Reference Guide

Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) | 1027
VRF Configuration Notes
On E-Series routers, Dell Force10 VRF supports up to 15 VRF instances: 1 to 14 and the default VRF (0).
Although there is no restriction on the number of VLANs that can be assigned to a VRF instance, the total
number of routes supported in VRF is limited by the size of the IPv4 FIB table in the CAM.
VRF is implemented in a network device by using Forwarding Information Bases (FIBs). Each VRF uses
one FIB.
A network device may have the ability to configure different virtual routers, where each one has its own
FIB that is not accessible to any other virtual router instance on the same device.
Only Layer 3 interfaces can belong to a VRF. VRF is supported on following types of interface:
• physical Ethernet interfaces
• physical Sonet interfaces
• port-channel interfaces (static & dynamic using LACP)
• VLAN interfaces
• loopback interfaces
VRF supports route redistribution between routing protocols (including static routes) only when the routes
are within the same VRF.
FTOS uses both the VRF name and VRF ID to manage VRF instances. The VRF name and VRF ID
number are assigned using the
ip vrf command. The VRF ID is displayed in show ip vrf command output.
The VRF ID is not exchanged between routers. VRF IDs are local to a router.
VRF supports some routing protocols only on the default VRF (
default-vrf) instance. Table 59-1, "," in
Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) displays the software features supported in VRF and whether they
are supported on all VRF instances or only the default VRF.
Table 59-1.
Feature/Capability Supported? Note
Configuration rollback for commands introduced or
modified
Yes
LLDP protocol on the port Yes
802.1x protocol on the VLAN port Yes Supported only for default-VRF
OSPF, RIP, ISIS, BGP on physical and logical
interfaces
Yes OSPF supported on all VRF ports. Others
supported only on default-VRF ports
Dynamic Port-channel (LACP) on VLAN port or a
Layer 3 port
Yes
Static Port-channel as VLAN port or a Layer 3 port Yes