Multi-Protocol Label Switching

(MPLS)

* 1
MPLS Overview
□ A forwarding scheme designed to speed up IP packet
forwarding (RFC 3031)

□ Idea: use a fixed length label in the packet header to

decide packet forwarding
■ Label carried in an MPLS header between the link
layer header and network layer header

□ Support any network layer protocol and link layer

protocol

* 2
Need for Multiprotocol Label Switching
(MPLS)
□ Forwarding function of a conventional router
■ a capacity demanding procedure
■ constitutes a bottle neck with increase in
line speed

□ MPLS simplifies forwarding function by taking

a totally different approach by introducing a
connection oriented mechanism inside the
connectionless IP networks

3
 “Label Substitution” what is it?
One of the many ways of getting from
A to B:
•BROADCAST: Go everywhere, stop when you get to B,
never ask for directions.
•HOP BY HOP ROUTING: Continually ask who’s closer to B
go there, repeat … stop when you get to B.
“Going to B? You’d better go to X, its on the way”.
•SOURCE ROUTING: Ask for a list (that you carry with you)
of places to go that eventually lead you to B.
“Going to B? Go straight 5 blocks, take the next left, 6 more blocks
and take a right at the lights”.
 Label Substitution

Have a friend go to B ahead of you using one of the previous two

techniques. At every road they reserve a lane just for you. At every
intersection they post a big sign that says for a given lane which way to
turn and what new lane to take.

LANE#1 TURN RIGHT USE

LANE# LANE#2
1

LANE#
2
 A label by any other name ...
There are many examples of label substitution
protocols already in existence.

• ATM - label is called VPI/VCI and travels with cell.

• Frame Relay - label is called a DLCI and travels with
frame.
• TDM - label is called a timeslot its implied, like a
lane.
• X.25 - a label is an LCN (Logical CH No)
 MPLS Terminology

• LDP: Label Distribution Protocol

• LSP: Label Switched Path

• FEC: Forwarding Equivalence Class

• LSR: Label Switching Router

• LER: Label Edge Router (Useful term not in standards)
ROUTE AT EDGE, SWITCH IN CORE

IP IP #L1 IP #L2 IP #L3 IP

IP LABEL IP
Forwarding SWITCHING Forwarding
 MPLS: HOW DOES IT WORK

TIM UDP-Hel
lo
E

UDP-Hel
lo

TCP-ope
n

Initializatio
n(s)
Label
IP request

#L2
Label
TIM mapping
 MPLS Basics
□ A Label Switched Path (LSP) is set up for each route
□ A LSP for a particular packet P is a sequence of
routers,
<R1,R2………..Rn>
for all i, 1< i < n: Ri transmits P to R[i+1] by
means of a label
□ Edge routers
■ analyze the IP header to decide which LSP to use
■ add a corresponding local Label Switched Path
Identifier, in the form of a label
■ forward the packet to the next hop

10
 MPLS Basics contd..
□ Subsequent nodes
■ just forward the packet along the LSP
■ simplify the forwarding function greatly
■ increase performance and scalability
dramatically
□ New advanced functionality for QoS, differentiated
services can be introduced in the edge routers
□ Backbone can focus on capacity and performance
□ Routing information obtained using a common intra
domain routing protocol such as OSPF

11
 Basic Model for MPLS Network

Internet

LER
I
LER P
LER
LSR

LSR MPL
MPL LSR S
S
LER I
P
LSR = Label Switched Router
LER = Label Edge Router

12
MPLS Header Format

□ Label: 20-bit label value

□ Exp: experimental use
■ Can indicate class of service
□ S: bottom of stack indicator
■ 1 for the bottom label, 0 otherwise
□ TTL: time to live

20 3 1 8
Label Exp S TTL

* 13
Forwarding Equivalence Class
□ An MPLS capable router is called a label switching
router (LSR)

□ Forwarding Equivalence Class (FEC): A subset of

packets that are all treated the same way by an
LSR

□ A packet is assigned to an FEC at the ingress of an

MPLS domain

* 14
Forwarding Equivalence Class
□ A packet’s FEC can be determined by one
or more of the following:
■ Source and/or destination IP address
■ Source and/or destination port number
■ Protocol ID
■ Differentiated services code point
■ Incoming interface

□ A particular PHB(per hop behavior)

(scheduling and discard policy) can be
defined for a given FEC

* 15
Forwarding Equivalence Classes
LS LS
LE LE
R R
R R
LS
P
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
MPLS Operation
□ At ingress LSR of an MPLS domain, an MPLS header
is inserted to a packet before the packet is
forwarded
■ Label in the MPLS header encodes the packet’s FEC

□ At subsequent LSRs
■ The label is used as an index into a forwarding table that
specifies the next hop and a new label.
■ The old label is replaced with the new label, and the packet is
forwarded to the next hop.
□ Egress LSR strips the label and forwards the packet to
final destination based on the IP packet header

* 17
MPLS BUILT ON STANDARD IP

1 47
3 .1
1 2
3
2

1
47 3 47
.3 2 .2

Destination based forwarding tables as built by OSPF, IS-IS, RIP, etc.

IP FORWARDING USED BY HOP-BY-HOP
CONTROL

1 47
IP .1
1 2 IP
3 47.1.1.
47.1.1.
2 1
1
IP
1 47.1.1.
47 3 1 47
.3 2 .2
IP
47.1.1.
1
Label Switched Path
□ For each FEC, a specific path called Label Switched
Path (LSP) is assigned
■ The LSP is unidirectional
□ To set up an LSP, each LSR must
■ Assign an incoming label to the LSP for the
corresponding FEC
□ Labels have only local significance
■ Inform the upstream node of the assigned label
■ Learn the label that the downstream node has
assigned to the LSP
□ Need a label distribution protocol so that an LSR can
inform others of the label/FEC bindings it has made
□ A forwarding table is constructed as the result of label
distribution.
* 20
 MPLS Label Distribution

1 47
3 Request: 3
.1
st: 47.1
u e 2
Req .1 1
1 47 Mapping:
47 3 i n g: 2 0.40
a pp 47
.3 2 M 0.50 .2
 Label Switched Path (LSP)

IP1 47
3 3 47.1.1..1
21
1
1 2
47 3 47
.3 2 .2
IP
47.1.1.
1
LSP Route Selection
□ Hop-by-hop routing: use the route determined by the
dynamic routing protocol

□ Explicit routing (ER): the sender LSR can specify an

explicit route for the LSP
■ Explicit route can be selected ahead of time or
dynamically

* 23
 ER-LSP
Route
=
#
{A,B, #2 14 #9
C} 16 B 72

# C
A 14 #9
72

#4
62

- ER-LSP follows route that source chooses. In

other words, the control message to establish the
LSP (label request) is source routed.
 EXPLICITLY ROUTED LSP ER-LSP

IP1 47
3 3 47.1.1..1
21
1
1 2
47 3 47
.3 2 .2
IP
47.1.1.
1
Explicitly Routed LSP

□ Advantages
■ Can establish LSP’s based on policy, QoS, etc.
■ Can have pre-established LSP’s that can be
used in case of failures.

□ Signaling protocols
■ CR-LDP
■ RSVP-TE (traffic Extension)

* 26
Explicit Routing - MPLS vs. Traditional Routing

•Connectionless nature of IP implies that routing is based on information in

each packet header
•Source routing is possible, but path must be contained in each IP header
•Lengthy paths increase size of IP header, make it variable size, increase
overhead
•Some gigabit routers require ‘slow path’ option-based routing of IP packets
•Source routing has not been widely adopted in IP and is seen as impractical
•Some network operators may filter source routed packets for security
reasons
•MPLS’s enables the use of source routing by its connection-oriented
capabilities
- paths can be explicitly set up through the network
- the ‘label’ can now represent the explicitly routed path
•Loose and strict source routing can be supported
MPLS makes the use of source routing in the Internet practical
Summary of MPLS

□ Simplify packet forwarding based on a fixed length

label

□ Enable explicit routing in IP networks

■ Can be used for traffic management, QoS
routing

□ Enable fast restoration from failures.

* 28