A networking configuration isolates routing domains at the edge of a service provider’s network. This setup uses virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) instances directly on the provider’s customer-facing interfaces. Each customer effectively has its own logical router, even though they share the same physical infrastructure. For example, a service provider might use this to offer separate VPN services to multiple customers, ensuring that each customer’s traffic remains isolated from others.
This approach provides enhanced security and simplifies routing management. By segmenting networks, the risk of unintended data leakage between customers is significantly reduced. Furthermore, it can streamline the configuration process and improve network scalability. Historically, this method evolved as a way to overcome the limitations of traditional VPN technologies in large-scale deployments, offering a more efficient and manageable solution for isolating customer traffic.