ODA000015 MPLS Basic

Knowledge
ISSUE 1.0

Fixed Network Curriculum

Development Section
Course Contents

Chapter 1 MPLS Overview

Chapter 2 Label and Label Stack

Chapter 3 Label Forwarding and Allocation

Chapter 4 LDP and Configuration

MPLS

 MPLS——Multi-Protocol Label Switching

 Multi-Protocol
 Support multiple Layer-3 protocols, such as IP, IPv6, IPX, SNA
 Label Switching
 Label packets, and replace IP forwarding with label switching
Origin: To Integrate IP with ATM

IP MPLS ATM

Connectionless Connectionless
control plane control plane Connection-oriented
control plane

Connectionless Connection-oriented Connection-oriented

forwarding plane forwarding plane forwarding plane
Connection-oriented Features

S2 1 S6 S2 S6

1 1
S1 S8 S1 S3 S5 S8

S3 S5 VC
2 2

S4 2 S7 S4 S7

Connectionless: packet route connection-oriented: cell switching

• Path 1 = S1, S2, S6, S8 VC = S1, S4, S7, S8

• • The data reach their destination in

Path 2 = S1, S4, S7, S8
order along the same connection
• The data reach their destination
• Fixed time delay, easy to control
out of order along different paths
• Connection types: PVC SVC
Traditional IP Forwarding

Parse IP header Parse IP header Parse IP header

mapped to next hop mapped to next hop mapped to next hop

 IP header is parse at each hop, resulting in low efficiency.

 It is hard to deploy QoS and the efficiency is rather low.
 All routers are expected to know all routes in the entire netw
ork.
ATM Switching Process

Virtual Channel Connection

(VCC)

Virtual Path Connection(VPC)

UNI
UNI
NNI NNI
VC VP VC
switching switching switching

VPI = 1 VPI = 2 VPI = 26 VPI = 20

VCI = 1 VCI = 44 VCI = 44 VCI = 30

 Connection-oriented
 Routing depending on link layer, based on VPI/VCI or label
 Ensure QoS and real-time service
Technology Combining the Advantages of ATM and
IP

R + X = X

Router ATM switch MPLS

Router
 Layer 3 routing – scalable and flexible
 Layer 2 switching – High reliability and traffic engineering
management

MPLS——multi-protocol label switching

MPLS Advantages

 Replace IP header with short and fixed-length labels as

forwarding basis to improve forwarding speed
 Provide value-added service without prejudice to efficiency:
 VPN
 Traffic engineering
 QOS
Basic Working Process of MPLS

Core LSR
Edge LSR Edge LSR

IP IP L1 IP L2 IP L3 IP

Traditional Traditional IP
IP forwarding Label forwarding forwarding
Basic MPLS Concepts
LER
MPLS domain
IP
LER LSR LSR
LER

LSP
LSR
MPLS

LER

LSR: Label Switch Router

LER: Label Edge Router
LSP: Label Switch Path
Course Contents

Chapter 1 MPLS Overview

Chapter 2 Label and Label Stack

Chapter 3 Label Forwarding and Allocation

Chapter 4 LDP and Configuration

MPLS Encapsulation Format and Label

0 20 23 24 31

Label EXP S TTL 32 bits

Layer 2
header MPLS header IP header Data

 Two types of MPLS encapsulation for ATM and FR:

 shim encapsulation: similar to other link layers
 Cell mode: VC (VPI/VCI for ATM, DLCI for FR) is directly
used as the label
Label Position in Packet

Ethernet
Ethernet header
/SONET
/PPP header Label Layer-3 data
/SDH packet

Cell mode
ATM packet VPI/VCI Layer-3 data
Label Stack

Layer2 MPLS MPLS

header header header IP header Data

Theoretically, label stack enables limitless nesting to

provide infinite service support. This is simply the
greatest advantage of MPLS technology.
Course Contents

Chapter 1 MPLS Overview

Chapter 2 Label and Label Stack

Chapter 3 Label Forwarding and Allocation

Chapter 4 LDP and Configuration

Basic Concepts of Label Forwarding

 FEC (Forwarding Equivalence Class): Import the packets

with identical characteristics into the same LSP
 NHLFE (Next Hop Label Forwarding Entry): Describe label
operations
 next hop
 label operation types: push/pop/swap
 FTN (FEC to NHLFE): Map FEC to NHLFE
 ILM (Incoming Label Map): Map MPLS label to NHLFE
Label Forwarding
label operation: pop
Label operation: push
Label operation: swap ILM->NHLFE
Parse IP header Label operation: swap Parse IP header
FEC bound with LSP distribute FEC
ILM->NHLFE ILM->NHLFE mapped to next hop
FTN->NHLFE

A B C D
Ingress LER LSR LSR Egress LER
 The traditional routing protocol and Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) serve to create routing table and label
mapping table (FEC-Label mapping) in each LSR for FECs with service requirement, i.e. create LSP succe
ssfully.
 Ingress LER receives a packet, determines the FEC that the packet belongs to, and label the packet
 In MPLS domain, packets are forwarded in accordance with labels and label forwarding table via the forwar
ding unit
 Egress LER removes the label and continues forwarding the packet
NHLFE

A:
NHLFE
FEC next hop Label operation Others
Transmitting interface
10.0.1.0/24 B E1 Add label L1 …

B,C:
Ingress NHLFE
Transmitting
label Next hop interface label operation Others
L1 C E1 Remove the previous label and add L2 …

D:
Ingress NHLFE
label Next hop
Transmitting
interface Label operation Others
L2 D Remove label …
PHP

Label operation: push

Label operation: swap Parse IP header
Parse IP header Label operation: pop
Distribute FEC
FEC bound with LSP
FTN->NHLFE ILM->NHLFE ILM->NHLFE Mapped to next hop

Ingress LER LSR LSR Egress LER

 The label at the outmost layer does not make any sense to the last hop. Thus, it
is advisable to pop the label at the last hop but one to ease the burden of the
last hop.
 If there is only one layer of label, the last hop will perform IP forwarding directly;
otherwise, it will perform the internal label forwarding.
Creating LSP

 LSP drive modes:

 Driven by stream: incoming packets drive LSP creation
 Driven by topology: topology information (route) drives LSP creati
on
 Driven by application: application (like QoS) drives LSP creation
 Signaling protocol is used to distribute labels between LSRs an
d establish LSP:
 LDP
 CR-LDP (Constraint-based Routing LDP)
 RSVP-TE (Resource Reservation Protocol)
 MP-BGP
 PIM
Several Issues Concerning
Label Distribution

 Label allocation mode

 DoD : downstream-on-demand
 DU: downstream unsolicited
 Label control mode
 Ordered
 Independent
 Label hold mode
 Conservative retention mode : upon receiving a label, if there is
no route destined for the corresponding FEC, hold the label for
later use
 Liberal mode: upon receiving a label, if there is no route destin
ed for corresponding FEC, discard the label
Label Allocation Mode: DoD

Label 18 is 171.68.10/24
Route 分配到171.68.10/24 分配到20
Label is allocated
allocated to
triggering 的标签为18
171.68.10/24 的标签为20
to 171.68.10/24

171.68.40/24 171.68.10/24

LSR1 LSR2 LSR3 Downstream

Upstream
请求到目的地址
Requesting labels Requesting labels
destined for 171.68.10/24
171.68.10/24 的标签 destined for 171.68.10/24
的标签

The upstream LSR sends a label request (containing FEC

description information) to the downstream LSR.
The downstream LSR allocates a label to this FEC and feeds back
the bound label to the upstream LSR via the label mapping
message.
Label Allocation Mode: DU

Route
triggering
到18
Label 171.68.10/24
can be used 到 171.68.10/24
Label 20 can be used
to reach 171.68.10/24 Downstream
Upstream 可以使用标签 18 可以使用标签
to 20
reach 171.68.10/24
171.68.40/24 171.68.10/24

Once the LDP session is set up successfully, the downstream

LSR will initiatively advertise the label mapping message to its
upstream LSR.
The upstream router will save the label in the label mapping
table.
Label Control Mode: Ordered

Upstream Downstream

Not until it receives a label mapping message from its

downstream LSP will it send the message upstream
Label Control Mode: Independent

Upstream Downstream

Whether it receives a label mapping message from its downstream

LSR, it will send upstream a label mapping message immediately.
Common Collocation 1:
DoD + Ordered + Liberal

Upstream Downstream

 It is relatively easy to control the use of labels and the cr

eation of LSPs
Common Collocation 2:
DU + Ordered + Conservative

Upstream Downstream

 A waste of label resources

 Useless LSPs would be created
 LSPs can be set up quickly
LSP Loop Detection

 Path looping shall be avoided even in setting up

LSP within the MPLS domain.
 LSP path looping can be avoided in two ways:
 Maximum hop number;
 Path vector
Course Contents

Chapter 1 MPLS Overview

Chapter 2 Label and Label Stack

Chapter 3 Label Forwarding and Allocation

Chapter 4 LDP and Configuration

Basic Concepts of LDP

 LDP is a MPLS control and signaling protocol

 Main functions:
 Release Label-FEC mapping
 Create and maintain label switching path
 LDP serves to distribute and maintain label mapping
messages between peers in the form of message.
 LDP uses the TCP transmission service.
LDP Message Types

 Discovery message: Used to discover LDP adjacencies

in the network
 Session message: Used to set up, maintain and
terminate a session between LDP peers
 Distribution message: Used to create, change and delete
label mappings related to FEC
 Notification message: Used to provide recommendation
or error notification information
LDP Message Switching

UDP-Hello

Discovery stage
UDP-Hello
TCP connection establishment
Session creation
and maintenance
Session initialization

Label request
FEC
LSP creation and
maintenance Label
Label mapping
Basic MPLS Configurations (1)

 Designate ID for LSR

It is necessary to configure the LSR with an ID before configuring othe
r MPLS commands. The ID is generally in the format of IP address, an
d shall be unique within the domain.
mpls lsr-id X.X.X.X
Note: make configurations in the system view.
 Activate/deactivate the LDP or enter the LDP view
To configure LDP, first activate the LDP and enter the LDP view
mpls ldp
Note: make configurations in the system view
Basic MPLS Configurations (2)

 Enable interface LDP

mpls ldp enable
Note: make configurations in the interface view
 LDP loop detection control
 Enable loop detection
Loop-detect
 Set the maximum hot number for loop detection
hops-count hop-number
MPLS Debugging

 MPLS display commands

 Display information about LDP and LSR
display mpls ldp
 Display information about LDP-enabled interface
display mpls ldp interface
 Display information about all LSPs established in the public netw
ork
display mpls lsp
Configuration Example
 Suppose a network consists of four NE routers, where Router B is connected to
Router C via SDH, while Router B is connected to Router A and Router D via
Ethernet.
 The four routers all support MPLS. LSP can be set up between any two routers. The
operational routing protocol is OSPF
Router B

Router A ethernet1/0/0 ethernet1/0/1

Router D
168.1.1.2 172.17.1.1
pos2/0/1
ethernet8/0/0 100.10.1. ethernet2/0/1
168.1.1.1 2 172.17.1.2
Router C is configured with:
[Quidway] interface pos 7/0/0
 Configuration procedure pos7/0/0 [Quidway-Pos7/0/0] ip address 100.10.1.1 255.255
100.10.1.1 .255.0
 Configure ip address for th [Quidway] router id 172.16.1.2
[Quidway] ospf
e interface [Quidway-ospf] area 0
Router C
[Quidway-ospf-area-0.0.0.0] network 100.10.1.0 0.
 Configure the ospf protoco 0.0.255
l [Quidway] mpls lsr-id 172.16.1.2
[Quidway] mpls ldp
 Configure the MPLS LDP [Quidway-Pos7/0/0] mpls ldp enable
Summary

 Grasp the basic concepts and working process of MPLS

 Grasp label allocation and distribution
 Grasp MPLS LDP configuration