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1 MPLS Overview
Section Description
1.1 Introduction This section describes the basic concepts, networking, and
system architecture of MPLS.
1.2 MPLS Application This section describes the applications of MPLS.
1.1 Introduction
This section covers the following topics that you need to know before you configure MPLS:
z System Architecture
z Basic Concepts
z MPLS Network Structure
z MPLS and Routing Protocols
Label
A label is a fixed-length short identifier used to identify a specific FEC. It is of local
significance. In some cases such as load sharing, a FEC may match multiple labels, but a label
represents only one FEC.
The label is carried in the hearder of a packet. It contains no topology information. A label
contains four bytes. The encapsulation structure of the label is shown in Figure 1-1.
NOTE
CoS = Class of Service
Similar to the VPI/VCI of ATM and the DLCI of FR, a lable is a connection identifier.
A frame of the link layer protocol may have a label field or not.
z If the frame has the label field, such as VPI/VCI of ATM or DLCI of FR, the label is
encapsulated in the field.
z If the frame has no label field, the label is encapsulated between link layer header and IP
layer header.
Thus the label can be supported by any link layers.
The location of the label in packet is shown in Figure 1-2.
LSR
A label switched router (LSR) is a basic element in the MPLS network and all LSRs support the
MPLS protocol.
An LSR is composed of a control plane and a forwarding plane. The control plane is to allocate
labels, select routes, create label forwarding information table, and set up or delete a label
switch path (LSP). The forwarding plane is to forward a received packet according to the label
forwarding table.
LSP
An LSP refers to the path through which an FEC is transmitted in the MPLS network.
Similar to a virtual circuit of ATM or FR, the LSP functions as a unidirectional path from
ingress to egress, in which each node is an LSR.
LSPs are classified into static LSPs and dynamic LSPs. The former are configured by
administrators and the latter are generated through routing protocols.
LDP = Label Distribution Protocol; CR-LDP = Constraint-Based Routing using LDP; BGP = Border
Gateway Protocol; RSVP = Resource Reservation Protocol
The MA5200G supports the preceding label distribution protocols and the configuration of
static LSPs.
Ingress Egress
MPLS Core
Switch (LSR)
LSR Structure
Figure 1-4 shows the structure of LSR.
Control Plane
IP Routing Protocol
Label Information
MPLS IP Routing Protocol
Base(LIB)
Forwarding Plane
Label Forwarding
Information Base(LFIB)
For common LSRs, only labeled packets need to be forwarded on the forwarding plane. For
LERs, both labeled packets and IP packets need to be forwarded on the forwarding plane. The
former uses Label Forwarding Information Base (LFIB), and the latter uses Forwarding
Information Base (FIB).
TEDB LSPM
MPLS Forwarding
The MPLS-based traffic engineering (TE) needs the extension of the Open Shortest Path First
(OSPF) or Intermedia System-Intermedia System (IS-IS) protocols so as to carry link status
information.
MPLS-based VPN
The traditional VPNs exchange data flows on the public network through tunneling protocols,
such as Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE), Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP), and Point
to Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP). LSP is a tunnel on the public network, so implementing
VPN based on MPLS is of natural advantage.
An MPLS-based VPN connects different branches of private network by using LSP, thus
forming a united network. As shown in Figure 1-6, the customer edge (CE) can be a router, a
switch, or a host; the provider edge (PE) is located in the backbone network.
CE3
VPN
branch 3
PE3
CE1 PE1
Backbone network
VPN
branch 1 PE2
CE2
VPN
branch 2
MPLS-based QoS
The MA5200G supports MPLS-based TE and Diff-serv features. Besides, it implements
differentiated services according to the priorities of the data flows, thereby providing voice and
video data flows with services of low delay, low packet loss ratio and stable bandwidth.
It is difficult to implement TE over the entire network, so QoS is more likely implemented by
the Diff-serv model in actual networking solutions.
The basic mechanism of the Diff-serv model is to map a service to a certain service class at
network edge according to the QoS requirement of the service. The Differentiated Service (DS)
field (derived from ToS field) in IP packet uniquely identifies the service. Then each node in the
backbone network performs the preset service policies to diversified services according to the
field so as to ensure the QoS.
The QoS classification and label mechanism of Diff-Serv is quite similar to the label
distribution of MPLS. In fact, the MPLS-based Diff-Serv is implemented just by integrating DS
distribution with the label distribution of MPLS.
z This manual mainly introduces the configurations of MPLS and MPLS TE.
z For configuration of MPLS VPN, refer to the Quidway MA5200G Broadband Access Server VPN
Configuration Guide.
z For the configuration of MPLS QoS, refer to the Quidway MA5200G Broadband Access Server QoS
Configuration Guide.