Cisco nV allows you to simplify operations and deployment of new services across different boundaries in a Service Provider network. But what is exactly this technology? It’s a single logical switch/router built by interconnecting an ASR9K and one or more smaller satellite switches. This switches act as a remote line cards, they are provisioned in ASR9K (called Host).
Architecture
nV Edge Overview
nV System Overview
- Control plane extension: Active RSP and standby RSP are on the different chassis,
they sync up via external EOBC links “AS IF” they are in the same physical chassis - Data plane extension: bundle regular data links into special “nV fabric link” to simulate
switch fabric function between two physical chassis to data packet across - No dedicated fabric chassis -> flexible co-located or different location deployment (No distance limitation)
nV Satellite
- All Satellite Configuration is done on the Host (zero touch)
- nV Satellite can greatly simplify access and aggregation networks
- Support flexible access and agg network topologies
- Satellite is a remote line card: Access ports have feature parity with ASR9K local ports
- nV Satellite interface naming follows the same local interface naming convention:sat-ID / sat-slot / sat-bay / sat-port
Control Plane
Discovery Phase
- CDP like protocol to discover Satellites
- Heartbeat sent every second to detect failures
Control Phase
- Inter-process Communication Channel (TCP socket)
Dataplane
On Satellite
- Add nV-Tag to frames before forward to Edge
On the Host
- Receive Frames with nV-Tag identifies Satellite Virtual Interface
Satellite Deployment Models
Mode 1: Static pinning (Any access ports could be mapped to any single fabric port.)
Mode 2:Fabric bundle (access ports are mapped to a fabric bundle)
Satellite Types: asr9000v, asr901, asr903
nV Satellite L2fabric, Ring Topologies
Since XR 5.1.1
- Extending satellite connection across a Layer 2 network
- A native 802.1Q tag is added to the Satellite-Host control and data plane protocol
- Expanding to support ring, & cascaded topologies
- Maintains the same plug & play operationalsimplicity
- CFM/CCM used for fast failure detection*
* CFM/CCM for simple ring and cascading will be in future releases
References:
BRKARC-2024 – Cisco ASR 9000 nV Technology and Deployment (2014 San Francisco)