MPLS:

Multi-Protocol Label
Switching
Prof. Giuseppe Blacio Abad
IP
• The first defined and used protocol
• De facto the only protocol for global
Internet working

… but there are disadvantages

IP Routing disadvantages
• Connectionless
• Each router has to make independent forwarding
decisions based on the IP-address
• Large IP Header (at least 20 bytes)
• Routing in Network Layer
- Slower than Switching
• Usually designed to obtain shortest path
- Do not take into account additional metrics
 Motivation (cont.)
• Idea: Combine the forwarding algorithm used in ATM with IP.
MPLS Basics
• Multi Protocol Label Switching is arranged between Layer
2 and Layer 3
 MPLS concept

• Packet forwarding is done based on Labels.

• Labels are assigned when the packet enters into the
network.
• MPLS nodes forward packets/cells based on the label
value (not on the IP information).
MPLS concept
• MPLS allows:
• Packet classification only where the packet enters the
network.
• The packet classification is encoded as a label.
• In the core, packets are forwarded without having to
re-classify them.
• No further packet analysis
• Label swapping
Route At Edge, Switch In Core

IP IP #L1 IP #L2 IP #L3 IP

IP Forwarding LABEL SWITCHING IP Forwarding

 Basic Concept of MPLS
DA Next hop N/w DA Next hop N/w
router Int. router Int.
128.89.10.x 198.168.7.6 1
Routing Table
129.89.10.x 128.89.10.12 1
179.69.x.x 198.168.7.6 1 179.69.x.x 179.69.42.3 2

128.89.10.x
In Out Address Prefix N/w Out 128.89.10.12
label In Address Prefix N/w
label Int. label
label Int.
X 3 128.89.10.x 1 3 5 128.89.10.x 1 Label Table
X 4 179.69.x.x 1 4 7 179.69.x.x 2 R3

Advertises binding
1 <5, 128.89.10.x>

R1 1 R2
2
198.168.7.6
Advertises bindings Advertises binding
<3, 128.89.10.x> <7, 179.69.x.x>
<4, 179.69.x.x>
179.69.x.x
• Routing fills routing table
R4
• Signaling fills label forwarding table
179.69.42.3
9
Basic Concept of MPLS

VS
 Basic Concept of MPLS
Pop
label 5
In Out Address Prefix N/w In Out Address Prefix N/w Forward
label label Int. label label Int. packet
X 3 128.89.10.x 1 3 5 128.89.10.x 1 5 128.89.10.x
X 4 179.69.x.x 1 4 7 179.69.x.x 2 128.89.10.12

R3
Swap
Label 5

3
1

R1 1 R2
2
3 198.168.7.6
Push
Label
Packet arrives
DA=128.89.10.25
179.69.x.x
R3 R4

179.69.42.3
11
Generic label format
 Stack
• The stack is the collection of labels that are found
on top of the packet.
• The stack can consist of just one label, or it might
have more.
• The number of labels (that is, the 32-bit field) that
you can find in the stack is limitless, although you
should seldom see a stack that consists of four or
more labels.
 MPLS Router Roles
• 1. Customer edge (CE) - A router that has no
knowledge of MPLS protocols and does not send
any labeled packets but is directly connected to an
LSR (PE).
• 2. Provider edge (PE) - An LSR that shares a link
with at least one CE router.
• 3. Provider (P) - An LSR that does not have a direct
link to a CE router, which allows the router to just
forward labeled packets.
MPLS Router Roles
 Label-Switched Paths - LSPs
• A label switched path (LSP) is a sequence
of LSRs that switch a labeled packet
through an MPLS network or part of an
MPLS network. Basically, the LSP is the
path through the MPLS network or a part
of it that packets take.
• A path is a representation of a FEC.
Label-Switched Paths - LSPs
 Forwarding Equivalence
Classes LSR LSR
LER LER

LSP

IP1 IP1
IP1 #L1 IP1 #L2 IP1 #L3
IP2 #L1 IP2 #L2 IP2 #L3
IP2 IP2

Packets are destined for different address prefixes, but can be

mapped to common path

• FEC = “A subset of packets that are all treated the same way by a router”
• The concept of FECs provides for a great deal of flexibility and scalability
• In conventional routing, a packet is assigned to a FEC at each hop (i.e. L3
look-up), in MPLS it is only done once at the network ingress
Forwarding of Labeled Packets
Label Operation
• The possible label operations are swap,
push, and pop.
Label Operation
Label Distribution Protocol
MPLS Unicast IP Routing
• MPLS introduces a new field that is used for
forwarding decisions.
• Although labels are locally significant, they have to
be advertised to directly reachable peers.
• One option would be to include this parameter
into existing IP routing protocols.
• The other option is to create a new protocol to
exchange labels.
• The second option has been used because there
are too many existing IP routing protocols that
would have to be modified to carry labels.
Label Distribution Protocol
• The control plane is the set of protocols
that helps to set up the data or forwarding
plane. The main components of the
control plane are the routing protocols,
the routing table, and other control or
signaling protocols used to provision the
data plane.
• The data plane is the packet forwarding
path through a router or switch.
 MPLS Architecture

Control Plane
OSPF
OSPF: 10.0.0.0/8 OSPF: 10.0.0.0/8

LDP: 10.0.0.0/8 LDP LDP: 10.0.0.0/8

Label 17 Label 4

Data Plane
Labeled packet LFIB Labeled packet
Label 17 4→17 Label 4

• Router functionality is divided into two major parts:

control plane and data plane
MPLS VPN Technology
What Is a VPN?
A data network that utilizes a portion of a
shared public network to extend a customer's
private network
MPLS VPN Connection Model
Site-4

Site-1
VPN-C
VPN-A

Site-2 Site-3
VPN-B

• A site belonging to different VPNs may or MAY

NOT be used as a transit point between VPNs
• If two or more VPNs have a common site, address
space must be unique among these VPNs
VPN Implementations
There are many ways for the implementation of
VPN such as:

• GRE
• Ipsec
• L2TP
• MPLS
MPLS VPN
• MPLS VPNs are enhancement to MPLS
• MPLS uses a virtual circuit (VC) across a private
network to emulate the VPN function.
• MPLS alone won't solve security problem; you'll
have to complement it with another VPN
solution, such as IPsec over MPLS
• MPLS supports multiple protocols. In other
words, you can use MPLS to tag IP packets,
Ethernet frames, IPX packets.
Overlay model
The provider did not participate in customer
routing. It provides the customer with transport of
data using virtual point-to-point links (PVC or SVC).
Components of MPLS VPN architecture
Virtual Routing and Forwarding Table
(VRF)
Virtual Routing and Forwarding Table
(VRF)