MPLS
- Expands to Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)
- A protocol-agnostic routing technique
- speeds up and shapes traffic flows across wide area networks.
- mostly forwards data packets at Layer 2 or switching level instead of Layer3 or routing level.
- MPLS was created in late 1990s alternative to IP routing
- Don’t need to perform header analysis for each data packet
- The first router to receive a packet determines the packet’s entire route upfront or forwarding equivalence class (FEC)
- This is quickly conveyed to subsequent routers using a label in the packet header.
- Label is a four-byte/32-bit identifier listing packet’s predetermined forwarding path in MPLS network.
- Label, also has details on QoS, or a priority level.
- MPLS offers
- scalability
- performance
- better bandwidth utilization
- reduced network congestion
- a better end-user experience.
- MPLS does not provide encryption, as it is a virtual private network and partitioned off from Internet.
- Not vulnerable to denial of service attacks
- It is expensive than sending traffic over the public Internet.
