VRF use cases

Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRFs) allow you to create multiple routing instances within a single router. The implementation of VRFs is helpful in a multi-tenant situation, where you may be serving numerous customers using the same physical network infrastructure. Specifically, VRFs are used to keep customer traffic and routing separate, but using the same physical hardware.

VRFs are often implemented in the following situations:

  • Datacenters in a colocation arrangement where multiple "tenants" have a presence and require a logically separate routing table or fabric
  • MPLS Layer 3 VPN uses VRFs extensively to achieve its operation.
  • Corporate buildings with many tenants can employ VRFs in their hardware to accommodate multiple corporate entities, each with their own virtually separate and independent routing domain.

Links:

https://networklessons.com/mpls/vrf-lite-configuration-on-cisco-ios

https://networklessons.com/mpls/mpls-layer-3-vpn-configuration

https://forum.networklessons.com/t/vrf-lite-configuration-on-cisco-ios/1166/88?u=lagapides