Service provider networking infrastructures with MPLS

A new standard for a new world of networking, multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) is an emerging Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard based on tag switching. MPLS is an innovative approach that uses a label-based forwarding paradigm. Labels indicate both routes and service attributes. Using MPLS, service providers can deliver the IP VPN services that businesses demand across either switched or routed networks. MPLS is the enabling technology that protects today's rapidly growing VPN revenue sources, while paving the way for tomorrow's value-added services portfolio. This paper presents an overview of the MPLS technology and related IETF standards, and how they can be utilized to enable the delivery of VPN services. In addition, the paper describes key MPLS advantages including traffic engineering and quality of service mechanisms.