Alternatives to GRE for multicast over MPLS

grehpmplsmulticast

I have an application that requires multicast across our MPLS WAN, and had been using GRE tunnels to facilitate this until recently when I replaced some aging edge routers with HP L3 switches. To my dismay it appears that these switches (Procurve E3800-24G-2SFP+) do not offer GRE in any way.

(I didn't source them, Layer 8 got a 2-for-1 deal from a fast talking reseller!)

Are there any alternatives for tunneling multicast across MPLS? Our WAN provider isn't likely to add support for mBGP just for me. 🙂

Best Answer

You need a router.

The HP 2520G is a Layer 2 managed switch, and has no Layer 3 capabilities. This is highlighted in the features tab on hp.com and in the 2520G feature support matrix

If you're not able to get funding for a router, maybe you could power up a Vyatta VM at the ProCurve site?

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