Cisco Multiservice Switching Networks

The goal of the following sections is to bring up a multiservice switching MPLS network that can be deployed in a service provider or enterprise customer. This network has three Points of Presence (PoPs), each with one Label Switch Router (LSR) and two edge Label Switch Routers (eLSRs), also called Label Edge Routers (LERs). Following MPLS VPN terminology, the LSRs are marked P (Provider), and the eLSRs are labeled PE (Provider Edge).

Each LSR is composed of a controlled switch and a Label Switch Controller (LSC). Each PoP has a different LSR platform implementation but the same MPLS controller software (which is the heart of the multiservice switching architecture). A full mesh interconnects the three PoPs, forming a triangle. In summary, the objective is to configure the network shown in Figure 6-1.

This MPLS network will be the foundation for the MPLS VPN and MPLS QoS configuration in the next chapter.