Intro to Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)
Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a type of data-carrying technique for high-performance telecommunications networks. It directs data from one network node to the next based on short path labels rather than long network addresses, avoiding complex lookups in a routing table. MPLS can provide better performance than traditional IP routing because it allows for faster packet forwarding and can be used to prioritize certain types of network traffic.
There are several routing protocols that can be used in conjunction with MPLS, including:
- Interior Gateway Protocols (IGPs) such as OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) and IS-IS (Intermediate System to Intermediate System)
- Exterior Gateway Protocols (EGPs) such as BGP (Border Gateway Protocol)
A Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) table is a component of MPLS that allows multiple instances of a routing table to coexist within the same router at the same time. This enables the separation of traffic from different customers or different parts of an organization, while still using the same underlying infrastructure.
Some use case examples of MPLS include:
- Providing virtual private networks (VPNs) for customers: MPLS can be used to create VPNs that provide secure, dedicated connections between customer sites, allowing them to share data and resources as if they were part of the same private network.
- Improving network performance: MPLS can be used to prioritize certain types of traffic, such as voice or video, to ensure that they are delivered with the necessary quality of service.
- Interconnecting data centers: MPLS can be used to connect data centers that are separated by wide area networks (WANs), allowing them to share data and resources in a highly efficient and secure manner.
Hardware Vendors:
There are many vendors that offer network equipment that can be used to deploy MPLS, including:
In summary, MPLS is a technology that allows for faster and more efficient packet forwarding in high-performance networks. It can be used in conjunction with various routing protocols and VRF’s allows the separation of traffic, making it useful for use cases such as creating VPNs, improving network performance and interconnecting data centers. There are many vendors in the market offering solutions for deploying MPLS networks.
VLANS vs MPLS
Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) and Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) are both technologies that can be used to separate traffic segments within a network, but they work in very different ways.
VLANs use a tagging system to separate network traffic at the data link layer (layer 2) of the OSI model. Each device on a VLAN is assigned a VLAN ID, and traffic between devices on the same VLAN ID is passed along within the same broadcast domain. VLANs can be used to create multiple virtual networks on a single physical infrastructure.
MPLS, on the other hand, separates network traffic at the network layer (layer 3) of the OSI model, by creating virtual paths through the network using label switching. In MPLS, packets are assigned a label at the ingress of the network and the label is used to forward the packet to the egress of the network, without performing a routing table lookup for each hop. This can make the process of forwarding packets more efficient, and allows for better performance in high-bandwidth networks.
A comparison between VLANs and MPLS:
- VLANs are a layer 2 technology, MPLS is a layer 3 technology.
- VLANs separate traffic based on VLAN ID, MPLS separates traffic based on labels.
- VLANs operates on a single network infrastructure, MPLS can work over multiple networks
- VLANs provides broadcast domain and security while MPLS focuses on Quality of service and Traffic Engineering
- VLANs are simpler to implement and configure than MPLS
- VLANs are less expensive than MPLS
- VLANs are not typically used for WAN connectivity, MPLS is commonly used for WAN connectivity.
In summary, VLANs and MPLS both have their advantages and disadvantages. VLANs are simpler to implement and less expensive than MPLS, but they work at the data link layer and are less versatile than MPLS which can be used to control and prioritize traffic at the network layer. MPLS can work over multiple networks, also it can provide Quality of service, Traffic Engineering. VLANs are useful for creating broadcast domains within a single network infrastructure, while MPLS can be used to connect different networks and provide better performance in high-bandwidth environments.
