ECP-206 Ericsson Certified Associate - IP Networking Questions and Answers

Route summarization is a technique that reduces the number of routes that a router advertises to its neighbors by creating a single summary route that covers multiple subnets or networks. Route summarization has several benefits, such as:

• It reduces the size of a routing table, which saves memory and CPU resources on the router. A smaller routing table also improves the lookup efficiency and convergence time of the routing protocol.
• It reduces signaling, which means that less bandwidth is consumed by routing updates and less processing is required by neighboring routers. This also enhances the stability and scalability of the network, as fewer routing changes are propagated.
• It improves route aggregation, which means that more specific routes are replaced by a less specific route that can be advertised to other autonomous systems or routing domains. This simplifies the inter-domain routing and hides the internal topology details.

Route summarization does not necessarily summarize the routing table entries into a default route, although a default route can be considered a special case of route summarization where all destinations are covered by one route. Route summarization also does not improve the best route calculation, as it may introduce suboptimal routing or black holes if not done properly. References: Introduction to Route Summarization - NetworkLessons.com, Route Summarization > Example for Understanding Route Summarization - Cisco Press

 A reason for using VLANs in an IP network is to isolate hosts within the same IP subnet. VLANs (Virtual LANs) are logical grouping of devices in the same broadcast domain. VLANs are usually configured on switches by placing some interfaces into one broadcast domain and some interfaces into another. Each VLAN acts as a subgroup of the switch ports in an Ethernet LAN. VLANs allow network administrators to group hosts together even if the hosts are not directly connected to the same network switch. By using VLANs, hosts within the same IP subnet can be separated into different broadcast domains, which enhances security, reduces network congestion, and simplifies network management78.

References: 8 Different Types of VLANs in TCP/IP Networks, What is a VLAN? - Study-CCNA

For IP destinations not found in the IS-IS Level 1 database, the Level 1 router must forward packets to the nearest Level 1-Level 2 router with the attach bit set. The attach bit is a flag in the IS-IS Level 1 LSP that indicates that the router is also a Level 2 router and can reach destinations outside the Level 1 area. The Level 1 router will install a default route pointing to the nearest Level 1-Level 2 router with the attach bit set. This way, the Level 1 router can forward packets to other areas without having to maintain a full Level 2 database. References: Ericsson IP Networking - Routing Protocols, Configure Attach Bit Set - Cisco

Two statements that are correct for LDP are:

• LSRs send UDP hello messages for neighbor discovery. LDP is a protocol that distributes labels for MPLS forwarding along the shortest path calculated by an IGP. LDP uses two types of messages: discovery messages and session messages. Discovery messages are used to discover and maintain adjacency with other LSRs that support LDP. Discovery messages are sent as UDP datagrams to the well-known multicast address 224.0.0.2 (all routers on this subnet) on port 64634.
• LSRs use TCP to negotiate LDP session parameters. Session messages are used to establish, maintain, and terminate LDP sessions between LSRs. Session messages are also used to exchange label mappings, notification messages, and keepalive messages. Session messages are sent as TCP segments to port 64634.

References: Ldp | Microsoft Learn, Label Distribution Protocol - Wikipedia

The correct order of DiffServ priority (highest to lowest) for the DiffServ classes: Default Forwarding (DF), Network Control (NC), Assured Forwarding (AF), and Expedited Forwarding (EF) is EF, NC, AF, DF. DiffServ is a QoS model that classifies and prioritizes traffic into different service classes based on the DSCP field in the IP header. The DSCP field is a 6-bit field that can encode up to 64 different per-hop behaviors (PHBs). The DiffServ classes are predefined groups of PHBs that have similar characteristics and requirements. The four main DiffServ classes are:

• EF: This class provides the highest priority and lowest delay for real-time applications such as voice and video. The DSCP value for EF is 101110 or 46 in decimal12.
• NC: This class provides the second highest priority and low delay for network control traffic such as routing protocols and network management. The DSCP value for NC is 110000 or 48 in decimal12.
• AF: This class provides four levels of assured forwarding with different drop probabilities for each level. AF is suitable for applications that require guaranteed bandwidth and delivery assurance, such as web browsing and email. The DSCP values for AF range from 001010 to 011110 or 10 to 46 in decimal12.
• DF: This class provides the lowest priority and best-effort service for applications that can tolerate packet loss and delay, such as file transfer and backup. The DSCP value for DF is 000000 or 0 in decimal12.

References: Differentiated Services - Wikipedia, DSCP - Differentiated Services Code Point - Mpirical

Two protocols that apply to both IPv4 and IPv6 are:

• SNMP: This stands for Simple Network Management Protocol, which is a protocol that allows network administrators to monitor and manage network devices such as routers, switches, servers, printers, etc. SNMP uses a client-server model, where an SNMP manager (client) can query or configure an SNMP agent (server) on a network device using SNMP messages. SNMP can operate over both IPv4 and IPv6 networks56.
• DNS: This stands for Domain Name System, which is a protocol that translates human-readable domain names (such as www.example.com) into numerical IPaddresses (such as 192.0.2.1 or 2001:db8::1) that identify network devices. DNS uses a hierarchical distributed database of name servers that store and resolve domain names and IP addresses. DNS can support both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses78.

References: Simple Network Management Protocol - Wikipedia, SNMP over IPv6 - Cisco, Domain Name System - Wikipedia, DNS for IPv6 - Cisco

 IPv6 link-local addresses are designed to be used in three situations: for neighbor discovery, for local IP communication on the IPv6 capable routers, and for addressing on a single link for purposes such as auto-address configuration. Neighbor discovery is a protocol that allows IPv6 nodes to discover each other and learn their link-layer addresses on a local network. Neighbor discovery uses link-local addresses to send and receive messages such as router advertisements, router solicitations, neighbor advertisements, and neighbor solicitations34. Local IP communication on the IPv6 capable routers refers to the ability of routers to exchange routing information or management traffic using their link-local addresses as source and destination addresses. This reduces the need for global unicast addresses on router interfaces that are not reachable from outside the local network35. Addressing on a single link for purposes such as auto-address configuration refers to the use of link-local addresses to enable IPv6 nodes to obtain an address without manual configuration or a DHCP server. Link-local addresses can be automatically derived from the interface identifier in the modified EUI-64 format or randomly generated. Link-local addresses can also be used to test the connectivity of a link before obtaining a global unicast address36.

References: Understand the IPv6 Link-Local Address - Cisco, Link Local Address - GeeksforGeeks, IPv6 Address Types | Link-Local, Global Unicast, etc.⋆ IPCisco, MPLS Label Distribution Protocol Commands - Cisco

The CLI command to obtain the software version in Ericsson Router 6000 products is show version. This command displays information about the software release, the hardware model, the serial number, the uptime, and the boot image of the router. References: [ERICSSON SMARTEDGE 600 HARDWARE MANUAL Pdf Download | ManualsLib], Ericsson Router 6000 Series - Ericsson

LDP relies on IGP for all routing-related decisions. LDP is a protocol that distributes labels in an MPLS environment, but it does not perform any routing functions. LDP uses the underlying routing information provided by an IGP, such as OSPF or IS-IS, to forward label packets. LDP and IGP do not exchange their databases at regular intervals, but rather use hello messages to maintain adjacencies and sessions. References: Ericsson IP Networking - Routing Protocols, Label Distribution Protocol - Wikipedia

Spanning-Tree is used for Ethernet loop avoidance. Spanning-Tree is a protocol that prevents loops in Ethernet networks by creating a logical tree topology of the network switches. Spanning-Tree blocks some of the redundant links between switches to ensure that there is only one active path between any two nodes in thenetwork. Spanning-Tree also detects and recovers from link failures by activating alternative paths when needed56.

References: Network loops and loop avoidance - Medium, Spanning Tree Protocol - Wikipedia

The subnet address for 10.57.126.156/29 is 10.57.126.152. To find the subnet address, we need to perform a bitwise AND operation between the IP address and the subnet mask. The subnet mask for /29 is 255.255.255.248, which in binary is 11111111.11111111.11111111.11111000. The IP address in binary is 00001010.00111001.01111110.10011100. The result of the AND operation is 00001010.00111001.01111110.10011000, which in decimal is10.57.126.152. References: Ericsson IP Networking - IP Addressing, Software Installation and Upgrade Overview (Junos OS)

The code that is commonly used to assign higher priority to VoIP traffic is EF, which stands for Expedited Forwarding. EF is a per-hop behavior (PHB) defined by the Differentiated Services (DiffServ) model for QoS. EF provides low delay, low jitter, and low loss for real-time applications such as VoIP. EF is marked by setting the DSCP value to 101110, which corresponds to decimal 4678. AF31, which stands for Assured Forwarding class 3 low drop probability, is another PHB defined by DiffServ, but it provides lower priority than EF. AF31 is marked by setting the DSCP value to 011010, which corresponds to decimal 2678. DF, which stands for Default Forwarding, is a PHB defined by DiffServ that provides best-effort service for unmarked traffic. DF is marked by setting the DSCP value to 000000, which corresponds to decimal 078. AF11, which stands for Assured Forwarding class 1 low drop probability, is another PHB defined by DiffServ, but it provides lower priority than EF and AF31. AF11 is marked by setting the DSCP value to 001010, which corresponds to decimal 1078.

References: Differentiated services - Wikipedia, Solved: Cisco VoIP Phone traffic marking - Cisco Community

Referring to the exhibit, the correct statement is that the service provider’s P routers are not aware of the customers’ routes. This is because P routers only need to forward MPLS packets based on their labels, without looking into their IP headers or VPN information. The P routers do not have any VRFs configured for the customers, nor do they participate in MP-BGP sessions with other PE routers. The PE routers are responsible for maintaining VRFs for each customer and for exchanging VPN routes with other PE routers using MP-BGP910.

References: Layer 3 VPNs (L3VPN) - Cisco, MPLS VPN - Wikipedia

Link-state routing protocols are one of the two main classes of routing protocols used in packet switching networks for computer communications, the other being distance-vector routing protocols. Examples of link-state routing protocols include Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) and Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS). The basic concept of link-state routing is that every node constructs a map of the connectivity to the network, in the form of a graph, showing which nodes are connected to which other nodes. Each node then independently calculates the next best logical path from it to every possible destination in the network. Each collection of best paths will then form each node’s routing table.

Two statements that are true about link-state routing protocols are:

• The advertisement exchange is mainly triggered by a change in the network. Link-state routing protocols use a flooding mechanism to distribute information about the network topology to all routers in the same area or domain. This information is encapsulated in link-state packets (LSPs) or link-state advertisements (LSAs), which contain information about the router, its directly connected links, and the state of those links. LSPs or LSAs are sent only when there is a change in the topology, such as a link failure or recovery, or when a periodic refresh timer expires. This way, link-state routing protocols can quickly adapt to network changes and maintain an accurate and consistent view of the network.
• Each router uses a reliable update mechanism to exchange topology information with its neighbors. Link-state routing protocols use a reliable update mechanism to ensure that all routers receive and acknowledge the LSPs or LSAs sent by their neighbors. This mechanism involves sending hello messages to establish and maintain adjacencies with neighbors, sending acknowledgment messages to confirm the receipt of LSPs or LSAs, and requesting missing or outdated LSPs or LSAs from neighbors. This mechanism ensures that all routers have a synchronized database of LSPs or LSAs, which is used to build a complete network connectivity map and to calculate the shortest path to destinations.

References: Link-state routing protocol - Wikipedia, Ericsson IP Networking - Routing Protocols

The correct ordering (outer to inner) of packet headers in an IP/MPLS packet is Ethernet, MPLS, IP. An IP/MPLS packet is a packet that is encapsulated with an MPLS label stack between the Ethernet header and the IP header. The Ethernet header contains the source and destination MAC addresses and the EtherType field that indicates the type of the payload. The MPLS label stack contains one or more labels that are used for forwarding decisions by the MPLS routers. Each label consists of four fields: label value, experimental bits, bottom of stack, and time to live. The IP header contains the source and destination IP addresses and other information for routing and fragmentation. The order of the headers is important because it determines how the packet is processed by different devices in the network12.

References: MPLS Label Stack - Cisco, MPLS Fundamentals: 3 - MPLS Packet Forwarding