Skip to main content

EVPN Interworking with IPVPN
draft-ietf-bess-evpn-ipvpn-interworking-15

Document Type Active Internet-Draft (bess WG)
Authors Jorge Rabadan , Ali Sajassi , Eric C. Rosen , John Drake , W. Lin , Jim Uttaro , Adam Simpson
Last updated 2025-12-04 (Latest revision 2025-11-21)
Replaces draft-rabadan-sajassi-bess-evpn-ipvpn-interworking
RFC stream Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
Intended RFC status Proposed Standard
Formats
Additional resources Mailing list discussion
Stream WG state Submitted to IESG for Publication
Document shepherd Stephane Litkowski
Shepherd write-up Show Last changed 2025-06-18
IESG IESG state In Last Call (ends 2025-12-18)
Action Holder
Consensus boilerplate Yes
Telechat date (None)
Responsible AD Gunter Van de Velde
Send notices to slitkows.ietf@gmail.com
IANA IANA review state IANA - Review Needed
draft-ietf-bess-evpn-ipvpn-interworking-15
BESS Workgroup                                           J. Rabadan, Ed.
Internet-Draft                                                     Nokia
Intended status: Standards Track                         A. Sajassi, Ed.
Expires: 25 May 2026                                               Cisco
                                                                E. Rosen
                                                              Individual
                                                                J. Drake
                                                             Independent
                                                                  W. Lin
                                                                     HPE
                                                               J. Uttaro
                                                             Independent
                                                              A. Simpson
                                                                   Nokia
                                                        21 November 2025

                      EVPN Interworking with IPVPN
               draft-ietf-bess-evpn-ipvpn-interworking-15

Abstract

   Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) provides a unified BGP
   control plane for both intra- and inter-subnet forwarding within
   tenant networks.  When a tenant network spans multiple domains —
   including EVPN domains as well as domains that use BGP VPN-IP or IP
   address families for inter-subnet forwarding — it becomes necessary
   to define the interworking mechanisms among these BGP domains (EVPN,
   VPN-IP, and IP) to ensure seamless end-to-end tenant connectivity.

   In addition, this document defines a new BGP Path Attribute, referred
   to as D-PATH (Domain PATH), which provides loop prevention for
   gateway nodes by protecting against control plane loops.  The
   introduction of D-PATH modifies the BGP best path selection process
   for Multiprotocol BGP routes of SAFI 128 (IPVPN) and EVPN IP Prefix
   routes.  As a result, this specification updates the BGP best path
   selection procedure, but only in the context of IPVPN and EVPN route
   families.

Status of This Memo

   This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the
   provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.

   Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
   Task Force (IETF).  Note that other groups may also distribute
   working documents as Internet-Drafts.  The list of current Internet-
   Drafts is at https://datatracker.ietf.org/drafts/current/.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                  [Page 1]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

   Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
   and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any
   time.  It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference
   material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."

   This Internet-Draft will expire on 25 May 2026.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2025 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents (https://trustee.ietf.org/
   license-info) in effect on the date of publication of this document.
   Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights
   and restrictions with respect to this document.  Code Components
   extracted from this document must include Revised BSD License text as
   described in Section 4.e of the Trust Legal Provisions and are
   provided without warranty as described in the Revised BSD License.

Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction and Problem Statement  . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   2.  Conventions used in this document . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   3.  Terminology and Interworking PE Components  . . . . . . . . .   4
   4.  Domain Path Attribute (D-PATH)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
   5.  BGP Path Attribute Propagation across Domains . . . . . . . .  18
     5.1.  No-Propagation Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  18
     5.2.  Uniform Propagation Mode  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  19
     5.3.  Aggregation of Routes and Path Attribute Propagation  . .  20
   6.  Route Selection Process for ISF Routes  . . . . . . . . . . .  21
     6.1.  Tie-Breaking and Selection Rules  . . . . . . . . . . . .  22
     6.2.  Examples  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  23
   7.  Composite PE Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  23
   8.  Gateway PE Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  26
     8.1.  Export Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  27
     8.2.  Advertisement Behavior  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  28
   9.  Interworking Use-Cases  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  30
   10. BGP Error Handling on Interworking PEs  . . . . . . . . . . .  31
   11. Conclusion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  32
   12. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  33
   13. IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  34
   14. Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  34
   15. Contributors  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  34
   16. References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  35
     16.1.  Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  35
     16.2.  Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  36

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                  [Page 2]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

   Authors' Addresses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  37

1.  Introduction and Problem Statement

   EVPN is used as a unified BGP control plane to support both intra-
   subnet and inter-subnet forwarding for tenant networks.  In
   deployments where a tenant network spans multiple domains, some of
   which use EVPN, and others which rely on BGP VPN-IPv4/VPN-IPv6 or
   IPv4/IPv6 address families for inter-subnet forwarding, it becomes
   necessary to define interworking procedures to enable seamless end-
   to-end tenant connectivity across these heterogeneous domains.

   This document specifies procedures for interworking between EVPN and
   other BGP address families, including VPN-IPv4, VPN-IPv6, IPv4, and
   IPv6, specifically for the purpose of inter-subnet forwarding.  It
   also addresses the interconnection of one EVPN domain with another,
   focusing on the propagation and handling of EVPN inter-subnet
   forwarding routes across such domains.

   To support loop prevention in scenarios where redundant gateway
   Provider Edges (PEs) interconnect distinct domains, this
   specification introduces a new BGP Path Attribute called the Domain
   Path (D-PATH).  In topologies where multiple gateways connect
   domains, control plane loops may occur if routes are redistributed
   between domains without proper safeguards.  For example, if gateway
   PE1 imports a VPN-IP route for a given prefix and redistributes it as
   an EVPN IP Prefix route into the EVPN domain, and a second gateway PE
   (PE2) receives this EVPN route and re-advertises it back into the
   IPVPN domain, a loop may form.  The D-PATH attribute is designed to
   prevent such scenarios by providing domain-level loop detection and
   avoidance.

   The D-PATH attribute alters the BGP best path selection logic for
   Multiprotocol BGP routes of SAFI 128 (VPN-IPv4/IPv6) and for EVPN IP
   Prefix routes.  Accordingly, this document updates the BGP best path
   selection procedures specified in [RFC4271], but only in the context
   of IPVPN and EVPN families.

   EVPN supports the advertisement of IPv4 or IPv6 prefixes through two
   route types:

   *  Route Type 2 - EVPN MAC/IP Advertisement route, as defined in
      [RFC9135], supporting host routes (i.e., /32 or /128).

   *  Route Type 5 - EVPN IP Prefix route, as defined in [RFC9136].

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                  [Page 3]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

   When interworking with other BGP address families for inter-subnet
   forwarding, the IP prefixes conveyed in these EVPN route types must
   be propagated into corresponding address families (e.g., VPN-IP), and
   vice versa.  Several aspects of this propagation require clarified
   procedures, including route selection, loop prevention, and BGP Path
   Attribute handling across AFI/SAFI boundaries.

   This document defines the concept of an Interworking PE Section 3,
   which is responsible for interconnecting different domains.  An
   Interworking PE implements the following behavior: it imports routes
   from one domain (along with the domain-specific encapsulation
   parameters), installs them in an IP-VRF, and reoriginates the routes
   with the encapsulation attributes suitable for the adjacent domain
   before advertisement.  This reorigination process enables the
   solution to operate independently of the transport encapsulation
   mechanisms used within each domain and serves as a service
   interworking function.

   The procedures defined herein ensure that tenant inter-subnet
   connectivity can be maintained across a mix of EVPN and non-EVPN
   domains, while preventing routing loops and maintaining protocol
   consistency across BGP address families.

2.  Conventions used in this document

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and
   "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP
   14 [RFC2119] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all
   capitals, as shown here.

3.  Terminology and Interworking PE Components

   This section summarizes the terminology related to the "Interworking
   PE" concept that will be used throughout the rest of the document.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                  [Page 4]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

      +-------------------------------------------------------------+
      |                                                             |
      |              +------------------+           Interworking PE |
      | Attachment   | +------------------+                         |
      | Circuit(AC1) | |  +----------+    |                MPLS/NVO tnl
    ----------------------*Bridge    |    |                    +------
      |              | |  |Table(BT1)|    |    +-----------+  / \     \
   MPLS/NVO tnl +-------->|          *---------*           |<--> | Eth |
     -------+   |    | |  |Eth-Tag x +    |IRB1|           |  \ /     /
    / Eth  / \<-+    | |  +----------+    |    |           |   +------
   |      |   |      | |     ...          |    |  IP-VRF1  |        |
    \      \ /<-+    | |  +----------+    |    |  RD2/RT2  |MPLS/NVO tnl
     -------+   |    | |  |Bridge    |    |    |           |   +------
      |         +-------->|Table(BT2)|    |IRB2|           |  / \     \
      |              | |  |          *---------*           |<--> | IP  |
    ----------------------*Eth-Tag y |    |    +-----*-----+  \ /     /
      |  AC2         | |  +----------+    |       AC3|         +------
      |              | |    MAC-VRF1      |          |              |
      |              +-+    RD1/RT1       |          |              |
      |                +------------------+          |  SAFIs       |
      |                                              |  1     +---+ |
    -------------------------------------------------+  128   |BGP| |
      |                                                 EVPN  +---+ |
      |                                                             |
      +-------------------------------------------------------------+

                    Figure 1: EVPN-IPVPN Interworking PE

   *  ISF SAFI: the Inter-Subnet Forwarding (ISF) Subsequent Address
      Family Identifier (SAFI) defines an MP-BGP Sub-Address Family used
      to advertise IP prefix reachability for inter-subnet forwarding
      within a tenant network.  The SAFIs used for ISF include 1
      (applicable only to IPv4 and IPv6 AFIs), 128 (applicable only to
      IPv4 and IPv6 AFIs), and 70 (EVPN, applicable only to AFI 25).
      This document uses the following terms interchangeably: ISF SAFI 1
      or BGP IP, ISF SAFI 128 or IPVPN, ISF SAFI 70 or EVPN.

   *  ISF route: a route for a given prefix, whose ISF SAFI may change
      as it transits different domains.  BGP IP routes as in [RFC4760]
      [RFC8950], IPVPN routes as in [RFC4364], [RFC4659], EVPN IP Prefix
      routes as in [RFC9136] or EVPN MAC/IP Advertisement routes when
      they are programmed within an IP-VRF [RFC9135], are considered ISF
      routes in this document.

   *  IP-VRF: an IP Virtual Routing and Forwarding table, as defined in
      [RFC4364].  Route Distinguisher and Route Target(s) are required
      properties of an IP-VRF.  An IP-VRF is programmed with ISF routes.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                  [Page 5]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

   *  MAC-VRF: a MAC Virtual Routing and Forwarding table, as defined in
      [RFC7432].  A MAC-VRF represents the instantiation of an EVPN
      Instance (EVI) on a PE device.  Each MAC-VRF is associated with a
      unique Route Distinguisher (RD) and one or more Route Targets
      (RTs), which are required attributes for its operation.  These RD
      and RT values are typically distinct from those used by any
      associated IP-VRF, when such an IP-VRF is linked to the MAC-VRF
      through a Bridge Table via an Integrated Routing and Bridging
      (IRB) interface.

   *  BT: a Bridge Table, as defined in [RFC7432], represents the
      instantiation of a Broadcast Domain on a PE device.  When an EVI
      contains a single Broadcast Domain, the associated MAC-VRF on each
      PE includes a single BT.  In cases where multiple Broadcast
      Domains exist within the same MAC-VRF, each BT is associated with
      a distinct Ethernet Tag. EVPN routes specific to a given BT
      include the corresponding Ethernet Tag to indicate the Broadcast
      Domain to which the route pertains.

      Example: In Figure 1, MAC-VRF1 has two BTs: BT1 and BT2.  Ethernet
      Tag x is defined in BT1 and Ethernet Tag y in BT2.

   *  CE: Customer Edge device.

   *  Ethernet Tag: used to represent a Broadcast Domain.

   *  EVI: an EVPN instance spanning the Provider Edge devices
      participating in that EVPN.

   *  AC: Attachment Circuit or logical interface associated to a given
      BT or IP-VRF.  To determine the AC on which a packet arrived, the
      PE will examine the combination of a physical port and VLAN tags
      (where the VLAN tags can be individual VLAN tags, Q-in-Q tags or
      ranges of both).

      Example: In Figure 1, AC1 is associated to BT1, AC2 to BT2 and AC3
      to IP-VRF1.

   *  IRB: Integrated Routing and Bridging interface.  It refers to the
      logical interface that connects a BT to an IP-VRF and allows to
      forward packets with destination in a different subnet.

   *  MPLS/NVO tunnel: A tunnel that may be based on either MPLS or a
      Network Virtualization Overlay (NVO) technology.  Such tunnels are
      utilized by both MAC-VRFs and IP-VRFs.  Regardless of the
      underlying tunneling technology, the tunnel may carry either
      Ethernet or IP payloads.  MAC-VRFs are restricted to using tunnels
      that carry Ethernet payloads - Ethernet NVO Tunnels [RFC9136] -

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                  [Page 6]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

      which are typically established via EVPN signaling.  In contrast,
      IP-VRFs may utilize tunnels carrying Ethernet payloads - Ethernet
      NVO Tunnels [RFC9136], signaled via EVPN - or IP payloads - IP NVO
      Tunnels [RFC9136], signaled via EVPN or IPVPN mechanisms.  IPVPN-
      only PE devices support IP-VRFs but do not support sending or
      receiving traffic over tunnels carrying Ethernet payloads.

      Example: Figure 1 illustrates the use of an MPLS or NVO-based
      tunnel to transport Ethernet frames associated with MAC-VRF1.  The
      PE device identifies the corresponding MAC-VRF and BT based on the
      EVPN label, either an MPLS label or a Virtual Network Identifier
      (VNI), depending on the encapsulation type.  Additionally,
      Figure 1 shows two distinct MPLS/NVO tunnels used by IP-VRF1: one
      tunnel transports Ethernet frames, while the other carries IP
      packets.  This demonstrates that IP-VRFs may concurrently utilize
      multiple tunnel types, depending on the payload and the signaling
      mechanism (EVPN or IPVPN).

   *  PE: Provider Edge device.

   *  RT-2: Route Type 2 or MAC/IP route, as per [RFC7432].

   *  RT-5: Route Type 5 or IP Prefix route, as per [RFC9136].

   *  NVE: Network Virtualization Edge router.

   *  Domain: Two PEs belong to the same domain if they are attached to
      the same tenant and the packets exchanged between them do not
      require a data-path IP lookup (in the tenant space) at any transit
      router.  A gateway PE is always configured with multiple DOMAIN-
      IDs.  Domain boundaries are not restricted to an Autonomous System
      or an IGP instance.  The PEs in a domain may reside within the
      same or in different Autonomous Systems, and a single Autonomous
      System may also encompass multiple domains.

      Example 1: Figure 2 depicts an example where Tenant Systems TS1
      and TS2 belong to the same tenant, and they are located in
      different Data Centers that are connected by gateway PEs (see the
      gateway PE definition later).  These gateway PEs use IPVPN in the
      WAN.  When TS1 sends traffic to TS2, the intermediate routers
      between PE1 and PE2 require a tenant IP lookup in their IP-VRFs so
      that the packets can be forwarded.  In this example there are
      three different domains.  The gateway PEs connect the EVPN domains
      to the IPVPN domain.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                  [Page 7]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

                           GW1------------GW3
                         +------+       +------+
           +-------------|IP-VRF|       |IP-VRF|-------------+
          PE1            +------+       +------+            PE2
        +------+   DC1      |     WAN      |     DC2     +------+
    TS1-|IP-VRF|   EVPN     |    IPVPN     |     EVPN    |IP-VRF|-TS2
        +------+           GW2            GW4            +---+--+
           |             +------+       +------+             |
           +-------------|IP-VRF|       |IP-VRF|-------------+
                         +------+       +------+
                            +--------------+
               DOMAIN 1         DOMAIN 2       DOMAIN 3
           <---------------> <------------> <---------------->

                   Figure 2: Multiple domain DCI example

      Example 2: Figure 3 illustrates a similar example, but PE1 and PE2
      are now connected by a BGP-LU (BGP Labeled Unicast) tunnel, and
      they have a BGP peer relationship for EVPN.  Contrary to Example
      1, there is no need for tenant IP lookups on the intermediate
      routers in order to forward packets between PE1 and PE2.
      Therefore, there is only one domain in the network and PE1/PE2
      belong to it.

                                EVPN
           <------------------------------------------------->
                                BGP-LU
           <------------------------------------------------->

                          ASBR------------ASBR
                         +------+       +------+
           +-------------|      |       |      |-------------+
          PE1            +------+       +--+---+            PE2
        +------+   DC1      |     WAN      |     DC2     +------+
    TS1-|IP-VRF|   EVPN     |              |     EVPN    |IP-VRF|-TS2
        +------+          ASBR            ASBR           +---+--+
           |             +------+       +------+             |
           +-------------|      |       |      |-------------+
                         +------+       +------+
                            +--------------+

           <--------------------DOMAIN-1--------------------->

                    Figure 3: Single domain DCI example

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                  [Page 8]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

   *  Regular Domain: a domain in which a single control plane ISF SAFI,
      i.e., BGP IP, IPVPN or EVPN, is used.  A Regular Domain is
      composed of regular PEs, see below.  In Figure 2 and Figure 3,
      above, all domains are regular domains.

   *  Composite Domain: a domain in which multiple control plane ISF
      SAFIs, i.e., BGP IP, IPVPN and/or EVPN, are used and which is
      composed of regular PEs and composite PEs, see below.

   *  Regular PE: A PE that is attached to a domain, either regular or
      composite, and which uses one of the control plane protocols (BGP
      IP, IPVPN or EVPN) operating in the domain.

   *  Interworking PE: A PE device that is capable of advertising a
      given IP prefix using one or more of the following route types: an
      EVPN Inter-Subnet Forwarding (ISF) route, either an EVPN MAC/IP
      Advertisement route or an EVPN IP Prefix route-an IPVPN ISF route,
      or a BGP IP ISF route.  An Interworking PE maintains a single IP-
      VRF per tenant and zero, one, or more MAC-VRFs per tenant.  Each
      MAC-VRF may include one or more Bridge Tables (BTs), and each BT
      may be associated with the tenant's IP-VRF via an Integrated
      Routing and Bridging (IRB) interface.  There are two types of
      Interworking PEs:

      -  Composite PE

      -  Gateway PE

      These two functions may be implemented independently on a per-
      tenant basis and may also coexist for the same tenant on a single
      PE.

      Example: Figure 1 shows an interworking PE of type gateway, where
      ISF SAFIs 1, 128 and 70 are enabled.  IP-VRF1 and MAC-VRF1 are
      instantiated on the PE, and together provide inter-subnet
      forwarding for the tenant.

   *  Composite PE: An Interworking PE device that is connected to a
      composite domain and is capable of advertising a given prefix to
      multiple types of peers using appropriate route types.
      Specifically, a Composite PE advertises the prefix to an IPVPN
      peer using an IPVPN ISF route, to an EVPN peer using an EVPN ISF
      route, and to a route reflector using both IPVPN and EVPN ISF
      routes.  A Composite PE implements the procedures defined in
      Section 7.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                  [Page 9]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

      Example: Figure 4 shows an example where PE1 is a composite PE
      since PE1 has EVPN and another ISF SAFI enabled to the same route-
      reflector, and PE1 advertises a given IP prefix IPn/x twice, one
      using EVPN and another one using ISF SAFI 128.  PE2 and PE3 are
      not composite PEs.

                                   +---+
                                   |PE2|
                                   +---+
                                    ^
               Interworking         |EVPN
                       PE    EVPN   v
                      +---+  IPVPN +--+       +---+
                      |PE1| <----> |RR| <---> |PE3|
                      +---+        +--+ IPVPN +---+
                    Composite

                Figure 4: Interworking composite PE example

   *  Gateway PE: An Interworking PE device that connects two or more
      distinct domains, where each domain may be either a regular domain
      or a composite domain.  A Gateway PE may establish either IBGP or
      EBGP sessions with peers in the connected domains.  Depending on
      its configuration, the Gateway PE performs one of the following
      functions:

      -  Propagates ISF routes using the same ISF SAFI, such as BGP IP,
         IPVPN, or EVPN, between the connected domains.

      -  Translates and propagates an ISF route received with one ISF
         SAFI to a domain that uses a different ISF SAFI.  For example,
         a received EVPN ISF route may be propagated as an IPVPN ISF
         route, and vice versa.

      A Gateway PE follows the procedures defined in Section 8.  A
      gateway PE is always configured with multiple DOMAIN-IDs.  These
      DOMAIN-IDs are encoded in the D-PATH and are included in ISF SAFI
      route advertisements.  The structure and behavior of the D-PATH
      attribute are described in Section 4.

      Example: Figure 5 illustrates an example where PE1 is a gateway PE
      since the EVPN and IPVPN SAFIs are enabled on different BGP peers,
      and a given local IP prefix IPn/x is sent to both BGP peers for
      the same tenant.  PE2 and PE1 are in one domain and PE3 and PE1
      are in another domain.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 10]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

                               Interworking PE
                       +---+ EVPN   +---+ IPVPN  +---+
                       |PE2| <----> |PE1| <----> |PE3|
                       +---+        +---+        +---+
                                   Gateway

                 Figure 5: Interworking gateway PE example

   *  Composite/Gateway PE: An Interworking PE device that
      simultaneously performs the functions of both a Composite PE and a
      Gateway PE.  This type of PE is connected to two domains: one
      regular domain and one composite domain.  It operates as follows:

      -  Propagates an ISF route received from the regular domain into
         the composite domain.  Within the composite domain, it performs
         the behavior of a Composite PE.

      -  Propagates an ISF route received from the composite domain into
         the regular domain.  In the regular domain, the route is
         advertised using the ISF SAFI applicable to that domain.

      This functionality is particularly useful in scenarios where a
      tenant network spans multiple domains using different ISF SAFIs
      (e.g., BGP IP, IPVPN, and EVPN), and where any-to-any tenant
      connectivity is required.  In such deployments, maintaining
      consistent end-to-end control plane behavior across domains is
      desirable when feasible.

4.  Domain Path Attribute (D-PATH)

   The BGP D-PATH attribute is an optional and transitive BGP path
   attribute.

   Similar to AS_PATH, D-PATH is composed of a sequence of Domain
   segments.  Each Domain segment is comprised of <domain segment
   length, domain segment value>, where the domain segment value is a
   sequence of one or more Domains, as illustrated in Figure 6.  Each
   domain is represented by <DOMAIN-ID:ISF_SAFI_TYPE>.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 11]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

   Octets
   0               1                    8                         n
   +---------------+----------------//--+----//-------------------+
   |Domain Segment |   Last Domain      |        Domain of Origin |
   |    Length     |                    |                         |
   +---------------+----------------//--+----//-------------------+
                    \__________________/
                                |
              Octets            v
              0                         6                7
              +------------------//-----+----------------+
              |    DOMAIN-ID            | ISF_SAFI_TYPE  |
              +------------------//-----+----------------+
              \________________________/
                           |
           Octets          v
           0     1     2     3     4     5     6
           +-----------------------+-----------+
           |        Global         |  Local    |
           |        Admin          |  Admin    |
           +-----------------------+-----------+

                      Figure 6: D-PATH Domain Segment

   *  Domain Segment Length (length: 1-octet): containing the number of
      domains in the segment.

   *  “Last Domain” refers to the most recently added Domain, while
      “Domain of Origin” refers to the first Domain added by the gateway
      PE that initialized the D-PATH for the ISF route.  Multiple
      Domains may exist between those Domains.

   *  DOMAIN-ID is a 6-octet field that represents a domain.  It is
      composed of a 4-octet Global Administrator sub-field and a 2-octet
      Local Administrator sub-field.  The Global Administrator sub-field
      MAY be filled with an Autonomous System Number (ASN, Public or
      Private), an IPv4 address, or any value that guarantees the
      uniqueness of the DOMAIN-ID (when the tenant network is connected
      to multiple Operators) and helps troubleshooting and debugging of
      D-PATH in ISF routes.  The Local Administrator sub-field is any
      local 2-octet value, and its allocation or configuration is a
      local implementation matter.  Expressing the Global Administrator
      and Local Administrator values as opaque unsigned integers is
      RECOMMENDED.

   *  ISF_SAFI_TYPE is a 1-octet field that indicates the Inter-Subnet
      Forwarding SAFI type in which a route was received by the gateway
      PE, before the route is re-exported by the gateway PE into a

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 12]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

      different domain.  The ISF_SAFI_TYPE field is informational and
      does not have any impact on the loop detection or BGP Path
      selection procedures.  The following types are assigned by this
      document:

                  +=======+============================+
                  | Value | ISF_SAFI_TYPE              |
                  +=======+============================+
                  | 0     | Gateway PE local ISF route |
                  +-------+----------------------------+
                  | 70    | EVPN                       |
                  +-------+----------------------------+
                  | 128   | SAFI 128                   |
                  +-------+----------------------------+

                                 Table 1

   The BGP D-PATH attribute is supported on ISF routes of type IPVPN and
   EVPN and MUST NOT be advertised along with routes different from
   IPVPN and EVPN routes.  By default, the BGP D-PATH attribute is not
   advertised and MUST be explicitly enabled by configuration on the
   Gateway PEs.  In addition, D-PATH:

   a.  Identifies the sequence of domains, each identified by a <DOMAIN-
       ID:ISF_SAFI_TYPE> through which a given ISF route of type IPVPN
       or EVPN has passed.

       *  This attribute list MAY contain one or more segments.  Each
          segment's Domain Segment Length MUST be equal or greater than
          one.

       *  The first entry in the list (leftmost) is the <DOMAIN-
          ID:ISF_SAFI_TYPE> from which a gateway PE is propagating an
          ISF IPVPN or EVPN route.  The last entry in the list
          (rightmost) is the <DOMAIN-ID:ISF_SAFI_TYPE> from which a
          gateway PE received an ISF IPVPN or EVPN route without a
          D-PATH attribute (the Domain of Origin).  Intermediate entries
          in the list are domains that the ISF IPVPN or EVPN route has
          transited.

       *  As an example, an ISF IPVPN or EVPN route received with a
          D-PATH attribute containing a domain segment of {length=2,
          <6500:2:IPVPN>,<6500:1:EVPN>} indicates that the route was
          originated in EVPN domain 6500:1, and propagated into IPVPN
          domain 6500:2.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 13]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

       *  In order to minimize the number of segments in the D-PATH
          attribute, the local gateway PE prepends its own domain as the
          last element of the domain segment.  If the act of prepending
          a new domain causes an overflow in the domain segment (i.e.,
          more than 255 domains), the local gateway PE MUST prepend a
          new segment and prepend its own domain to this new segment.

   b.  Is added/modified by a gateway PE when propagating an update to a
       different domain (which runs the same or different ISF SAFI):

       *  A gateway PE's IP-VRF, that connects two domains, belongs to
          two DOMAIN-IDs, e.g. 6500:1 for EVPN and 6500:2 for IPVPN.

       *  Whenever a prefix arrives at a gateway PE in a particular ISF
          SAFI route, if the gateway PE needs to export that prefix to a
          BGP peer, the gateway PE MUST prepend a <DOMAIN-
          ID:ISF_SAFI_TYPE> to the list of domains in the D-PATH of the
          received route, as long as the gateway PE works in Uniform-
          Propagation-Mode, as explained in Section 5.2.

       *  For instance, consider an IP-VRF configured with DOMAIN-IDs
          6500:1 for EVPN and 6500:2 for IPVPN.  If an EVPN route for
          prefix P is received and P is installed in the IP-VRF, then
          the corresponding IPVPN route for P, when exported to an IPVPN
          peer, will include the domain identifier <6500:1:EVPN>
          prepended to the existing D-PATH attribute.  Similarly,
          prefixes received in the IP-VRF from an IPVPN peer will be
          exported to EVPN peers with the domain identifier
          <6500:2:IPVPN> appended to the D-PATH attribute.

       *  In the above example, if the EVPN route is received without
          D-PATH, the gateway PE will add the D-PATH attribute with one
          segment {length=1, <6500:1:EVPN>} when re-advertising to
          domain 6500:2.

       *  Within the Domain of Origin, the update does not contain a
          D-PATH attribute because the update has not passed through a
          gateway PE yet.

   c.  For a local ISF route, i.e., a configured route or a route
       learned from a local attachment circuit, a gateway PE following
       this specification has three choices:

       1.  The gateway PE MAY advertise that ISF route without a D-PATH
           attribute into one or more of its configured domains, in
           which case the D-PATH attribute will be added by the other
           gateway PEs in each of those domains.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 14]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

       2.  The gateway PE MAY advertise that ISF route with a D-PATH
           attribute into one or more of its configured domains, in
           which case the D-PATH attribute in each copy of the ISF route
           is initialized with an ISF_SAFI_TYPE of 0 and the DOMAIN-ID
           of the domain with which the ISF route is associated.

       3.  The gateway PE MAY advertise the ISF route with a D-PATH
           attribute containing a locally configured domain identifier
           associated with its local ISF routes into one or more of its
           configured domains.  In this case, the D-PATH attribute in
           each copy of the ISF route is initialized with an
           ISF_SAFI_TYPE value of 0 and the DOMAIN-ID representing the
           local ISF domain.  The DOMAIN-ID MUST be globally unique and
           MAY be shared across multiple gateway PEs.

           Although all three options provide mechanisms for detecting
           control plane loops, this third option is RECOMMENDED, as it
           conveys additional information about the origin of the route.
           Specifically, it allows the receiving PE to identify the
           route as having originated from a local gateway, based on the
           combination of the DOMAIN-ID and the ISF_SAFI_TYPE value.

   d.  An ISF route of type IPVPN or EVPN received by a Gateway PE that
       includes a D-PATH attribute containing one or more DOMAIN-ID
       values locally associated with the corresponding IP-VRF MUST be
       considered a looped ISF route for the purposes of re-
       advertisement into adjacent domains.  In such cases:

       *  The ISF route MUST be flagged as "looped".

       *  The route MUST NOT be re-exported to any other domain.

       *  The route MAY be installed in the IP-VRF only if it is
          selected as the best path according to the procedures defined
          in Section 6.

       For the purpose of loop detection, the ISF_SAFI_TYPE value
       associated with a DOMAIN-ID in the D-PATH attribute is
       irrelevant.  That is, a route is considered looped if it contains
       at least one DOMAIN-ID that matches any local DOMAIN-ID
       configured on the Gateway PE, regardless of the ISF_SAFI_TYPE
       value.

       Example: In the scenario illustrated in Figure 2, gateway GW1
       receives two ISF routes for the same prefix associated with TS1:

       *  An EVPN IP Prefix route with a next-hop of PE1, and no D-PATH
          attribute.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 15]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

       *  A SAFI 128 (IPVPN) route with a next-hop of GW2, and a D-PATH
          attribute containing a single segment: {length=1,
          <6500:1:EVPN>}, where 6500:1 is assumed to be the DOMAIN-ID
          for domain 1, which is local to GW1.

       Upon receiving the SAFI 128 route, GW1 identifies 6500:1 as a
       locally configured DOMAIN-ID, and therefore flags the route as
       "looped".  As a result, GW1 does not install this route in the
       tenant IP-VRF, because the route selection process prefers the
       EVPN IP Prefix route (due to its shorter D-PATH attribute, as
       specified in Section 6).  Loop detection is applied even if the
       ISF_SAFI_TYPE value in the D-PATH attribute is unknown to GW1 or
       does not match any SAFI defined in this specification.

   e.  A DOMAIN-ID configured on a gateway PE MAY be assigned at either
       the peering domain level or scoped individually per tenant IP-
       VRF.

       *  When the DOMAIN-ID is allocated at the peering domain level,
          it SHALL apply to all tenant IP-VRFs associated with that
          domain.

       *  When the DOMAIN-ID is allocated for a specific tenant IP-VRF,
          the processing of received D-PATH attributes and their
          subsequent propagation SHALL be performed in the context of
          that IP-VRF's DOMAIN-ID.

       A per tenant IP-VRF DOMAIN-ID assignment is particularly useful
       in scenarios involving route leaking.  For example, consider two
       gateway PEs, PE1 and PE2, both associated with different tenant
       IP-VRFs, denoted as IP-VRF-1 and IP-VRF-2.  If PE1 advertises ISF
       SAFI routes for IP-VRF-1 with a DOMAIN-ID of 6500:1, and these
       routes are received on PE2 and subsequently leaked from IP-VRF-1
       into IP-VRF-2, the re-advertisement of the routes from PE2 back
       to PE1 in the context of IP-VRF-2 will not be considered looped
       by PE1.  This is because PE1 processes the route in the context
       of IP-VRF-2, for which DOMAIN-ID 6500:1 is not locally
       configured.

   f.  The number of domains encoded in the D-PATH attribute reflects
       the number of Gateway PEs that the corresponding ISF route update
       has traversed.  If a transit Gateway PE performs route leaking
       between two local tenant IP-VRFs, it MAY prepend a domain segment
       to the D-PATH attribute with an ISF_SAFI_TYPE value of 0 when
       exporting the leaked route into an ISF SAFI.  In such cases, the
       total number of domain entries in the D-PATH attribute represents
       the number of tenant IP-VRFs through which the ISF route update
       has propagated.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 16]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

   g.  The following error-handling procedures apply to the D-PATH Path
       Attribute:

       1.  A received D-PATH attribute MUST be considered malformed if
           it contains a malformed Domain Segment.

       2.  A Domain Segment MUST be considered malformed under any of
           the following conditions:

           *  The length of the Domain Segment is zero.

           *  The length of the Domain Segment exceeds the remaining
              length of the enclosing D-PATH attribute.

           *  Fewer than eight octets remain after the last successfully
              parsed Domain Segment.

           *  The total length of the D-PATH attribute is less than
              eight octets.

           *  Each Domain Segment consists of a one-octet length field
              indicating the number of Domains in the segment, with each
              Domain encoded in seven octets.  If the total length of
              the Domain Segment (i.e., 1 + 7 × number of Domains)
              exceeds the remaining length of the D-PATH attribute, the
              Domain Segment is considered malformed.

       3.  A BGP speaker receiving an UPDATE message containing a
           malformed D-PATH attribute SHALL apply the "treat-as-
           withdraw" procedure, as specified in [RFC7606].

       4.  Domains within the D-PATH attribute that contain unrecognized
           ISF_SAFI_TYPE values MAY be accepted and MUST NOT be
           considered an error.

       5.  The D-PATH Path Attribute MUST NOT appear more than once in
           the Path Attributes of a given BGP UPDATE message.  If
           multiple instances of the D-PATH attribute are present, all
           instances other than the first MUST be discarded, and the
           UPDATE message MUST continue to be processed, as per
           [RFC7606].

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 17]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

       6.  The D-PATH Path Attribute MAY be included only in UPDATE
           messages that carry routes of SAFI 128 (IPVPN) or EVPN.  It
           MUST NOT be included with any other AFI/SAFI combinations.
           If a D-PATH attribute is received in an UPDATE message
           associated with an unsupported AFI/SAFI, the "treat-as-
           withdraw" procedure MUST be applied, in accordance with
           [RFC7606].

   h.  The use of the D-PATH attribute is restricted to "walled garden"
       Virtual Private Network (VPN) deployments.  An operator MUST NOT
       enable the generation of D-PATH attributes in conjunction with
       IPVPN and/or EVPN routes if any CE devices connected to a PE
       device, belonging to any domain within the VPN, is also connected
       to the public Internet.

       Furthermore, a gateway PE MUST support the ability to remove the
       D-PATH attribute upon route import and export, as determined by
       local configuration.

5.  BGP Path Attribute Propagation across Domains

   A Gateway PE device, depending on its local configuration, is
   required to propagate an ISF route between two domains that utilize
   either the same or different ISF SAFIs.  This requires defining how a
   Gateway PE handles the BGP Path Attributes associated with the ISF
   route during such propagation.

   This section specifies the BGP Path Attribute propagation behaviors
   that a Gateway PE MAY apply when it receives an ISF route with ISF
   SAFI x, installs the route into the relevant IP-VRF, and subsequently
   re-advertises the route as an ISF route using ISF SAFI y.  The values
   of ISF SAFI x and SAFI y MAY be the same or different.

5.1.  No-Propagation Mode

   The No-Propagation Mode is the default operational mode for Gateway
   PEs when re-exporting ISF routes from one domain into another.  In
   this mode, the Gateway PE re-initializes the BGP Path Attributes
   during the propagation of an ISF route, treating it in the same
   manner as a directly connected or locally originated IP prefix.

   This mode is suitable for deployment scenarios where the source
   domain-for example, an EVPN domain is "abstracted" and treated as a
   virtual CE, and where remote IPVPN or IP-based PEs do not require the
   original EVPN-specific BGP Path Attributes for path selection or
   policy evaluation.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 18]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

   It is important to note that, in No-Propagation Mode, the D-PATH
   attribute is not propagated.  As a result, redundant Gateway PEs may
   be susceptible to routing loops.  While such loops may be mitigated
   using routing policies or additional attributes, such as the Route
   Origin extended community [RFC4360], this approach does not guarantee
   detection or prevention of all potential loop scenarios.

5.2.  Uniform Propagation Mode

   In Uniform Propagation Mode, the Gateway PE retains and propagates a
   consistent set of commonly used BGP Path Attributes when re-
   advertising an ISF route between domains.  This mode is typically
   employed in deployments where IP prefixes are seamlessly distributed
   using both EVPN and IPVPN SAFIs.

   The following normative behavior MUST be followed by a Gateway PE
   operating in Uniform Propagation Mode:

   1.  Upon receiving an ISF route, the gateway PE imports the route
       into the associated IP-VRF and stores the original BGP Path
       Attributes.  When advertising the route into a different domain,
       the gateway PE SHOULD propagate only the following set of
       attributes.  All other Path Attributes SHOULD NOT be propagated:

       *  AS_PATH

       *  D-PATH (only when advertising IPVPN [SAFI 128] or EVPN routes)

       *  IBGP-only attributes (when advertising to IBGP peers):
          LOCAL_PREF, ORIGINATOR_ID, CLUSTER_ID

       *  MULTI_EXIT_DISC (MED)

       *  AIGP

       *  COMMUNITY, EXTENDED_COMMUNITY, LARGE_COMMUNITY, and
          WIDE_COMMUNITY (as defined in
          [I-D.ietf-idr-wide-bgp-communities]), except where explicitly
          excluded in Item 4 below.

   2.  When re-advertising an ISF route to an IBGP peer, the gateway PE
       SHOULD preserve the AS_PATH of the original ISF route without
       modification.  When re-advertising to an EBGP peer, the Gateway
       PE SHOULD prepend the IP-VRF's ASN to the preserved AS_PATH.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 19]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

   3.  When propagating an ISF route to IBGP peers, the gateway PE
       SHOULD retain IBGP-only attributes (e.g., LOCAL_PREF,
       ORIGINATOR_ID, CLUSTER_ID) from the original ISF route.  As the
       route is re-originated, the gateway PE is not required to perform
       the route reflector function described in [RFC4456].

   4.  As stated in Item 1, the gateway PE SHOULD preserve the
       COMMUNITY, EXTENDED_COMMUNITY, LARGE_COMMUNITY, and
       WIDE_COMMUNITY attributes from the original ISF route.  However,
       the following Extended Community types SHOULD NOT be propagated::

       a.  BGP Encapsulation Extended Communities, as defined in
           [RFC9012].

       b.  Route Target Extended Communities.  Route Targets MUST NOT be
           propagated and MUST be re-initialized when re-advertising the
           ISF route into a different domain.  The re-initialized Route
           Target value MAY or MAY NOT match the value used in the
           original route.

       c.  All EVPN-specific Extended Communities.

       The Gateway PE SHOULD NOT copy the above Extended Community types
       from the original ISF route into the re-advertised ISF route.

   5.  For a given ISF route, only the BGP Path Attributes associated
       with the best path MAY be propagated when re-advertising the
       route into a different domain.  If multiple paths are received
       for the same prefix within the same ISF SAFI, the standard BGP
       best path selection procedure MUST be applied to determine the
       active path and its associated attributes.  Even when Equal-Cost
       Multi-Path (ECMP) is enabled for the IP-VRF, only the Path
       Attributes of the selected best path SHALL be propagated.

5.3.  Aggregation of Routes and Path Attribute Propagation

   Instead of propagating a high number of (host) ISF routes between
   domains, a gateway PE that receives multiple ISF routes from a domain
   MAY choose to propagate a single ISF aggregate route into a different
   domain.  In this document, aggregation is used to combine the
   characteristics of multiple ISF routes in such way that a single
   aggregate ISF route can be propagated to the destination domain.
   Aggregation of multiple ISF routes of one ISF SAFI into an aggregate
   ISF route is only done by a gateway PE.

   Aggregation on gateway PEs may use either the No-Propagation-Mode or
   the Uniform-Propagation-Mode explained in Section 5.1 and
   Section 5.2, respectively.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 20]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

   When using Uniform-Propagation-Mode, Path Attributes of the same type
   code MAY be aggregated according to the following rules:

   *  AS_PATH is aggregated based on the rules in [RFC4271].  The
      gateway PEs are not expected to receive AS_PATH attributes with
      path segments of type AS_SET [RFC9774].  Routes received with
      AS_PATH attributes including AS_SET path segments MUST NOT be
      aggregated.

   *  An ISF aggregate route SHOULD NOT be advertised unless all the
      contributing ISF routes have the same D-PATH DOMAIN-ID members,
      regardless of their order.  If there is at least one contributing
      ISF route that has a different D-PATH DOMAIN-ID, the gateway PE
      SHOULD advertise each contributing ISF route with its own D-PATH
      (prepended with the gateway's domain).  An implementation MAY
      override this behavior, via policy, to advertise an ISF aggregate
      route without D-PATH in case the contributing routes did not have
      the same D-PATH DOMAIN-ID members.

   *  The Community, Extended Community, Large Community and Wide
      Community attributes of an aggregated ISF route SHOULD include the
      union of the corresponding attributes from all constituent ISF
      routes that were aggregated, with the exception of those Extended
      Community types explicitly excluded from propagation as specified
      in Section 5.2.

   *  For other attributes, rules in [RFC4271] are followed.

   If the conditions for route aggregation, as specified above, are
   satisfied, operators SHOULD consider enabling aggregation in
   environments with large-scale tenant networks where a significant
   number of host routes are present.  This practice is particularly
   applicable to deployments such as large-scale data centers.

6.  Route Selection Process for ISF Routes

   A PE router may receive the same IP prefix via ISF routes with
   different ISF SAFIs, and from either the same or different BGP peers.
   Additionally, the same IP prefix (e.g., a host route) may be received
   in both an EVPN MAC/IP Advertisement route and an EVPN IP Prefix
   route.  To ensure consistent and deterministic forwarding behavior, a
   route selection procedure across all ISF SAFIs is required.

   The objectives of this route selection process are as follows:

   *  To ensure that all composite and gateway PEs have a consistent and
      deterministic view of the preferred path to reach a given IP
      prefix.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 21]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

   *  To enable meaningful comparison of routes advertised in EVPN and
      non-EVPN ISF SAFIs based on commonly used path attributes.

   *  To support Equal-Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) forwarding across EVPN and
      non-EVPN ISF SAFI routes, where applicable.

   For a given prefix received via one or more non-EVPN ISF routes, the
   standard BGP best path selection procedure, as defined in [RFC4271],
   is applied to determine the "non-EVPN best paths."  Similarly, for a
   given prefix received via one or more EVPN ISF routes, the same
   procedure is applied to determine the "EVPN best paths."

   When both EVPN and non-EVPN ISF routes are present for the same
   prefix within a single IP-VRF, the PE MUST perform a tie-breaking
   selection procedure on the union of these best-path sets.  The
   process treats all candidate ISF routes as equally preferable
   initially, then iteratively removes routes until a single best path
   (or a valid ECMP set) remains.

6.1.  Tie-Breaking and Selection Rules

   The selection procedure MUST follow the standard route selection
   rules defined in [RFC4271], with the following additional rules and
   exceptions applied in the specified order:

   1.  Immediately after applying the Local Preference comparison step
       from [RFC4271], the PE MUST remove from consideration any routes
       that do not have the shortest D-PATH attribute.  Routes with no
       D-PATH attribute are considered to have a D-PATH length of zero.
       This rule MUST NOT be applied to ISF routes that are not imported
       into an IP-VRF.

   2.  After applying Rule 1, the standard [RFC4271] selection steps
       MUST continue in order.

   3.  If, after the previous steps, one or more candidate routes remain
       and at least one of them is an EVPN MAC/IP Advertisement route
       (EVPN Route Type 2), then all EVPN IP Prefix routes (EVPN Route
       Type 5) MUST be removed from consideration.

   4.  If ECMP is enabled by policy and the remaining candidate routes
       after Steps 1 through 3 include both EVPN and non-EVPN paths,
       then both paths MUST be retained.  If ECMP is not enabled, and
       such a case arises, the EVPN path MUST be selected and the non-
       EVPN path MUST be removed from consideration.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 22]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

   This procedure extends the standard BGP best path selection behavior
   as specified in [RFC4271] for SAFI 128 and EVPN IP Prefix routes by
   incorporating D-PATH based tie-breaking to prefer routes that
   traverse the fewest Gateway PEs or domains.  These rules MUST NOT be
   applied to routes received under AFI/SAFI combinations other than
   SAFI 128 or EVPN; such routes get a treat-as-withdraw procedures as
   described in Section 4.

6.2.  Examples

   Example 1:

   PE1 receives three candidate routes for prefix IP1/32, all eligible
   for import into IP-VRF-1:

   {SAFI=EVPN, RT-2, Local-Pref=100, AS-Path=(100,200)}
   {SAFI=EVPN, RT-5, Local-Pref=100, AS-Path=(100,200)}
   {SAFI=128, Local-Pref=100, AS-Path=(100,200)}

   Selected route:

   {SAFI=EVPN, RT-2, Local-Pref=100, AS_PATH=(100,200)}

   This outcome is due to Step 3, which gives preference to Route Type 2
   when both Type 2 and Type 5 EVPN routes exist.

   Example 2:

   PE1 receives two candidate routes for prefix IP2/24, both eligible
   for import into IP-VRF-1:

   {SAFI=EVPN, RT-5, D-PATH=(6500:3:IPVPN), AS-Path=(100,200), MED=10}
   {SAFI=128, D-PATH=(6500:1:EVPN,6500:2:IPVPN), AS-Path=(200), MED=200}

   Selected route: {SAFI=EVPN, RT-5, D-PATH=(6500:3:IPVPN),
   AS_PATH=(100,200), MED=10}

   This result is due to Step 1, which prefers the route with the
   shortest D-PATH.

7.  Composite PE Procedures

   As described in Section 3, composite PEs are typically used in tenant
   networks where EVPN and IPVPN are both used to provide inter-subnet
   forwarding within the same composite domain.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 23]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

   Figure 7 depicts an example of a composite domain, where PE1/PE2/PE4
   are composite PEs (they support EVPN and IPVPN ISF SAFIs on their
   peering to the Route Reflector), and PE3 is a regular IPVPN PE.

                +-----------------------------------+
                |                                   |
                |        MPLS                  IPVPN PE3
                |        Network              +----------+ IP3/24
                |                     IPVPN   |+------+  |   +---+
                |                      +----->||IP-VRF|------|CE3|
           Composite PE1               |      |+------+  |   +---+
          +---------------+            |      +----------+
          |      +------+ |  EVPN      v             |
          |      |IP-VRF| |  IPVPN   +--+            |
          | +----|      | | <------> |RR|            |
   +---+  | |    +------+ |          +--+         Composite PE4
   |CE2|----|MAC-VRF|     |          ^  ^         +---------+ IP4/24
   +---+  | +-------+     |    EVPN  |  | EVPN    |+------+ |   +---+
          +---|-----------+    IPVPN |  | IPVPN   ||IP-VRF|-----|CE4|
              |  |              +----+  +-------->|+------+ |   +---+
       IP1/24 |  |              v                 +---------+
       +---+  |  |    +---------------+              |
       |CE1|--+  +----|      +------+ +--------------+
       +---+          |      |IP-VRF| |
         |            | +----|      | |
         |            | |    +------+ |
         +--------------|MAC-VRF|     |
                      | +-------+     |
                      +---------------+
                         Composite PE2

                       Figure 7: Composite PE example

   In a composite domain comprising both composite and regular PE
   devices, the following behaviors apply:

   1.  Prefix Advertisement Consistency

       Composite PEs MUST advertise the same IP prefixes using each ISF
       SAFI to the Route Reflector (RR).  For example, as shown in
       Figure 7, the prefix IP1/24 is advertised by PE1 and PE2 to the
       Route Reflector in two separate NLRI entries: one for AFI/SAFI
       1/128 (IPVPN) and another for EVPN.  If both routes are
       advertised with the same set of BGP Path Attributes, the
       receiving composite PE will select the EVPN route over the IPVPN
       route, following the route selection procedures defined in
       Section 6.  While not required, prioritizing the advertisement of
       the EVPN route before the IPVPN route is an OPTIONAL

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 24]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

       optimization.  This ensures that the EVPN route is more likely to
       be selected first, avoiding unnecessary replacement if the IPVPN
       route arrives later.

   2.  Route Reflector SAFI-Specific Forwarding Behavior

       The Route Reflector does not forward EVPN routes to peers for
       which the EVPN SAFI is not enabled, and likewise does not forward
       IPVPN routes to peers lacking IPVPN SAFI support.  For instance,
       in Figure 7, the Route Reflector does not forward EVPN routes to
       PE3 if the EVPN SAFI is not enabled on its BGP session with PE3.
       However, the IPVPN routes are forwarded to all PEs since they all
       have IPVPN SAFI enabled.

   3.  IPVPN PE Route Processing

       Regular IPVPN PEs process and import IPVPN routes as specified in
       [RFC4364].  For example, PE3 receives only the IPVPN route for
       prefix IP1/24 and resolves the BGP next-hop to an MPLS tunnel
       (with IP payload) toward PE1 and/or PE2.

   4.  Composite PE Route Selection

       Composite PEs MUST perform route selection for prefixes received
       via multiple ISF SAFIs, applying the procedures described in
       Section 6:

       *  For example, PE4 receives prefix IP1/24 via both an EVPN route
          and a non-EVPN ISF route (e.g., an IPVPN route).  Route
          selection is performed as specified in Section 6.

       *  If the EVPN route is selected, PE4 resolves the BGP next-hop
          to an MPLS tunnel (which may carry either Ethernet or IP
          payloads) to PE1 and/or PE2.  As described in Section 3, the
          tunnel type used between EVPN PEs depends on the [RFC9136]
          model supported.

       *  Other composite PEs (e.g., PE1 and PE2) receiving the same
          prefix via both EVPN and IPVPN SAFIs must also apply the route
          selection process defined in Section 6.

   5.  Forwarding Behavior Based on Selected Route

       Once a route has been selected for a given IP prefix, packet
       forwarding MUST follow the forwarding rules associated with the
       AFI/SAFI of the selected route.

   6.  Applicability of EVPN Forwarding Enhancements

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 25]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

       In composite domains such as the one depicted in Figure 7, the
       advanced forwarding features provided by EVPN are available only
       to composite and EVPN-capable PEs that select an EVPN IP Prefix
       route as the best path.  These enhancements are not available to
       IPVPN-only PEs.  For example, if PE1 advertises IP1/24 using both
       EVPN and IPVPN routes, and the EVPN route is selected as the best
       path, only composite PEs such as PE2 and PE4 can leverage EVPN-
       specific recursive resolution and forwarding mechanisms.  IPVPN
       PEs, such as PE3, cannot utilize these capabilities.
       Consequently, the benefits of EVPN-based indirection and route
       resolution in large-scale deployments may not be available
       uniformly across all PEs in the network.

8.  Gateway PE Procedures

   As defined in Section 3, a gateway PE is an Interworking PE that
   connects two or more domains and facilitates the propagation of ISF
   routes between those domains.  Typical examples include data center
   gateway devices that interconnect domains utilizing different ISF
   SAFIs, such as EVPN and IPVPN, for the same tenant network.

   The gateway PE procedures specified in this document define the
   mechanisms required to support ISF route interconnection across such
   domains.  These procedures extend the concept of a gateway PE beyond
   the scope of Section 3, which focuses on Layer 2 interconnection, by
   providing an analogous interconnection model for ISF route exchange
   at Layer 3.

   The procedures described in this section apply to both of the
   following scenarios:

   *  Interconnection between domains utilizing different ISF SAFIs
      (e.g., EVPN to IPVPN).

   *  Interconnection between domains utilizing the same ISF SAFI (e.g.,
      EVPN to EVPN)

   Figure 8 provides an illustrative example of this model, wherein PE1
   and PE2 (as well as PE3 and PE4) operate as gateway PEs
   interconnecting different domains associated with the same tenant.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 26]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

      <----EVPN---->    <----------IPVPN--------->   <----EVPN---->
        6500:1:EVPN             6500:2:IPVPN           6500:3:EVPN
   <DOMAIN-ID:ISF_SAFI_TYPE>
                         +-----------------------+
                  Gateway PE1              Gateway PE3
                  +----------+             +----------+
      +-----------|+------+  |  MPLS tnls  |+------+  |------------+
      |           ||IP-VRF|  |             ||IP-VRF|  |            |
    PE5           |+------+  |             |+------+  |           PE6
   +------+       +----------+             +----------+         +------+
   |IP-VRF| NVO tnls |   |                       |  | NVO tnls  |IP-VRF|
   |      |          |   |                       |  |           |      |
   +------+       +----------+             +----------+         +------+
   IP1/24-->      |+------+  |             |+------+  |            |
      |           ||IP-VRF|  |             ||IP-VRF|  |            |
      +-----------|+------+  |             |+------+  |------------+
                  +----------+             +----------+
                  Gateway PE2   +------+   Gateway PE4
                        +-------|IP-VRF|---------+
                                |      |
                                +------+
                                  PE7

                        Figure 8: Gateway PE example

   A gateway PE that is enabled for two ISF SAFIs, referred to here as
   SAFI x and SAFI y, on the same IP-VRF, MUST follow the procedures
   described below for propagating routes between domains.

8.1.  Export Conditions

   1.  A Gateway PE that imports an ISF SAFI x route for prefix P into
       an IP-VRF MUST export P using ISF SAFI y if all of the following
       conditions are met:

       a.  The route for P is installed in the IP-VRF, indicating that
           the SAFI x route is well-formed, valid, and selected as the
           best route.

       b.  The PE has an active BGP session with a peer supporting SAFI
           y, enabled for the same IP-VRF.

       c.  Export policy permits the advertisement of the route.

       d.  SAFI x and SAFI y are valid ISF SAFIs as defined in
           Section 3.  SAFI x and SAFI y MAY be the same.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 27]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

       Example: In Figure 8, Gateway PEs PE1 and PE2 receive an EVPN IP
       Prefix route for prefix IP1/24, install the route in their
       respective IP-VRFs, and re-advertise it using SAFI 128 (IPVPN).

   2.  A Gateway PE that receives an ISF SAFI x route for prefix P into
       an IP-VRF MUST NOT export P using SAFI y under any of the
       following conditions:

       a.  The SAFI x route is not well-formed or valid.  Criteria for
           route validity are defined in the corresponding ISF SAFI
           specification.  For example, an EVPN IP Prefix route that
           contains both a non-zero EESI and a Gateway IP address is
           invalid, as specified in [RFC9136], Section 3.2.

       b.  The D-PATH attribute of the SAFI x route includes one or more
           DOMAIN-ID values locally configured on the Gateway PE for the
           associated IP-VRF.  In this case, the route is considered a
           looped ISF route, as described in Section 4, and MUST NOT be
           exported using SAFI y.

8.2.  Advertisement Behavior

   If the export conditions are satisfied, the gateway PE MUST advertise
   prefix P using ISF SAFI y in accordance with the following
   procedures:

   a.  If Uniform Propagation Mode (see Section 5.2) is enabled, the
       gateway PE MUST include the D-PATH attribute when SAFI y is
       either SAFI 128 (IPVPN) or EVPN.  This enables loop detection at
       downstream gateway PEs.

       When propagating an ISF route, the gateway PE MUST prepend a
       <DOMAIN-ID:ISF_SAFI_TYPE> element to the received D-PATH
       attribute.  The DOMAIN-ID reflects the domain from which the
       route was received, and the ISF_SAFI_TYPE reflects the SAFI of
       the received route.

       If the received route does not include a D-PATH attribute, the
       gateway PE MUST create and attach a new D-PATH attribute
       containing a single segment: the <DOMAIN-ID:ISF_SAFI_TYPE>
       corresponding to the received route.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 28]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

       Example: In Figure 8, gateway PEs PE1 and PE2 receive an EVPN IP
       Prefix route from PE5 that does not include a D-PATH attribute.
       PE1 and PE2 add Domain <6500:1:EVPN> to form the new D-PATH.
       Gateway PEs PE3 and PE4, upon re-advertising the route, prepend
       <6500:2:IPVPN>, resulting in PE6 receiving the route with D-PATH
       {<6500:2:IPVPN>, <6500:1:EVPN>}.  This information is then used
       by PE6 in BGP path selection.

   b.  The gateway PE MAY use the Route Distinguisher (RD) of the IP-VRF
       when re-advertising prefix P via ISF SAFI y.

   c.  Label allocation for route advertisement is an implementation-
       specific matter.  The gateway PE MAY use per-VRF, per-prefix, or
       other label allocation models.

   d.  The gateway PE MUST support the use of distinct Route Target (RT)
       sets per domain on the same IP-VRF.  If multiple domains
       associated with a tenant use different RT sets, the gateway PE
       MUST be capable of importing and exporting routes according to
       each domain's RT configuration.

   e.  Although Figure 8 illustrates a scenario with only two domains
       per gateway PE, gateway PEs MAY interconnect more than two
       domains.

   f.  There is no restriction on the number of gateway PEs that a given
       prefix P may traverse before reaching its destination.

   g.  If Uniform Propagation Mode is used for BGP Path Attribute
       propagation, the gateway PE MUST follow the procedures defined in
       Section 5.2 in addition to the D-PATH specific behavior described
       in item (a).

   h.  Informative Note: If prefix P is originated in an EVPN domain and
       subsequently traverses one or more non-EVPN ISF SAFI domains, it
       will lose EVPN-specific attributes used for advanced EVPN
       procedures.  For example, if PE1 advertises prefix IP1/24 along
       with a non-zero ESI (for recursive resolution to that ESI), the
       ESI value will be reset to zero by the time the route reaches
       PE6, as it passed through an ISF SAFI domain that is not EVPN-
       capable.  Consequently, certain EVPN-specific functionalities may
       not be preserved end-to-end.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 29]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

9.  Interworking Use-Cases

   While network deployments involving Interworking PEs may align with
   the scenarios described in Section 7 and Section 8, there are cases
   where a combination of both gateway PE and composite PE functionality
   is required.  Figure 9 illustrates an example in which gateway PEs
   also operate as composite PEs.  In such scenarios, the devices must
   not only propagate ISF routes between domains, such as between EVPN
   and IPVPN SAFIs or across multiple EVPN domains, but also
   interoperate with IPVPN-only PEs within domains that include a mix of
   composite and IPVPN-only PEs.

                         +-----------------------------------+
                         |                                   |
                         |        MPLS                 IPVPN PE3
                         |        Network              +---------+
                         |                     IPVPN   |+------+ |
                         |                      +----->||IP-VRF|---TS3
                  (GW+composite) PE1            |      |+------+ |
                   +---------------+            |      +---------+
                   |      +------+ |  EVPN      v            |
                   |      |IP+VRF| |  IPVPN  +--+            |
                   | +----|      | | <------>|RR|            |
          +--------| |    +------+ |         +--+       Composite PE4
          |        | |MAC+VRF|     |         ^  ^        +---------+
          |        | +-------+     |   EVPN  |  | EVPN   |+------+ |
       +----+      +---------------+   IPVPN |  | IPVPN  ||IP-VRF|---TS4
   TS1-|NVE1|             |             +----+  +------->|+------+ |
       +----+             |             v                +---------+
          |    EVPN DC    |    +---------------+             |
          |    NVO tnls   +----|      +------+ |-------------+
          |                    |      |IP+VRF| |
          |                    | +----|      | |
          |                    | |    +------+ |
          |     +----+         | |MAC+VRF|     |
          +-----|NVE2|---------| +-------+     |
                +----+         +---------------+
                  |           (GW+composite) PE2
                 TS2

        Figure 9: Gateway and composite combined functions - example

   In the example illustrated, PE1 and PE2 MUST follow the procedures
   defined in Section 7 and Section 8.  Unlike the scenario described in
   Section 8, PE1 and PE2 are additionally required to propagate ISF
   routes between EVPN domains (i.e., EVPN-to-EVPN), in addition to
   EVPN-to-IPVPN propagation.  It is important to note that PE1 and PE2
   will receive the IP prefix associated with TS4 via both IPVPN and

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 30]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

   EVPN IP Prefix routes.  When re-advertising the selected route to
   NVE1 and NVE2, PE1 and PE2 MUST apply the D-PATH handling rules and
   related attribute processing as described in Section 6 (Route
   Selection Process).

10.  BGP Error Handling on Interworking PEs

   An Interworking PE, whether operating in a Gateway PE or Composite PE
   role, MUST adhere to the following error-handling procedures when
   processing Inter-Subnet Forwarding (ISF) routes:

   *  Any BGP UPDATE message for an ISF route that includes a D-PATH
      Path Attribute MUST be handled in accordance with the error-
      handling rules defined in Section 4 of this document.

   *  All received BGP UPDATE messages for ISF routes MUST conform to
      the general error-handling procedures specified in [RFC7606].

   *  This specification introduces no new error-handling behaviors for
      BGP UPDATE messages that contain NLRI and BGP Path Attributes
      defined in other specifications.  Implementations SHOULD apply the
      relevant error-handling rules specified for each supported route
      type.  Applicable references include::

         BGP IP routes: [RFC4760], [RFC8950].

         IPVPN routes: [RFC4364], [RFC4659].

         EVPN MAC/IP Advertisement routes (Route Type 2): [RFC7432],
         [RFC8365].

         EVPN IP Prefix routes (Route Type 5): [RFC9136].

         ISF routes installed in IP-VRFs with SRv6 forwarding:
         [RFC9252].

   If a Gateway PE is configured to propagate BGP Path Attributes for
   ISF routes between domains, the procedures specified in Section 5.2
   are intended to ensure that receiving BGP speakers do not encounter
   UPDATE messages containing well-formed but semantically inappropriate
   BGP Path Attributes.  However, if a gateway PE incorrectly propagates
   such attributes in violation of the procedures in Section 5.2,
   receiving PEs MUST apply the error-handling rules defined in the
   applicable specifications for the relevant route type and attribute.

   The following are examples of such scenarios and their handling:

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 31]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

   *  If a Gateway PE erroneously propagates the BGP Encapsulation
      Extended Community or the equivalent Encapsulation TLV in the
      Tunnel Encapsulation Attribute [RFC9012] from one EVPN domain to
      another, the receiving PE MAY receive two encapsulation
      indications with different values.  In such a case, the PE MUST
      follow the procedures in [RFC8365], which permit signaling
      multiple encapsulation types.  As specified in [RFC9012],
      encapsulations carried via the Tunnel Encapsulation Attribute MUST
      be treated as equivalent to those conveyed via the Encapsulation
      Extended Community.

   *  If a gateway PE propagates an EVPN Extended Community from an EVPN
      domain into an IPVPN domain, the receiving IPVPN PE MUST ignore
      such communities, as their semantics are not applicable to the
      IPVPN SAFI.

   *  If a gateway PE erroneously propagates a BGP Prefix-SID attribute
      containing SRv6 Service TLVs [RFC9252] for an ISF route between
      domains, and the receiving PE receives multiple SRv6 TLV
      instances, it MUST apply the procedures specified in [RFC9252] for
      resolving multiple TLVs.

11.  Conclusion

   This document defines procedures applicable to PE routers that
   process and advertise ISF routes for a given tenant.  In particular,
   the following key procedures are specified:

   *  A route selection algorithm that enables a PE to deterministically
      select a best path among candidates learned via EVPN and other ISF
      SAFIs.

   *  A new BGP Path Attribute, referred to as the Domain Path (D-PATH)
      attribute, which provides loop prevention capabilities and conveys
      domain traversal information for a given route.

   *  The rules governing BGP Path Attribute propagation across domains
      to maintain semantic consistency and enable cross-domain route
      processing.

   *  The operational procedures required on Interworking PEs that
      function as composite PEs, gateway PEs, or devices supporting both
      roles.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 32]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

   Collectively, these procedures equip operators with the necessary
   mechanisms to deploy scalable tenant networks spanning multiple
   administrative or routing domains, employing different ISF SAFIs for
   IP prefix dissemination while maintaining deterministic forwarding
   behavior and routing loop protection.

12.  Security Considerations

   The security considerations outlined in [RFC9136] and [RFC4364] are
   applicable to this specification.

   This document introduces the D-PATH Path Attribute (Section 4), which
   provides a mechanism for control-plane loop prevention when ISF IPVPN
   and EVPN routes are propagated across multiple domains via Gateway
   PEs.  When configured and supported correctly, the use of the D-PATH
   attribute helps prevent both control-plane and data-plane loops.
   However, incorrect configuration of DOMAIN-ID values or inconsistent
   support for D-PATH among Gateway PEs may result in false-positive
   loop detection, traffic discarding, or suboptimal and inconsistent
   routing behavior.  Furthermore, as D-PATH is a transitive BGP
   attribute, a malicious actor may attempt to inject incorrect domain
   information that propagates across multiple administrative
   boundaries.

   To mitigate such risks, the use of D-PATH is explicitly restricted to
   IPVPN and EVPN routes within "walled garden" Virtual Private
   Networks, as specified in Section 4.  A PE that conforms to this
   specification MUST remove the D-PATH attribute prior to advertising a
   prefix to a CE router in a SAFI 1 (NLRI used for unicast forwarding)
   route.  If a non-upgraded PE that does not support D-PATH receives
   such a route and is connected to a CE with Internet access, it may
   erroneously propagate the D-PATH attribute in a SAFI 1 UPDATE to the
   CE.  If the CE further propagates the route, the D-PATH attribute
   could inadvertently escape into the public Internet.

   However, the presence of the D-PATH attribute in SAFI 1 routes MUST
   NOT impact BGP best-path selection for those routes and, as such,
   cannot introduce routing loops or instability in the Internet.
   Additionally, BGP speakers beyond the "walled garden" that support
   D-PATH and receive the attribute in SAFI 1 routes MUST apply the
   "treat-as-withdraw" behavior, as described in Section 4 and
   consistent with [RFC7606].

   As a further safeguard, implementations SHOULD enforce local policy
   on upgraded PEs to discard any ISF EVPN or IPVPN routes received from
   non-upgraded peers if such routes include a D-PATH attribute, to
   prevent unintended propagation.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 33]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

   Section 5.2 of this document introduces Uniform Propagation Mode,
   which enables gateway PEs to propagate a consistent set of BGP Path
   Attributes across domain boundaries.  This mode enhances operational
   visibility by preserving attributes end-to-end along the route path.
   However, it also introduces the possibility that an attacker could
   inject malformed or semantically inappropriate, but syntactically
   correct, attributes that influence BGP path selection in remote
   domains.

   To mitigate this risk, an operator MAY choose to deploy No-
   Propagation Mode (Section 5.1), wherein BGP Path Attributes are re-
   initialized upon domain transition.  While this limits attribute-
   based attack vectors, it also eliminates the ability of downstream
   PEs to inspect the original set of BGP Path Attributes as intended by
   the route originator.

   Operators SHOULD carefully weigh the trade-offs between visibility
   and control when selecting the appropriate propagation mode and
   ensure that policies are in place to validate attribute contents at
   domain boundaries.

13.  IANA Considerations

   This document defines a new BGP path attribute known as the BGP
   Domain Path (D-PATH) attribute.

   IANA has assigned a new attribute code type from the "BGP Path
   Attributes" subregistry under the "Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)
   Parameters" registry:

   Path Attribute Value    Code                       Reference
   --------------------    ------------------------   ---------------
   36                      BGP Domain Path (D-PATH)   [This document]

14.  Acknowledgments

   The authors want to thank Russell Kelly, Dhananjaya Rao, Suresh
   Basavarajappa, Mallika Gautam, Senthil Sathappan, Arul Mohan Jovel,
   Naveen Tubugere, Mathanraj Petchimuthu, Eduard Vasilenko, Amit Kumar,
   Mohit Kumar, Lukas Krattiger, Gyan Mishra and Stephane Litkowski for
   their review and suggestions.  Thanks to Sue Hares and Jeff Haas as
   well, for their detailed review to clarify the procedures of the
   D-PATH attribute.  The authors want to also thank especially Gunter
   van de Velde for his thorough review that helped raise the quality of
   the document significantly.

15.  Contributors

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 34]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

16.  References

16.1.  Normative References

   [RFC7432]  Sajassi, A., Ed., Aggarwal, R., Bitar, N., Isaac, A.,
              Uttaro, J., Drake, J., and W. Henderickx, "BGP MPLS-Based
              Ethernet VPN", RFC 7432, DOI 10.17487/RFC7432, February
              2015, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7432>.

   [RFC8365]  Sajassi, A., Ed., Drake, J., Ed., Bitar, N., Shekhar, R.,
              Uttaro, J., and W. Henderickx, "A Network Virtualization
              Overlay Solution Using Ethernet VPN (EVPN)", RFC 8365,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC8365, March 2018,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8365>.

   [RFC4271]  Rekhter, Y., Ed., Li, T., Ed., and S. Hares, Ed., "A
              Border Gateway Protocol 4 (BGP-4)", RFC 4271,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC4271, January 2006,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4271>.

   [RFC4364]  Rosen, E. and Y. Rekhter, "BGP/MPLS IP Virtual Private
              Networks (VPNs)", RFC 4364, DOI 10.17487/RFC4364, February
              2006, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4364>.

   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC2119, March 1997,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2119>.

   [RFC8174]  Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC
              2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, DOI 10.17487/RFC8174,
              May 2017, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8174>.

   [RFC7606]  Chen, E., Ed., Scudder, J., Ed., Mohapatra, P., and K.
              Patel, "Revised Error Handling for BGP UPDATE Messages",
              RFC 7606, DOI 10.17487/RFC7606, August 2015,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7606>.

   [RFC4760]  Bates, T., Chandra, R., Katz, D., and Y. Rekhter,
              "Multiprotocol Extensions for BGP-4", RFC 4760,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC4760, January 2007,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4760>.

   [RFC9136]  Rabadan, J., Ed., Henderickx, W., Drake, J., Lin, W., and
              A. Sajassi, "IP Prefix Advertisement in Ethernet VPN
              (EVPN)", RFC 9136, DOI 10.17487/RFC9136, October 2021,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9136>.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 35]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

   [RFC9135]  Sajassi, A., Salam, S., Thoria, S., Drake, J., and J.
              Rabadan, "Integrated Routing and Bridging in Ethernet VPN
              (EVPN)", RFC 9135, DOI 10.17487/RFC9135, October 2021,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9135>.

   [RFC9252]  Dawra, G., Ed., Talaulikar, K., Ed., Raszuk, R., Decraene,
              B., Zhuang, S., and J. Rabadan, "BGP Overlay Services
              Based on Segment Routing over IPv6 (SRv6)", RFC 9252,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC9252, July 2022,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9252>.

16.2.  Informative References

   [RFC4360]  Sangli, S., Tappan, D., and Y. Rekhter, "BGP Extended
              Communities Attribute", RFC 4360, DOI 10.17487/RFC4360,
              February 2006, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4360>.

   [RFC9012]  Patel, K., Van de Velde, G., Sangli, S., and J. Scudder,
              "The BGP Tunnel Encapsulation Attribute", RFC 9012,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC9012, April 2021,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9012>.

   [RFC9774]  Kumari, W., Sriram, K., Hannachi, L., and J. Haas,
              "Deprecation of AS_SET and AS_CONFED_SET in BGP",
              RFC 9774, DOI 10.17487/RFC9774, May 2025,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9774>.

   [RFC4659]  De Clercq, J., Ooms, D., Carugi, M., and F. Le Faucheur,
              "BGP-MPLS IP Virtual Private Network (VPN) Extension for
              IPv6 VPN", RFC 4659, DOI 10.17487/RFC4659, September 2006,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4659>.

   [RFC8950]  Litkowski, S., Agrawal, S., Ananthamurthy, K., and K.
              Patel, "Advertising IPv4 Network Layer Reachability
              Information (NLRI) with an IPv6 Next Hop", RFC 8950,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC8950, November 2020,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8950>.

   [RFC9014]  Rabadan, J., Ed., Sathappan, S., Henderickx, W., Sajassi,
              A., and J. Drake, "Interconnect Solution for Ethernet VPN
              (EVPN) Overlay Networks", RFC 9014, DOI 10.17487/RFC9014,
              May 2021, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9014>.

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 36]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

   [I-D.ietf-idr-wide-bgp-communities]
              Raszuk, R., Haas, J., Lange, A., Decraene, B., Amante, S.,
              and P. Jakma, "BGP Community Container Attribute", Work in
              Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-ietf-idr-wide-bgp-
              communities-12, 17 March 2025,
              <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-ietf-idr-
              wide-bgp-communities-12>.

   [RFC4456]  Bates, T., Chen, E., and R. Chandra, "BGP Route
              Reflection: An Alternative to Full Mesh Internal BGP
              (IBGP)", RFC 4456, DOI 10.17487/RFC4456, April 2006,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4456>.

Authors' Addresses

   J. Rabadan (editor)
   Nokia
   520 Almanor Avenue
   Sunnyvale, CA 94085
   United States of America
   Email: jorge.rabadan@nokia.com

   A. Sajassi (editor)
   Cisco
   225 West Tasman Drive
   San Jose, CA 95134
   United States of America
   Email: sajassi@cisco.com

   E. Rosen
   Individual
   Email: erosen52@gmail.com

   J. Drake
   Independent
   Email: je_drake@yahoo.com

   W. Lin
   HPE
   Email: wen.lin@hpe.com

   J. Uttaro
   Independent

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 37]
Internet-Draft         EVPN and IPVPN Interworking         November 2025

   Email: juttaro@ieee.org

   A. Simpson
   Nokia
   Email: adam.1.simpson@nokia.com

Rabadan, et al.            Expires 25 May 2026                 [Page 38]