Summary
You are probably familiar with switching concepts in an IP network. The fundamental problem with routing a packet based on the destination IP address is that every hop along the path has to route the packet. As a result, the forwarding table is based solely on the routing table and your IGP's shortest calculated path. If, for any reason, the forwarding path that is derived through the routing table is congested or is experiencing longer-than-expected delays, you have no choice but to forward the traffic down that path. MPLS-based forwarding and MPLS TE can be used to overcome this limitation.
MPLS forwarding is based on a fixed-length label. The label exchange happens in the control plane in much the same way that routing information ...
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