MPLS-Enabled Applications: Emerging Developments and New Technologies

Appendix A. MPLS Resources

MPLS is a rapidly developing field that has seen lots of activity in recent years. To help track these, we have compiled a list of standards bodies, conferences and venues for interoperability testing.

STANDARDS BODIES

1. IETF - Internet Engineering Task Force. Some of the working groups relevant to MPLS are mpls, ccamp, 13vpn, 12vpn, pwe3 and pce. Each working group has its own mailing list which anyone can join. See the working group homepages for details on how to join (http://ietf.org/). The IETF meets three times a year, with separate sessions for each working group. Note that the sessions are not tutorial in nature, rather they discuss the specifics of Internet drafts that are progressing through the working groups. Much of the technical work of the IETF is carried out through the mailing lists rather than at the actual meetings.

2. ITU. ITU is the United Nations agency for information and communication technologies. Standardization efforts are carried out through ITU-T recommendations (http://www.itu.int/net/home/index.aspx).

3. IP/MPLS Forum (formerly the MFA forum) is a forum of service providers, equipment vendors, testing centers and enterprise users working on promoting the adoption of IP/MPLS-based technologies. The work of the IP/MPLS Forum is carried out in working groups. The forum's website has links to whitepapers and seminars on various topics in MPLS (http://www.ipmplsforum.org/).

4. IPsphere Forum is a forum of service providers and equipment vendors ...