the unicast next hop for IRB to use the unilist as the Layer 2 forwards next hop and load balance the packets.

Configuring Junos OS to Run a Specific Network Services Mode in MX Series Routers

You can configure MX Series 5G Universal Routing Platforms to run in different network services modes. Each network services mode defines how the chassis recognizes and uses certain modules.

To configure the network services mode of an MX Series router:

  1. Access the chassis hierarchy.
  2. Specify the network services mode that you want the router to use.

Feature Restrictions on MX Series Routers Running in Ethernet Network Services Mode or Enhanced Ethernet Network Services Mode

Table 2 lists Junos OS feature restrictions when running in Ethernet Network Services mode or Enhanced Ethernet Network Services mode.

Table 2: Restricted Software Features in Ethernet Network Services Mode

Software Feature

Restriction in Ethernet Network Services Mode

BGP

  • Data plane support applies only to Ethernet and MPLS.

  • BGP only supports the following address families: inet labeled-unicast, inet unicast, inet-vpn unicast, l2vpn, and route-target.

L3VPN

Layer 3 VPNs are supported. You can only include loopback interfaces in the Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) instance. A maximum of two VRFs are supported. Each VRF can handle up to 10,000 routes.

The ping mpls l3vpn operational mode command is also supported.

Unicast RPF

Unicast reverse-path forwarding is disabled.

Source and destination class usage (SCU and DCU)

Source and Destination Class Usage is disabled.

Filter terms

The number of externally configured filter terms is restricted to 64 KB.

Prefixes

The number of supported prefixes is restricted to 32 K.

Note:

MX Series routers supporting Layer 2.5 functions work as full-scale routers and they support interior gateway protocol (IGP), multicast routing protocols, and other routing features. The restrictions applicable on these routers are that the number of routes is limited and you cannot use BGP.

Limiting the Maximum Number of Logical Interfaces on MX Series Routers With MS-DPCs in Enhanced IP Network Services Mode

Starting in Junos OS Release 15.1, you can impose a limitation on the maximum number of logical interfaces on MX Series routers with MS-DPCs to be 64,000 for enhanced IP network services mode. To impose that limit, include the limited-ifl-scaling option with the network-services enhanced-ip statement at the [edit chassis] hierarchy level. When network-services is configured as enhanced IP mode, the kernel increases the total number of logical interfaces to 256,000. However, MS-DPC line cards are not capable of handling more than 64,000 logical interfaces globally on a router. Using the limited-ifl-scaling option prevents the problem of a collision of logical interface indices that can occur in a scenario in which you enable enhanced IP services mode and an MS-DPC is also present in the same chassis. To support MS-DPCs with enhanced IP mode on the chassis, you must limit the maximum logical interfaces as 64,000, which is performed with the limited-ifl-scaling option.

To define the maximum number of logical interfaces on MX Series routers with MS-DPCs as 64,000, include the limited-ifl-scaling option with the network-services enhanced-ip statement at the [edit chassis] hierarchy level.

When the default network services mode on a router is IP services mode (by using the network-services ip statement), the maximum logical interfaces is set as 64,000. When you change the network services mode as enhanced IP, the chassis process sets a general configuration (GENCFG) script to the kernel that increases the maximum logical interfaces as 256,000. When you configure the limited-ifl-scaling option with the network-services enhanced-ip statement, the chassis process does not generate a message to the kernel to increase the number of logical interfaces. As a result, the kernel retains the maximum number of logical interfaces as 64,000.

If your router chassis is previously configured with enhanced IP services mode and without the limited-ifl-scaling option set, and if you later configure the setting to limit the logical interfaces for MS-DPCs, the number of logical interfaces remains as 256,000 and it is not reduced. A cold reboot of the router must be performed in such a case to reduce the logical interfaces after you set the limited-ifl-scaling option with the network-services enhanced-ip statement. When you enter the limited-ifl-scaling option, none of the MPCs are moved to the offline state. All the optimization and scaling capabilities supported with enhanced IP mode apply to enhanced IP mode with the limitation of IFL scaling functionality.

Related Documentation

Change History Table

Feature support is determined by the platform and release you are using. Use Feature Explorer to determine if a feature is supported on your platform.

Release
Description
15.1
Starting with Junos OS Release 15.1, you can limit the maximum number of logical interfaces on MX Series routers with MS-DPCs to 64,000 for enhanced IP network services mode.
15.1
Starting in Junos OS Release 15.1, you can impose a limitation on the maximum number of logical interfaces on MX Series routers with MS-DPCs to be 64,000 for enhanced IP network services mode.
14.2
Starting with Junos OS Release 14.2, you must perform a commit synchronization of the settings between dual Routing Engines under some specific conditions.
13.3
Starting from Junos OS Release 13.3, you can configure the Enhanced IP Network Services mode and Enhanced Ethernet Network Services mode on MX240, MX480 and MX960 routers with an SCBE2.