VRF (Virtual Routing and Forwarding)

VRFs use multiple virtual routing tables instead of using a single global routing table. Each VRF instance operates as a separate virtual router, maintaining its own routing table and forwarding decisions, isolated from other VRFs. This allows multiple instances of a routing table to coexist within the same router simultaneously. They are commonly used for MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) deployments.

VRFs enables network segmentation and supports features such as:

  • Network Isolation: VRFs create separate virtual networks within a single physical router, ensuring traffic from different customers, departments, or networks remains isolated.
  • Multi-Tenancy: Commonly used in service provider environments to manage multiple customers’ traffic on shared infrastructure without interference.
  • Overlapping IP Addresses: VRFs allow the same IP address space to be reused across different VRF instances, as each instance is independent.
  • VPN Support: VRF is a key component in MPLS VPNs, enabling secure, isolated communication over shared networks.

You can also view a device’s VRF data in the [Search] main tab:

  1. Click the [Search] main tab.

  2. Click the [Interfaces] subtab.

The device’s “VRF Name” will be displayed in a column on the righthand side of the window.

In the [Interfaces] subtab, you can also filter VRF devices by clicking the dropdown menu next to “VRF Name” in the [Interfaces] subtab’s top menu bar:

Click the [Switch Port Search] subtab to search for a device by address, and view its “ARP/NDP” and “Switch Port” information:

Click the [ARP] subtab to search for a device, and view its “VRF Name” in the rightmost column.

You can sort devices using their “VRF Name”.