hardware offload of mpls, is it limited?

RouterOS Forwarding Protocols
1

i’m looking for information regarding status of hardware offloaded mpls on mikrotik devices
here’s my test scenario:

three devices connected like this:

–HEX1----CRS309----HEX2–

running routeros 7.14rc2

configured: OSPF , MPLS and hardware offload setup according to mikrotik “L3 Hardware Offloading” help page

hardware routing between HEX1 and HEX2 is working (cpu on CRS = 0% when passing traffic)

hardware mpls seems to be working only when single tag is present
when i stretch EoIP tunnel between HEX1 and HEX2, CRS is not using CPU and everything is nice
when i try to do the same with VPLS tunnel CRS cpu is 70-90% and nothing is offloaded

am i correct concluding that mikrotik devices only support hardware offload of single mpls tag?
is it hardware limitation? is there a hope that it will improve in future versions of routeros?
maybe mpls requires some additional config that isn’t on help page?
am i completely wrong about everything?

2

MPLS hardware offload is not supported un ROSv7.

3

How long before we get MPLS/VPLS/EVPN hardware offloaded on CCR2k models and even the newer CRSes?

4

Mikrotik need offloading of the following MPLS operations:

  • Label Forwarding
  • Label Push/Pop/Swap

For not only one label, but multiple in Hardware and FastPath.

This is a major feature set omission that is holding Mikrotik back in the Service Provider market.

5

do you know whether this is supported by switch chips used in crs3xx series?

6

Only some of them. The CRS309, CRS317, CRS354 and some of the CRS326 models (high density 10/2.5 ones) have support for offload of MPLS forwarding as well as push/pop/swap operations, with limitations of course (its an ASIC after all)

The point is Mikrotik need to implement these features in both FastPath and Hardware to be of real benefit to the widest range of their customers.

Hardware support will benefit operators using CRS and CCR2K hardware allowing for wirespeed P and PE router functions.

FastPath support will benefit operators using other CCR’s and RB’s as POP and distribution routers allowing for faster P and PE router functions.

7

:smiley:
Yeah and some equipment certs: MEF, NEBS Level 3 ( GR-63-CORE, GR-1089-CORE )
Mikrotik will never reach such level ( hardware, software, support ), if they wanted to, they would have done it already long time ago - They stay in Home/SMB market.