The main objective of [RARE / FreeRouter 101] series is to help you getting started with FreeRouter from scratch without any prior knowledge.
Requirement- Basic Linux/Unix knowledge
- Basic networking knowledge
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Overview
freeRouter is a free, open source router control plane software. For nostalgic and networkers from prehistoric era (like me), freeRouter besides Ethernet, is able to handle HDLC, X25, frame-relay, ATM encapsulation. Since it handles packets itself at the socket layer, it is independent of underlying Operation System capabilities. We will see in the next articles how freeRouter subtlety leverage this inherently independence to connect different data-plane such as OpenFlow, P4 and other possible data-plane that would appear in the near future.
The command line tries to mimic the industry standards with one exception:
- no global routing table: every routed interface must be in a virtual routing table
- positive side effect: there are no vrf-awareness questions
Article objective
This article is meant to simply deploy 2 instances of freeRouter on the same fresh linux installed linux box. We are voluntary using freeRouter (freerouter.nop.hu) "raw" official repository in order to get familiar with the deployment manual process. Even if the deployment process is straightforward, it is not self explanatory for people non familiar with java/linux.
In order to simplify the deployment we have automated freeRouter daily builds on:
But let's get our "hand dirty" and follow the simple manual installation.
Diagram
[ #001 ] - Cookbook
Install your favorite operating system
In our example we will use a genuine debian stable image (buster) installed as a VirtualBox VM.
Get your system up to date
- Start & connect your VM as root
- Update your VM
apt-get update
apt-get upgrade
Install operating system java package
In this example, we won't recompile freeRouter so installing headless java runtime is enough. This set up is recommended for production environment in order to ensure minimal software footprint
apt-get install default-jre-headless --no-install-recommends
Create freeRouter environment
Let's create the following structure, even if some folder are empty for now:
mkdir -p ~/freeRouter/bin ~/freeRouter/lib ~/freeRouter/etc ~/freeRouter/log
cd ~/freeRouter/lib
wget http://freerouter.nop.hu/rtr.jar
so you have have the following environment:
╭─[11:11:54]floui@debian ~
╰─➤ tree freeRouter
freeRouter
├── bin # binary files
├── etc # configuration files
├── lib # library files
└── log # log files
Create freeRouter configuration files for router: R1
FreeRouter uses 2 configuration files in order to run, let's write these configuration files for R1 in ~/freeRouter/etc
int eth1 eth 0000.1111.0001 127.0.0.1 26011 127.0.0.1 26021
tcp2vrf 1123 v1 23
hostname r1
!
vrf definition v1
exit
!
int eth1
desc r1@e1 -> r2@e1
vrf forwarding v1
ipv4 address 1.1.1.1 255.255.255.252
ipv6 address 1234::1 ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff::
exit
!
server telnet tel
security protocol telnet
no exec authorization
no login authentication
vrf v1
exit
!
Create freeRouter configuration files for router: R2
Repeat the same configuration for R2 in ~/freeRouter/etc
int eth1 eth 0000.2222.0001 127.0.0.1 26021 127.0.0.1 26011
tcp2vrf 2223 v1 23
hostname r2
!
vrf definition v1
exit
!
int eth1
desc r2@e1 -> r1@e1
vrf forwarding v1
ipv4 address 1.1.1.2 255.255.255.252
ipv6 address 1234::2 ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff::
exit
!
server telnet tel
security protocol telnet
no exec authorization
no login authentication
vrf v1
exit
!
Launch freeRouters R1 & R2
╭─[12:58:45]floui@debian ~/freeRouter
╰─➤ java -jar ./lib/rtr.jar
java -jar ./lib/rtr.jar <parameters>
parameters:
router <cfg> - start router background
routerc <cfg> - start router with console
routerw <cfg> - start router with window
routercw <cfg> - start router with console and window
routers <hwcfg> <swcfg> - start router from separate configs
routera <swcfg> - start router with sw config
test <cmd> - execute test command
show <cmd> - execute show command
exec <cmd> - execute exec command
╭─[12:59:11]floui@debian ~/freeRouter
╰─➤ java -jar lib/rtr.jar routersc etc/r1-hw.txt etc/r1-sw.txt
info cfg.cfgInit.doInit:cfgInit.java:556 booting
info cfg.cfgInit.doInit:cfgInit.java:680 initializing hardware
info cfg.cfgInit.doInit:cfgInit.java:687 applying defaults
info cfg.cfgInit.doInit:cfgInit.java:695 applying configuration
info cfg.cfgInit.doInit:cfgInit.java:721 done
welcome
line ready
r1#
╭─[12:58:52]floui@debian ~/freeRouter
╰─➤ java -jar lib/rtr.jar routersc etc/r2-hw.txt etc/r2-sw.txt
info cfg.cfgInit.doInit:cfgInit.java:556 booting
info cfg.cfgInit.doInit:cfgInit.java:680 initializing hardware
info cfg.cfgInit.doInit:cfgInit.java:687 applying defaults
info cfg.cfgInit.doInit:cfgInit.java:695 applying configuration
info cfg.cfgInit.doInit:cfgInit.java:721 done
welcome
line ready
r2#
Verification
Check telnet access for R1@1123 and R2@2223
╭─[1:09:28]floui@debian ~
╰─➤ telnet localhost 1123
Trying ::1...
Trying 127.0.0.1...
Connected to localhost.
Escape character is '^]'.
welcome
line ready
r1#
╭─[1:15:37]floui@debian ~
╰─➤ telnet localhost 2223 1 ↵
Trying ::1...
Trying 127.0.0.1...
Connected to localhost.
Escape character is '^]'.
welcome
line ready
r2#
Check running-config for R1 and R2
r1#sh run
hostname r1
buggy
!
!
vrf definition v1
exit
!
interface ethernet1
description r1@e1 -> r2@e1
vrf forwarding v1
ipv4 address 1.1.1.1 255.255.255.252
ipv6 address 1234::1 ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff::
no shutdown
no log-link-change
exit
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
server telnet tel
security protocol telnet
no exec authorization
no login authentication
vrf v1
exit
!
!
end
r1#
r2#sh run
hostname r2
buggy
!
!
vrf definition v1
exit
!
interface ethernet1
description r2@e1 -> r1@e1
vrf forwarding v1
ipv4 address 1.1.1.2 255.255.255.252
ipv6 address 1234::2 ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff::
no shutdown
no log-link-change
exit
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
server telnet tel
security protocol telnet
no exec authorization
no login authentication
vrf v1
exit
!
!
end
r2#
Connectivity test between R1 and R2
r1#ping 1.1.1.2 /vrf v1
pinging 1.1.1.2, src=null, cnt=5, len=64, tim=1000, ttl=255, tos=0, sweep=false
!!!!!
result=100%, recv/sent/lost=5/5/0, rtt min/avg/max/total=1/2/3/13
r1#
r1#ping 1234::2 /vrf v1
pinging 1234::2, src=null, cnt=5, len=64, tim=1000, ttl=255, tos=0, sweep=false
!!!!!
result=100%, recv/sent/lost=5/5/0, rtt min/avg/max/total=1/4/11/23
r1#
r2#ping 1.1.1.1 /vrf v1
pinging 1.1.1.1, src=null, cnt=5, len=64, tim=1000, ttl=255, tos=0, sweep=false
!!!!!
result=100%, recv/sent/lost=5/5/0, rtt min/avg/max/total=0/1/2/12
r2#
r2#ping 1234::1 /vrf v1
pinging 1234::1, src=null, cnt=5, len=64, tim=1000, ttl=255, tos=0, sweep=false
!!!!!
result=100%, recv/sent/lost=5/5/0, rtt min/avg/max/total=0/1/3/7
r2#
r1#telnet 1.1.1.2 23 /vrf v1
- connecting to 1.1.1.2 23
welcome
line ready
r2#
r2#telnet 1234::1 /vrf v1
- connecting to 1234::1 23
welcome
line ready
r1#
Conclusion
In this article you:
- had a brief introduction of freeRouter networking Swiss army knife
- learn how to deploy 2 instances of freeRouter and interconnect them via 2 UNIX sockets on a VM guest running on VirtualBox
- this setup is ideal, for network simulation encompassing hundreds of nodes, self contained in the same VM without interaction with the external world. (protocol experimentation, convergence test etc.)
