# netlab: Global and Node VRFs

DevFeed: [netlab: Global and Node VRFs](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/netlab-global-and-node-vrfs-10983.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.ipspace.net/2024/04/netlab-global-node-vrf/>)

Published: 2024-04-29T06:37:00Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [ipSpace.net blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/ipspace-net-blog.md>)

Topics: [configuration](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/configuration.md>), [MPLS VPN](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/mpls-vpn.md>), [evpn](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/evpn.md>)

Tags: [configuration](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/configuration.md>), [evpn](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/evpn.md>), [mpls-vpn](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/mpls-vpn.md>), [netlab](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/netlab.md>), [route](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/route.md>)

## AI overview

This tutorial explains how netlab handles global and node VRFs, including how it assigns and propagates IDs, route distinguishers, and route targets. It concludes that node VRFs should generally be used only when necessary because identically named node VRFs can receive different values and fail to work as intended in MPLS/VPN or EVPN environments.

## Source excerpt

When designing the netlab VRF configuration module, I tried to make it as flexible as possible while using the minimum number of awkward nerd knobs. As is often the case1, the results could be hard to grasp, so let's walk through the various scenarios of using global and node VRFs. netlab allows you to define a VRF in the lab topology vrfs dictionary (global VRF) or in a node vrfs dictionary (node VRF). In most cases, you'd define a few global VRFs and move on. Read more ...