Introduction


MPLS is becoming the technology of choice for Layer 2 and Layer 3 service delivery. More than 250 service providers and enterprise customers have integrated MPLS into their networks to provide Layer 3 VPNs, implement traffic engineering, reduce costs from operating multiple networks, and increase revenues from new service options based on MPLS technology.

Chief technology officers, IT managers, network managers, service provider product managers, and service architects have many different choices in architecting and building their backbones. For example, they can build on existing Layer 2 networks and add IP routing functionality, or they can build a new high-speed packet core using multiservice devices and add Layer 2 or Layer 3 services to it. These decision makers also need a technology that can scale to their network for various services and track the growth curve without radically changing the design midway through deployment. For these individuals to make intelligent choices, they require a comprehensive overview that includes service management, technology management, and network management, so the total cost of ownership can be determined. This book discusses a series of steps that network managers can follow for the introduction of a new Layer 2 or Layer 3 service using MPLS.

Who Should Read This Book?

The primary audience for this book include CTOs, IT managers, network managers, service provider product managers, and service architects who are responsible for assessing technology and architecture as a basis for service and solutions deployment. Industry analysts, focusing on telecommunications, constitute the secondary audience for the book.

Network managers often question the value that MPLS brings to their business environments. This book provides them with a precise guide for evaluating the benefits of MPLS-based applications and solutions. The book guides the network manager through the business case for MPLS by exploring other technology alternatives, including applications, benefits, and deficiencies. Understanding the service creation process as the basis for MPLS-based solutions is pivotal when describing the benefits that MPLS offers. The book explores MPLS technology and its components, providing the reader with an overview of the architecture necessary to reap the true advantages that MPLS brings to a service provider or enterprise network. These advantages include new revenue opportunities and a total cost of ownership reduction that positively impacts a company's bottom line. Return on investment (ROI) models and case study examples further confirm the business impact and help the decision maker create a blueprint for MPLS service creation. Specific aspects, such as security, network management, advanced services, and the future of the technology complete the book, helping decision makers assess MPLS as a candidate for implementation.

How This Book Is Organized

The book is divided into four major sections as follows:

Part 1, "The Business Case for MPLS," includes Chapters 1, "The Dynamics of Service Creation and Deployment," and 2, "The Scope of Service Types."

  • Chapter 1 details the industry dynamics, competitive outlook, business motivation, and drivers for service creation and deployment. It provides examples of service types and discusses how service providers build network infrastructures for service deployment. It also outlines why large enterprise customers need such services for either do-it-yourself (DIY) or outsourcing.

  • Chapter 2 discusses the breadth of services that are available to the service provider and the enterprise and includes a detailed description of each service type. It describes Layer 2, Layer 3, remote access, and value-added services such as managed VPN, web-hosting, and managed shared services, as well as their applicability in the current environment.

Part 2, "The Technical Case for MPLS," includes Chapters 3, "Technology Overview: Making the Technology Case for MPLS and Technology Details." This chapter highlights all the available technologies for creating the services described in the previous chapters. It provides pros and cons for each option and builds a case for MPLS as a baseline technology for service creation.

Part 3, "MPLS Services and Components," includes Chapters 4, "Layer 2 VPNs," Chapter 5, "Layer 3 VPNs," Chapter 6, "Remote Access and IPSec MPLS-VPN Integration," and Chapter 7, "MPLS Security," Chapter 8, "Traffic Engineering," Chapter 9, "Quality of Service," Chapter 10, "Multicast and NGN," and Chapter 11, "IPv6."

  • Chapter 4 provides an overview of Layer 2 VPNs and how MPLS can be used to deliver Layer 2 frames across a packet network. It also compares and contrasts other Layer 2 transport mechanisms that are available to do the same and highlights the benefits of MPLS in building Layer 2 VPNs.

  • Chapter 5 provides a technology overview of Layer 3 service components, describing their functions and operations. It also discusses how MPLS Layer 3 VPN technology can be used to build managed central services for developing value-added models over and above VPN connectivity.

  • Chapter 6 provides a technology overview and discusses the options available for remote access integration into MPLS.

  • Chapter 7 discusses reasons why customers are interested in security overall. It also identifies security components inherent in MPLS and discusses government regulatory issues that may require customers to deploy encryption that is implemented jointly with MPLS.

  • Chapter 8 describes the need for MPLS traffic engineering and how MPLS traffic engineering can solve problems in the networks. It also provides a technical overview of how MPLS traffic engineering works and the various benefits and applications of MPLS traffic engineering.

  • Chapter 9 provides an overview of QoS and how it applies to MPLS networks. It describes how IP QoS mechanisms can be leveraged to build an MPLS DiffServ architecture that can be further strengthened by combining IP QoS and MPLS traffic engineering.

  • Multicast is increasingly becoming useful for content distribution and video in networks. Chapter 10 describes how multicast can integrate into MPLS networks for easy migration from existing environments to MPLS VPN environments.

  • Chapter 11 provides a description of how IPv6 can be transported in an MPLS network using 6PE as a model. It also highlights the need for IPv6-based VPNs.

Part 4, "Bringing Your MPLS Plan Together," combines the technologies that have been discussed in the previous chapters to build a comprehensive service with design, provisioning, and management taken into account. It includes Chapters 12, "Network Management and Provisioning," Chapter 13, "Design Considerations: Putting it All Together," Chapter 14, "MPLS Case Studies," and Chapter 15, "The Future of MPLS."

MPLS architecture provides a challenge in troubleshooting and debugging due to the separation of control and data planes. Features such as MPLS OAM help trace issues and problems that are critical to deploying and managing a service. Chapter 12 describes the management and provisioning aspects for Layer 2 and Layer 3 services.

Chapter 13 provides checklist items to keep in mind when building Layer 2-and Layer 3-based services. It discusses various scalability aspects, feature protocol aspects that the designer and network manager must be aware of before making a decision to start deployment of MPLS-based Layer 2 or Layer 3 VPNs that can affect the design of the Layer 2 and Layer 3 services.

Chapter 14 discusses two case studies and both real and hypothetical customer examples, builds ROI models, and shares their lessons in deploying MPLS technology.

Chapter 15 discusses the future of MPLS and how MPLS VPN mechanisms can be leveraged to build a transport-independent infrastructure.




MPLS and Next-Generation Networks(c) Foundations for NGN and Enterprise Virtualization
MPLS and Next-Generation Networks: Foundations for NGN and Enterprise Virtualization
ISBN: 1587201208
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 162

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