802.1q Tunneling

802.1q Tunneling

One of the enterprise's business requirements can entail sending multiple VLANs across the service provider's Metro Ethernet network. The enterprise can accomplish this via 802.1q tunneling, also known as QinQ. This chapter uses both names interchangeably.

802.1q tunneling is a tunneling mechanism that service providers can use to provide secure Ethernet VPN services to their customers. Ethernet VPNs using QinQ are possible because of the two-level VLAN tag scheme that QinQ uses. The outer VLAN tag is referred to as the service provider VLAN and uniquely identifies a given customer within the network of the service provider. The inner VLAN tag is referred to as the customer VLAN tag because the customer assigns it.

QinQ's use of double VLAN tags is similar to the label stack used in MPLS to enable Layer 3 VPNs and Layer 2 VPNs. It is also possible for multiple customer VLANs to be tagged using the same outer or service provider VLAN tag, thereby trunking multiple VLANs among customer sites. Note that by using two VLAN tags—outer and inner VLAN—you achieve a demarcation point between the domain of the customer and the domain of the service provider. The service provider can use any VLAN scheme it decides upon to identify a given customer within his provider network. Similarly, the enterprise customer can independently decide on a VLAN scheme for the VLANs that traverse the service provider network without consulting the service provider.

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