11.6. Multiprotocol Label Switching
MPLS, like RSVP, establishes data paths through the network to speed traffic flows and to enable QoS enforcement. Although RSVP establishes reserved routes based on RSVP requests and exchanges between RSVP-enabled routers, MPLS uses packet labeling. MPLS can be used in conjunction with RSVP to expedite traffic and to fulfill QoS commitments.
The architectural model for MPLS is defined in RFC 3031. The multiprotocol aspect of MPLS does not refer to specific IP protocols, but to interoperability between various transports, including IP, ATM, frame relay, and switched optical networks. The label switching aspect of MPLS resides somewhere between layer 2 and layer 3, or, according to some vendor literature, is ...
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