A point-to-point Ethernet service
A VPWS maps a customer attachment circuit at one PE to an attachment circuit at another PE. The service forwards Layer 2 frames between those two endpoints. The customer devices can use their own Layer 3 protocols across the virtual wire.
A classic MPLS VPWS uses a pseudowire. The ingress PE maps the incoming circuit to a pseudowire label and sends the frame through the provider transport. The egress PE maps that label to the remote circuit. Because the circuit has one remote endpoint, the provider does not need multipoint MAC learning for that wire.
Pseudowire and EVPN signaling
Targeted LDP can signal pseudowire labels between PEs. EVPN-VPWS offers another control plane, using BGP Ethernet Auto-Discovery routes to signal the service endpoints and support multihoming where the platform provides it.
VPWS describes the point-to-point service. VPLS offers a multipoint LAN service. EVPN can signal a point-to-point service or a multipoint service, depending on its deployment.
Try it in a lab
- On VPWS-capable lab PEs, connect a customer host to each endpoint and put both hosts in the same subnet. Confirm the attachment circuits and pseudowire or EVPN-VPWS service are up before sending traffic.
- Check that ARP and a unicast test flow cross the virtual wire. Use the provider forwarding view or a capture to identify the service label or encapsulation on the transport link.
- Disconnect one customer attachment circuit while keeping PE transport reachable. Confirm that the hosts lose connectivity across the service, then reconnect the circuit and verify recovery.