What is Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS)?
A. MPLS is a packet-forwarding technology which uses labels to make data forwarding decisions. With MPLS, the Layer 3 header analysis is done just once (when the packet enters the MPLS domain). Label inspection drives subsequent packet forwarding. MPLS provides these beneficial applications: • Virtual Private Networking (VPN) • Traffic Engineering (TE) • Quality of Service (QoS) • Any Transport over MPLS (AToM) Additionally, it decreases the forwarding overhead on the core routers. MPLS technologies are applicable to any network layer protocol.
MPLS is a technology for speeding up network traffic flow and making it easier to manage. MPLS involves setting up a specific path across a network for a given sequence of data packets. This path will then be identified by a label put in each packet. In addition to moving traffic faster overall, an MPLS makes it easier to manage a network for quality of service. As a result of these benefits, the technique is being readily adopted as networks begin to carry larger amounts and different mixtures of traffic types.
MPLS is a packet label-based switching technique, which was originally devised to perform fast switching in the core of the network. MPLS proved to have other qualities even more appealing than fast switching. Being a relative simple connection-oriented protocol, it proved to be suitable for implementing traffic engineering and Quality of Service (QoS) Routing in a simpler way than using IP.
