OSPF Segment Routing

This is an EXPERIMENTAL support of RFC 8665. DON’T use it for production network.

Supported Features

  • Automatic computation of Primary and Backup Adjacency SID with Cisco experimental remote IP address

  • SRGB & SRLB configuration

  • Prefix configuration for Node SID with optional NO-PHP flag (Linux kernel support both mode)

  • Node MSD configuration (with Linux Kernel >= 4.10 a maximum of 32 labels could be stack)

  • Automatic provisioning of MPLS table

  • Equal Cost Multi-Path (ECMP)

  • Static route configuration with label stack up to 32 labels

  • TI-LFA (for P2P interfaces only)

Interoperability

  • Tested on various topology including point-to-point and LAN interfaces in a mix of FRRouting instance and Cisco IOS-XR 6.0.x

  • Check OSPF LSA conformity with latest wireshark release 2.5.0-rc

Implementation details

Concepts

Segment Routing used 3 different OPAQUE LSA in OSPF to carry the various information:

  • Router Information: flood the Segment Routing capabilities of the node. This include the supported algorithms, the Segment Routing Global Block (SRGB) and the Maximum Stack Depth (MSD).

  • Extended Link: flood the Adjaceny and Lan Adjacency Segment Identifier

  • Extended Prefix: flood the Prefix Segment Identifier

The implementation follows previous TE and Router Information codes. It used the OPAQUE LSA functions defined in ospf_opaque.[c,h] as well as the OSPF API. This latter is mandatory for the implementation as it provides the Callback to Segment Routing functions (see below) when an Extended Link / Prefix or Router Information LSA s are received.

Overview

Following files where modified or added:

  • ospd_ri.[c,h] have been modified to add the new TLVs for Segment Routing.

  • ospf_ext.[c,h] implement RFC7684 as base support of Extended Link and Prefix Opaque LSA.

  • ospf_sr.[c,h] implement the earth of Segment Routing. It adds a new Segment Routing database to manage Segment Identifiers per Link and Prefix and Segment Routing enable node, Callback functions to process incoming LSA and install MPLS FIB entry through Zebra.

The figure below shows the relation between the various files:

  • ospf_sr.c centralized all the Segment Routing processing. It receives Opaque LSA Router Information (4.0.0.0) from ospf_ri.c and Extended Prefix (7.0.0.X) Link (8.0.0.X) from ospf_ext.c. Once received, it parse TLVs and SubTLVs and store information in SRDB (which is defined in ospf_sr.h). For each received LSA, NHLFE is computed and send to Zebra to add/remove new MPLS labels entries and FEC. New CLI configurations are also centralized in ospf_sr.c. This CLI will trigger the flooding of new LSA Router Information (4.0.0.0), Extended Prefix (7.0.0.X) and Link (8.0.0.X) by ospf_ri.c, respectively ospf_ext.c.

  • ospf_ri.c send back to ospf_sr.c received Router Information LSA and update Self Router Information LSA with parameters provided by ospf_sr.c i.e. SRGB and MSD. It use ospf_opaque.c functions to send/received these Opaque LSAs.

  • ospf_ext.c send back to ospf_sr.c received Extended Prefix and Link Opaque LSA and send self Extended Prefix and Link Opaque LSA through ospf_opaque.c functions.

                +-----------+     +-------+
                |           |     |       |
                | ospf_sr.c +-----+  SRDB |
    +-----------+           +--+  |       |
    |           +-^-------^-+  |  +-------+
    |             |   |   |    |
    |             |   |   |    |
    |             |   |   |    +--------+
    |             |   |   |             |
+---v----------+  |   |   |       +-----v-------+
|              |  |   |   |       |             |
| ospf_ri.c    +--+   |   +-------+ ospf_ext.c  |
| LSA 4.0.0.0  |      |           | LSA 7.0.0.X |
|              |      |           | LSA 8.0.0.X |
+---^----------+      |           |             |
    |                 |           +-----^-------+
    |                 |                 |
    |                 |                 |
    |        +--------v------------+    |
    |        |                     |    |
    |        | ZEBRA: Labels + FEC |    |
    |        |                     |    |
    |        +---------------------+    |
    |                                   |
    |                                   |
    |         +---------------+         |
    |         |               |         |
    +---------> ospf_opaque.c <---------+
              |               |
              +---------------+

  Figure 1: Overview of Segment Routing interaction

Module interactions

To process incoming LSA, the code is based on the capability to call hook() functions when LSA are inserted or delete to / from the LSDB and the possibility to register particular treatment for Opaque LSA. The first point is provided by the OSPF API feature and the second by the Opaque implementation itself. Indeed, it is possible to register callback function for a given Opaque LSA ID (see ospf_register_opaque_functab() function defined in ospf_opaque.c). Each time a new LSA is added to the LSDB, the new_lsa_hook() function previously register for this LSA type is called. For Opaque LSA it is the ospf_opaque_lsa_install_hook(). For deletion, it is ospf_opaque_lsa_delete_hook().

Note that incoming LSA which is already present in the LSDB will be inserted after the old instance of this LSA remove from the LSDB. Thus, after the first time, each incoming LSA will trigger a delete following by an install. This is not very helpful to handle real LSA deletion. In fact, LSA deletion is done by Flushing LSA i.e. flood LSA after setting its age to MAX_AGE. Then, a garbage function has the role to remove all LSA with age == MAX_AGE in the LSDB. So, to handle LSA Flush, the best is to look to the LSA age to determine if it is an installation or a future deletion i.e. the flushed LSA is first store in the LSDB with MAX_AGE waiting for the garbage collector function.

Router Information LSAs

To activate Segment Routing, new CLI command segment-routing on has been introduced. When this command is activated, function ospf_router_info_update_sr() is called to indicate to Router Information process that Segment Routing TLVs must be flood. Same function is called to modify the Segment Routing Global Block (SRGB) and Maximum Stack Depth (MSD) TLV. Only Shortest Path First (SPF) Algorithm is supported, so no possibility to modify this TLV is offer by the code.

When Opaque LSA Type 4 i.e. Router Information are stored in LSDB, function ospf_opaque_lsa_install_hook() will call the previously registered function ospf_router_info_lsa_update(). In turn, the function will simply trigger ospf_sr_ri_lsa_update() or ospf_sr_ri_lsa_delete in function of the LSA age. Before, it verifies that the LSA Opaque Type is 4 (Router Information). Self Opaque LSA are not send back to the Segment Routing functions as information are already stored.

Zebra

When a new MPLS entry or new Forwarding Equivalent Class (FEC) must be added or deleted in the data plane, add_sid_nhlfe() respectively del_sid_nhlfe() are called. Once check the validity of labels, they are send to ZEBRA layer through ZEBRA_MPLS_LABELS_ADD command, respectively ZEBRA_MPLS_LABELS_DELETE command for deletion. This is completed by a new labelled route through ZEBRA_ROUTE_ADD command, respectively ZEBRA_ROUTE_DELETE command.

TI-LFA

Experimental support for Topology Independent LFA (Loop-Free Alternate), see for example ‘draft-bashandy-rtgwg-segment-routing-ti-lfa-05’. The related files are ospf_ti_lfa.c/h.

The current implementation is rather naive and does not support the advanced optimizations suggested in e.g. RFC7490 or RFC8102. It focuses on providing the essential infrastructure which can also later be used to enhance the algorithmic aspects.

Supported features:

  • Link and node protection

  • Intra-area support

  • Proper use of Prefix- and Adjacency-SIDs in label stacks

  • Asymmetric weights (using reverse SPF)

  • Non-adjacent P/Q spaces

  • Protection of Prefix-SIDs

If configured for every SPF run the routing table is enriched with additional backup paths for every prefix. The corresponding Prefix-SIDs are updated with backup paths too within the OSPF SR update task.

Informal High-Level Algorithm Description:

p_spaces = empty_list()

for every protected_resource (link or node):
  p_space = generate_p_space(protected_resource)
  p_space.q_spaces = empty_list()

  for every destination that is affected by the protected_resource:
    q_space = generate_q_space(destination)

    # The label stack is stored in q_space
    generate_label_stack(p_space, q_space)

    # The p_space collects all its q_spaces
    p_spaces.q_spaces.add(q_space)

  p_spaces.add(p_space)

adjust_routing_table(p_spaces)

Possible Performance Improvements:

  • Improve overall datastructures, get away from linked lists for vertices

  • Don’t calculate a Q space for every destination, but for a minimum set of backup paths that cover all destinations in the post-convergence SPF. The thinking here is that once a backup path is known that it is also a backup path for all nodes on the path themselves. This can be done by using the leafs of a trimmed minimum spanning tree generated out of the post- convergence SPF tree for that particular P space.

  • For an alternative (maybe better) optimization look at https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7490#section-5.2.1.3 which describes using the Q space of the node which is affected by e.g. a link failure. Note that this optimization is topology dependent.

It is highly recommended to read e.g. Segment Routing I/II by Filsfils to understand the basics of Ti-LFA.

Configuration

Linux Kernel

In order to use OSPF Segment Routing, you must setup MPLS data plane. Up to know, only Linux Kernel version >= 4.5 is supported.

First, the MPLS modules aren’t loaded by default, so you’ll need to load them yourself:

modprobe mpls_router
modprobe mpls_gso
modprobe mpls_iptunnel

Then, you must activate MPLS on the interface you would used:

sysctl -w net.mpls.conf.enp0s9.input=1
sysctl -w net.mpls.conf.lo.input=1
sysctl -w net.mpls.platform_labels=1048575

The last line fix the maximum MPLS label value.

Once OSPFd start with Segment Routing, you could check that MPLS routes are enable with:

ip -M route
ip route

The first command show the MPLS LFIB table while the second show the FIB table which contains route with MPLS label encapsulation.

If you disable Penultimate Hop Popping with the no-php-flag (see below), you MUST check that RP filter is not enable for the interface you intend to use, especially the lo one. For that purpose, disable RP filtering with:

systcl -w net.ipv4.conf.all.rp_filter=0
sysctl -w net.ipv4.conf.lo.rp_filter=0

OSPFd

Here it is a simple example of configuration to enable Segment Routing. Note that opaque capability and router information must be set to activate Opaque LSA prior to Segment Routing.

router ospf
 ospf router-id 192.168.1.11
 capability opaque
 segment-routing on
 segment-routing global-block 10000 19999 local-block 5000 5999
 segment-routing node-msd 8
 segment-routing prefix 192.168.1.11/32 index 1100

The first segment-routing statement enables it. The second and third one set the SRGB and SRLB respectively, fourth line the MSD and finally, set the Prefix SID index for a given prefix.

Note that only prefix of Loopback interface could be configured with a Prefix SID. It is possible to add no-php-flag at the end of the prefix command to disable Penultimate Hop Popping. This advertises to peers that they MUST NOT pop the MPLS label prior to sending the packet.

Known limitations

  • Runs only within default VRF

  • Only single Area is supported. ABR is not yet supported

  • Only SPF algorithm is supported

  • Extended Prefix Range is not supported

  • With NO Penultimate Hop Popping, it is not possible to express a Segment Path with an Adjacency SID due to the impossibility for the Linux Kernel to perform double POP instruction.

Credits

This work has been performed in the framework of the H2020-ICT-2014 project 5GEx (Grant Agreement no. 671636), which is partially funded by the European Commission.