MPLS

Mario Ivkovic Advanced Computer Networks SS 2004

Content
Motivation MPLS Basics MPLS Technical Background LSP Details Label Details

Motivation
IP
The first defined and used protocol De facto the only protocol for global

internet working

but there are disadvantages

Motivation
IP Routing disadvantages:

Connectionless
-

e.g. no QoS

Each router has to make independent forwarding decisions based on the IP-address Large IP Header
-

At least 20 byte Slower than Switching

Routing in Network Layer

-

Motivation
ATM

connection oriented
-

Supports QoS

fast packet switching with fixed length packets (cells) integration of different traffic types (voice, data, video)

but there are also disadvantages

Motivation
ATM disadvantages
Complex Expensive Not widely adopted

Motivation
Combine the forwarding algorithm used in ATM with IP.
Packet Forwarding IP Hybrid Circuit Switching ATM

MPLS

Outline
Motivation MPLS Basics MPLS Technical Background LSP Details Label Details

MPLS Basics
Multi Protocol Label Switching is arranged between Layer 2 and Layer 3
Layer 3 Layer 2 Layer 1 IP MPLS ATM, FR, Ethernet, PPP SDH, ODH, WDN, CSMA

MPLS Basics
Advantages of MPLS
Routing takes place only in the LERs

(Label Edge Router)

Label switching increases speed Provides Quality of Service It hides the link layer and the differences

between different Layer 2 protocols

MPLS Basics
Disadvantages of MPLS
An additional layer is added The router has to understand MPLS

MPLS Basics
MPLS Characteristics
Mechanisms to manage traffic flows of

various granularities (Flow Management) Is independent of Layer-2 and Layer-3 protocols Maps IP-addresses to fixed length labels Interfaces to existing routing protocols (RSVP, OSPF) Supports ATM, Frame-Relay and Ethernet

Outline
Motivation MPLS Basics MPLS Technical Background LSP Details Label Details

MPLS Technical Background

Data transmission occurs on LSPs (Label Switched Paths). The labels are distributed using LDP (Label Distribution Protocol) or RSVP (ReSerVation Protocol) or BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) and OSPF (Open shortest Path First). Each data packet encapsulates and carries the labels during its journey from source to destination.

MPLS Technical Background

The labels are used to forward the packets on their way (switching). The labels change during transmission. Hardware can be used to switch packets quickly between links.

MPLS Technical Background

LER

Label Edge Router - Resides at the edge of an MPLS network and assigns and removes the labels from the packets. Label Switching Router - Is a high speed router in the core on an MPLS network. ATM switches can be used as LSRs without changing their hardware. Label switching is equivalent to VP/VC switching.

LSR

MPLS Technical Background

LSP
LER
IP #1
Ethernet

LSR
IP #1 L=5 IP #1 L=9

LSR
IP #1 L=2

LER
IP #1
Ethernet

IP Addr 192.4/16

Out Label 5

In Label 5

Out Label 9

In Label 9

Out Label 2

In Label 2 Remove Label

Next Hop 192.4/16 Layer 2 Transport

Layer 2 Assign Transport init label

Label Swapping

Label Swapping

ROUTE AT EDGE, SWITCH IN CORE

MPLS Technical Background

LSP
A path is established before the data transmission starts. A path is a representation of a FEC.

FEC
The Forward Equivalence Class is a representation of a group of packets that share the same requirements for their transport. The assignment of a particular packet to a particular FEC is done just once (when the packet enters the network).

MPLS Technical Background

A LER
IP #1 IP #1 L #2 IP #2 L #2 IP #1

IP #1 L #3 IP #2 L #3 IP #2

a B
IP #2

IP #1 L #1

IP #2 L #1

x LSR

z LER

LER

Outline
Motivation MPLS Basics MPLS Technical Background LSP Details Label Details

LSP Details
MPLS provides two options to set up an LSP
hop-by-hop routing: Each LSR independently selects the next hop for a given FEC. LSRs support any available routing protocols (OSPF, ATM ). explicit routing: Is similar to source routing. The ingress LSR specifies the list of nodes through which the packet traverses.

The LSP setup for an FEC is unidirectional. The return traffic must take another LSP!

Outline
Motivation MPLS Basics MPLS Technical Background LSP Details Label Details

Label Details
Generic label format
Link layer header MPLS shim Network layer Other layers header header Data

32
Label Exp. bits BS TTL

20

Exp.bits: Experimental Bits, often used for Class of Service BS: Bottom of Stack bit, is set if no label follows TTL: Time To Leave, used in the same way like in IP

Label Details
Label distribution
MPLS does not specify a single method for label distribution BGP has been enhanced to piggyback the label information

within the contents of the protocol RSVP has also been extended to support piggybacked exchange of labels. IETF has also defined a new protocol known as the label distribution protocol (LDP) for explicit signaling and management Extensions to the base LDP protocol have also been defined to support explicit routing based on QoS requirements.

Label Details
ATM as the Data Link Layer
IP Packet Labelling of the packet ATM cells
IP header Shim header IP header Data Data VPI/VCI Data

The label can be embedded in the header of the data link layer

VPI/VCI

Data

Frame Relay as the Data Link Layer

IP Packet Labelling of the packet FR frames
IP header Shim header IP header Data Data

DLCI

Data

DLCI

Data

Point-to-Point (PPP)/Ethernet as the Data Link Layer

PPP header (Packet over Sonet/SDH) LAN MAC Header
PPP header shim header Layer 3 header Label MAC header shim header Layer 3 header

or in the shim (between the Layer-2 data-link header and Layer-3 network layer header