MPLS Overview

This chapter discusses the following topics:

• MPLS Introduction
• MPLS Standards
• Link-Layer Support
• MPLS and Traffic Engineering
• Label Description
• Special Labels
• Label Allocation
• Operations on Labels
• Routers in an LSP
• How a Packet Travels Along an LSP
• Types of LSPs
• Scope of LSPs
• Constrained-Path LSP Computation
• How CSPF Selects a Path
• Path Selection Tie-Breaking
• Computing Paths Offline
• LSPs on an Overloaded Router
• Fate Sharing
• IGP Shortcuts
• Enabling IGP Shortcuts
• LSPs Qualified in Shortcut Computations
• IGP Shortcut Applications
• IGP Shortcuts and Routing Table
• IGP Shortcuts and VPN Environments
• Advertising LSPs into IGPs
• IP and MPLS Packets on Aggregated Interfaces
• MPLS Applications
• BGP Destinations
• IGP and BGP Destinations
• Selecting a Forwarding LSP Next Hop
• MPLS and Routing Tables
• MPLS and Traffic Protection
• Fast Reroute
• Fast Reroute Overview
• Detour Merging Process
• Detour Computations
• Fast Reroute Path Optimization
• Automatic Bandwidth Allocation
• Point-to-Multipoint LSPs
• MPLS Load Balancing Based on the IP Header and MPLS Labels