MPLS is a packet delivery technique, not a service - so it can be used to deliver anything from IP VPNs to Metro Ethernet services, or even to provision optical services such as video conferencing. (AccuConference) They could be called anything from IP VPN to Metro Ethernet and widely used to inter-connect multiple locations.

The fundamental concept behind MPLS is that of labeling packets and prioritizing those packets. In a traditional routed IP network, each router makes an independent forwarding decision for each packet based solely on the packet’s network-layer header. Thus, every time a packet arrives at a router, the router has to “think about” where to send the packet next.

MPLS switches and routers affix labels to packets based on their destination, type-of-service parameters, Virtual Private Network membership or other criteria. As a packet traverses a network, other switches and routers build tables associating packets and routes with labels. The MPLS switches and routers - dubbed label switch routers - assign each packet a label that corresponds to a particular path through the network.

All packets with the same label use the same path - a so-called label switched path (LSP). Because labels refer to paths and not endpoints, packets destined for the same endpoint can use a variety of LSPs to get there.

Managed Services Solution Providers

An MSP can manage and integrate a range of activities associated with enterprise networks. The range of outsourcing services includes basic transport and access, managed premises, Web hosting, VPN, unified messaging, video networking, or other more sophisticated services.

What are the different types of MPLS?

The version of MPLS that’s generally used to encapsulate connection-oriented frame relay and ATM services is called pseudo Wire Edge to Edge Emulation (PWE3). PWE3 defines point-to-point tunnels across a MPLS backbone, and thus works well for circuit-oriented networking protocols. PWE3 can also be used to support connectionless LAN protocols, but it’s not the preferred solution.

For connectionless protocols (primarily Ethernet) there’s a different specification, called virtual private LAN service (VPLS). VPLS addresses some of the specific challenges with extending Ethernet across the metropolitan area or WAN, most notably scalability and availability.

• LAN - Local Area Network
• WLAN - Wireless Local Area Network
• WAN - Wide Area Network
• MAN - Metropolitan Area Network
• MLAN - Metro Wide Area Network
• MPLS - Multi Protocol Label Switching
• VPLS - Virtual Private LAN Service