E-LINE Using VPWS on Cisco IOS: A Hands-On Lab Using EVE-NG

E-LINE is the MEF-standard name for a point-to-point Ethernet service. In Cisco IOS XR, it's implemented using VPWS (Virtual Private Wire Service) — a powerful way to simulate a virtual wire across your MPLS core.

🧠 What is VPWS?

VPWS (Virtual Private Wire Service) is a Layer 2 VPN technology that simulates a physical Ethernet connection between two customer edge devices (CEs) across a provider network. It's used to build E-LINE services, providing raw Ethernet transport over MPLS.

Think of it as a virtual Ethernet cable that stretches between two locations, completely transparent to customer traffic.

🔧 Lab Overview: E-LINE (VPWS) on Cisco IOS

🔹 Topology:

CE1 --- PE1 --- P --- PE2 --- CE2

🔹 Technologies:

• Cisco IOS (IOSv or CSR1000v)
• MPLS + LDP
• OSPF for IGP
• VPWS using xconnect with MPLS encapsulation

📐 IP Address Plan

Note: No IPs on CE-facing interfaces — it's pure Layer 2 transport.

⚙️ Router Config Snippets

PE1 (IOS)

hostname PE1
interface Loopback0
 ip address 1.1.1.1 255.255.255.255

interface Gi0/1
 ip address 10.0.12.1 255.255.255.252
 mpls ip
 no shut

interface Gi0/0
 no ip address
 xconnect 2.2.2.2 100 encapsulation mpls
 no shut

mpls label protocol ldp
mpls ip

router ospf 1
 router-id 1.1.1.1
 network 1.1.1.1 0.0.0.0 area 0
 network 10.0.12.0 0.0.0.3 area 0

PE2 (IOS)

hostname PE2
interface Loopback0
 ip address 2.2.2.2 255.255.255.255

interface Gi0/1
 ip address 10.0.23.2 255.255.255.252
 mpls ip
 no shut

interface Gi0/0
 no ip address
 xconnect 1.1.1.1 100 encapsulation mpls
 no shut

mpls label protocol ldp
mpls ip

router ospf 1
 router-id 2.2.2.2
 network 2.2.2.2 0.0.0.0 area 0
 network 10.0.23.0 0.0.0.3 area 0

P Router (Core)

hostname P
interface Loopback0
 ip address 3.3.3.3 255.255.255.255

interface Gi0/1
 ip address 10.0.12.2 255.255.255.252
 mpls ip
 no shut

interface Gi0/2
 ip address 10.0.23.1 255.255.255.252
 mpls ip
 no shut

mpls ip
mpls label protocol ldp

router ospf 1
 router-id 3.3.3.3
 network 3.3.3.3 0.0.0.0 area 0
 network 10.0.12.0 0.0.0.3 area 0
 network 10.0.23.0 0.0.0.3 area 0

🧪 CE Device Configuration

In this lab, we're using two CE routers (CE1 and CE2) to simulate customer edge devices connected to the service provider's E-LINE (VPWS) service.

You can assign simple IP addresses on each CE interface to verify that the Layer 2 service is functioning properly. These IPs are not part of the service provider core, and are only used for test traffic.

CE1 Gi0/0/0/0: 192.168.100.1/30
CE2 Gi0/0/0/0: 192.168.100.2/30

ping 192.168.100.2  # from CE1

If the ping is successful, your E-LINE service is working!

🔍 Verification Commands

show xconnect all
show mpls l2transport vc
show mpls forwarding

📚 VPWS vs E-LINE — Same Thing?

Yes! In MEF language:

E-LINE = Point-to-Point Ethernet Service
VPWS = How Cisco implements it using MPLS

🔚 Conclusion

This is just a small lab to freshen up, learn more, or just stay busy. Whether you're brushing off the rust or exploring service provider tech, it's a great practical challenge.

💡 Personal Note:
I actually ended up doing this lab twice because I couldn’t get CE-to-CE ping working the first time. After exhausting every bit of troubleshooting logic and confirming the configs were solid, I finally determined it was an environment issue inside EVE-NG. Deleting and reloading all the nodes fixed it immediately.

So if you're stuck and everything looks right — don't rule out your environment!

You've now built an E-LINE/VPWS lab using Cisco IOS — leveraging MPLS, LDP, and xconnect pseudowires for Layer 2 Ethernet services.

Next steps? Upgrade to VPLS, try EVPN, or test redundant pseudowires with backup neighbors. We shall see.

Let the labbing continue 🚀

— Bryan Steele 🧠⚙️