Segment-Routing Analysis: Proof-of-Concept Emulation in IPv4 and IPv6 Service Provider Infrastructures

With the complexity and overload of IP connectivity and the variety of protocols that each technology and applications has been introducing to keep the human beings connected to the modern Internet, especially in times of COVID-19 pandemic, it is a priority for Service Providers to seek a simplification of their infrastructures to make them more scalable, efficient, simplified, and profitable. In this Proof-of-Concept (PoC) paper, Segment Routing (SR) is presented as an alternative to interconnect business networks in IPv4 and IPv6 scenarios where Headquarter-Branches connectivity is required. This paper begins by defining SR and its fundamentals. To test theory in practice, three scenarios are emulated and compared: MPLS-LDP, SR for IPv4 infrastructures, and finally, SR for IPv6 networks. The aim of the present paper is to provide a more understandable vision of Segment Routing and its operation in ISP networks.