Upper-Layer Protocols over Static Ethernet Overview
You can configure one or more protocols over Ethernet with or without VLANs. This section focuses on non-VLAN configurations only. You can configure the following upper-layer protocols on Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, and 10-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces:
- IP
- Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE)
- Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)
The Ethernet configuration examples in this section use combinations of these protocols. Figure 8 illustrates how different protocols can be multiplexed over a single physical link without the use of VLANs.
Figure 8: Multiplexing Multiple Protocols over a Single Physical Link

The following sections describe how to create the following common non-VLAN configurations, which you can configure on Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, and 10-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces:
- IP over Ethernet
- PPPoE over Ethernet
- IP over Ethernet and MPLS over Ethernet
- IP over Ethernet, MPLS over Ethernet, and PPPoE over Ethernet
Note: You can also configure upper-layer protocols over dynamic interfaces. See Configuring Upper-Layer Dynamic Interfaces and Configuring Dynamic Interfaces Using Bulk Configuration.