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Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) is an improved method for forwarding packets through a network.
This document:
The intended audience is network administrators and technicians interested in a thorough introduction to label switching and Cisco's MPLS implementation. It is also intended for those performing initial BPX configuration for MPLS. Both the installers and the network administrator should be familiar with BPX network operation and modern WAN concepts.
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The following Cisco publications contain additional information related to the operation of the
BPX switch and associated equipment in a Cisco WAN switching network:
Cisco BPX 8600 Series Installation and Configuration DOC-7810674= | Provides a general description and technical details of the |
Cisco IGX 8400 Series Reference DOC-7810706= | Provides a general description and technical details of the |
Cisco IGX 8400 Installation and Configuration DOC-7810722= | Provides installation instructions for the IGX multiband switch. |
Cisco WAN Switching Command Reference DOC-7810703= | Provides detailed information on the general command line interface commands. |
Cisco WAN Switching SuperUser Command Reference DOC-7810702= | Provides detailed information on the command line interface commands requiring SuperUser access authorization. |
Cisco MPLS Controller Software Configuration Guide DOC-7810672= | Provides information on a method for forwarding packets through a network. |
WAN CiscoView for the IGX 8400 Switches DOC-7810669= | Provides instructions for using WAN CiscoView for the IGX 8400. |
WAN CiscoView for the BPX 8600 Switches DOC-7810670= | Provides instructions for using WAN CiscoView for the BPX 8600. |
Cisco WAN Manager Installation Guide for Solaris, Release 10.1 DOC-7810308= | Provides procedures for installing Release 10.1 of the Cisco WAN Manager (CWM) network management system on Solaris systems. |
Cisco WAN Manager User's Guide DOC-7810658= | Provides procedures for using Release 10.1 of the Cisco WAN Manager (CWM) network management system. |
Cisco WAN Manager Operations DOC-7810309= | Provides procedures for operating Release 10.1 of the Cisco WAN Manager (CWM) network management system. |
Cisco WAN Manager SNMP Proxy Agent Guide DOC-7810786= | Provides information about the Cisco WAN Manager Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Service Agent components and capabilities. |
Cisco WAN Manager Database Interface Guide DOC-7810785= | Provides the information to gain direct access to the Cisco WAN Manager Informix OnLine database that is used to store information about the elements within your network. |
This section maps new Cisco naming conventions to previously used terminology.
The Cisco WAN Switching products were once known by older names
.
| Old Name | New Name |
|---|---|
Any switch in the BPX switch family (Cisco BPX® 8620 broadband switch and Cisco BPX® 8650 broadband switch) | A Cisco BPX® 8600 series broadband switch |
The BPX Service Node switch | The Cisco BPX® 8620 broadband switch |
The BPX switch as a Tag switch controller | The Cisco BPX® 8650 broadband switch |
The AXIS shelf | The Cisco MGX 8220 edge concentrator |
Any switch in the IGX switch family (IGX 8, IGX 16, and IGX 32 wide-area switches) | The Cisco IGX 8400 series multiband switch |
The IGX 8 switch | The Cisco IGX 8410 multiband switch |
The IGX 16 switch | The Cisco IGX 8430 multiband switch. |
Cisco StrataView Plus® | Cisco WAN Manager® (CWM) |
Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a standardized version of Cisco's original Tag Switching proposal. MPLS and Tag Switching are identical in principle, and nearly identical in operation.
In this document, the term "label switching" and "MPLS" are used interchangeably.
This document uses Label Switching terminology rather than the, now obsolete, Tag Switching terminology. Table 1 shows the new and old terms.
An exception is the term "Tag Distribution Protocol." (TDP). TDP and the MPLS Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) are nearly identical in general function, but use different message formats and some different procedures.
Table 1 documents the change from tag switching terms to MPLS terms.
| Old Designation | New Designation | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Tag Switching | MPLS, Multiprotocol Label Switching | ||
Tag (short for Tag Switching) | MPLS | ||
Tag (item or packet) | Label | ||
TDP (Tag Distribution Protocol) | LDP (Label Distribution Protocol)
| ||
Tag Switched | Label Switched | ||
TFIB (Tag Forwarding Information Base) | LFIB (Label Forwarding Information Base) | ||
TSR (Tag Switch Router) | LSR (Label Switch Router) | ||
TSC (Tag Switch Controller) | LSC (Label Switch Controller | ||
ATM-TSR | ATM-LSR (ATM Label Switch Router, such as, BPX 8650) | ||
TVC (Tag VC, Tag Virtual Circuit) | LVC (Label VC, Label Virtual Circuit) | ||
TSP (Tag Switch Protocol) | LSP (Label Switch Protocol) | ||
TCR (Tag Core Router) | LSR (Label Switching Router) | ||
XTag ATM (extended Tag ATM port) | XmplsATM (extended MPLS ATM port) |
These terms are unique to discussions of MPLS technology:
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
Edge Lable Switch Router (LSR) | The term "Label Edge Router" is not used. The equivalent term "Edge LSR" is technically more correct. |
ATM MPLS | "ATM MPLS" is the form of MPLS that runs in networks with ATM switches that do MPLS switching. More specifically, it is the form of MPLS where each different label on a link is represented by a different VC. |
Packet-based MPLS | Packet-based MPLS means the form of MPLS that runs in networks that do not use ATM MPLS. More specifically, it is the form of MPLS where labels are carried as an extra header attached to each packet. Packet-based MPLS is also known as non-ATM MPLS, frame-based MPLS, and router-based MPLS. The term "Frame-based MPLS" is not used in this document, as it seems to imply Frame Relay, but packet-based MPLS does not necessarily have anything to do with Frame Relay. |
Packet-based LSR | A Packet-based LSR is a device that manipulates whole packets rather than cells. A router running packet-based MPLS is a packet-based LSR. An ATM Edge LSR is also a type of packet-based LSR. |
Traditional ATM | Traditional ATM switches and networks do not use ATM MPLS. Traditional ATM networks may support packet-based MPLS traffic within Permanent Virtual Circuits (PVCs). A traditional ATM switch can support ATM MPLS within a Permanent Virtual Path (PVP), which acts a virtual trunk. In any case, the traditional ATM switches do not actually perform Multiprotocol Label Switching---they merely support tunnels through which MPLS packets are carried. |
Command descriptions use these conventions:
Examples use these conventions:
screen font.
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Note Means you should take note. Notes contain important suggestions or references to materials not contained in the current body of text. |
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Caution Means reader be careful. In this situation, you might do something that could result in equipment damage or loss of data. |
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Cisco documentation and additional literature are available in a CD-ROM package that ships with your product. The Documentation CD-ROM, a member of the Cisco Connection Family, is updated monthly and might be more current than printed documentation.
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If you are reading Cisco product documentation on the World Wide Web, you can submit comments electronically. Click Feedback in the toolbar and select Documentation. After you complete the form, click Submit to send it to Cisco. We appreciate your comments.
Posted: Tue Jul 11 09:52:09 PDT 2000
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