Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)
Cisco IOS Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) enables Enterprises and Service Providers to build next-generation intelligent networks that deliver a wide variety of advanced, value-added services over a single infrastructure. This economical solution can be integrated seamlessly over any existing infrastructure, such as IP, Frame Relay, ATM, or Ethernet. Subscribers with differing access links can be aggregated on an MPLS edge without changing their current environments, as MPLS is independent of access technologies.
MPLS Security
In addition to end-to-end high availability and consistent performance, security is quickly becoming critical to Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) networks as they evolve into a unified core network infrastructure for Layer 2 and Layer 3 networking services.
MPLS Security, which protectors against Denial of Service attacks and unauthorized network access, includes both control and data plane protection capabilities. Service Providers and Enterprises can leverage these capabilities to implement robust and secure MPLS networks, maximizing network reliability and minimizing the potential adverse impacts of a MPLS network attack.
MPLS Security is a cross-functional area covering data and control plane protection mechanisms for all main MPLS areas, including Layer 2 and Layer 3 VPNs, Traffic Engineering, and GMPLS.
Multiprotocol Label Switching High Availability
The end-to-end availability and serviceability of Multiprotocol
Label Switching (MPLS) networks has become increasingly critical as
Service Providers more frequently consolidate multiple services and
networks over a single MPLS infrastructure. MPLS High Availability
enhances the Cisco IOS High Availability solution portfolio, enabling
network-wide resilience for different MPLS transport and service
applications.
Service Providers can leverage MPLS High Availability functionality to implement robust MPLS networks, which facilitates Nonstop Forwarding. This minimizes recovery time, so that network faults are transparent to users and network applications.
The integration of Stateful Switchover and Graceful Restart with key protocols, including Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), enables a Route Processor to recover from a disruption in service without losing its LDP bindings, MPLS forwarding state, or VPN prefix information.
Service Providers can leverage MPLS High Availability functionality to implement robust MPLS networks, which facilitates Nonstop Forwarding. This minimizes recovery time, so that network faults are transparent to users and network applications.
The integration of Stateful Switchover and Graceful Restart with key protocols, including Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), enables a Route Processor to recover from a disruption in service without losing its LDP bindings, MPLS forwarding state, or VPN prefix information.
Multiprotocol Label Switching Quality of Service
Cisco IOS Software provides full support for the integration of the IP and MPLS Differentiated Services (DiffServ) Quality of Service (QoS) domains. The integration of the IP and MPLS DiffServ domains supports the multi-service strategy for support of Layer 2 and Layer 3 VPNs over an MPLS network, providing flexibility and scalability.
In addition, MPLS Traffic Engineering and MPLS DiffServ Traffic Engineering provide full control of network resources, enabling admission control, bandwidth protection, constraint-based routing, and explicit routing. Cisco IP Solution Center supports provisioning of IP and MPLS QoS policies on PE routers, and managed/unmanaged CE devices.
http://www.protocols.com/papers/mpls.htm
Multiprotocol Label Switching Traffic Engineering
Cisco IOS MPLS Traffic Engineering extends the core capabilities of MPLS by efficiently and reliably routing traffic.
The ability of MPLS TE to increase Bandwidth Inventory is its fundamental value-add, as it can leverage non-SPF paths in a network. Some MPLS TE customers have reported a bandwidth inventory increase of forty-fifty percent after the deployment of this technology. Fast Reroute provides minimal packet loss for a MPLS-enabled IP backbone. It also provides protection that matches the capabilities of SONET in the order of milliseconds, thereby enabling Service Providers to offer "Tight SLAs" and Bandwidth Protection for intolerant traffic types (ie: Voice and Video).
The combination of QoS and TE creates guaranteed bandwidth services. Deploying DiffServ-aware Traffic Engineering (DS-TE) and QoS in conjunction with VPN mechanisms enables next-generation Virtual Leased Lines.
Cisco IOS MPLS TE has been deployed in a variety of ways: full-mesh, partial mesh, and Fast ReRoute.
http://datatracker.ietf.org/wg/mpls/charter/
