Thinkworker and other MPLS fans, MPLS does not route; it's a switching or forwarding technology. How does MPLS get it's routing information? Usually from a dynamic routing protocol, either BGP for inter-domain routing or an IGP (IS-IS, OSPF, RIP, EIGRP) for intra-AS routing.
That's the simple, unhelpful answer to your question. I hope I'll have a better explanation after next week after MPLScon. If you're in the DC area (McLean, VA), you might should go to at least the first day of tutorials (Monday March 25). For the money, you can't beat it: half price if you sign up before the event by web or fax. Two theory / background books on this, in addition to previous threads where we listed the two ciscopress books by Pepelnjak & Guichard, and Alwayn: 1. MPLS: Implementing the Technology, by Eric Gray. 2. MPLS: technology and Applications, by Bruce Davie and Yakov Rekhter. Take a look at pp. 12-13 of the Gray book. Here's the last paragraph of that section to whet your appetite: "Unlike ATM, however, the label-switching approach is generally applicable to a number of network technologies, does not always require fragmentation of data packets into cells, and allows direct use of native routing information and technology. Label switching is the process of making a simplified forwarding decision based on a fixed-length label; this label can be included in a Frame Relay DLCI, an ATM VPI/VPC, or at the head of an MPLS shim header in other tehcnologies." Are you familiar with Cisco multilayer switching? MPLS is similar to the mantra, "Route once, switch many". I'll leave it to others to explain whether that's a good comparison or not, and, I hope, to give a better one. See you all at MPLScon. Maybe we could meet at the message board after the last tutorial session on Monday (5:00 p.m.). "Be there or be square." -- TT Message Posted at: http://www.groupstudy.com/form/read.php?f=7&i=39018&t=39014 -------------------------------------------------- FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/cisco.html Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
