MPLS Forum Approves MPLS PVC User-to-Network Interface Implementation Agreement; UNI Plays Key Role in Commercial Deployment of MPLS.Business Editors/High Tech Writers BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 7, 2002 The MPLS (1) (MultiProtocol Lambda Switching) The earlier name for GMPLS. See GMPLS. (2) (MultiProtocol Label Switching) A standard from the IETF for including routing information in the packets of an IP network. Forum, an international industry organization driving worldwide deployment of multi-vendor MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching (networking) Multiprotocol Label Switching - (MPLS) A packet switching protocol developed by the IETF. Initially developed to improve switching speed, other benefits are now seen as being more important. ) networks, applications, and services, announced the approval of an MPLS PVC PVC: see polyvinyl chloride. PVC in full polyvinyl chloride Synthetic resin, an organic polymer made by treating vinyl chloride monomers with a peroxide. (Permanent Virtual Circuit See PVC. (networking) Permanent Virtual Circuit - (PVC, or in ATM terminology, "Permanent Virtual Connection") A virtual circuit that is permanently established, saving the time associated with circuit establishment and tear-down. ) UNI (User-to-Network Interface) Implementation Agreement. This milestone was reached at the MPLS Forum's most recent Technical Committee meeting in Boston. David Sinicrope, vice chair of the Applications & Deployment Working Group, MPLS Forum and senior engineer, Ericsson commented: "The approval of the MPLS PVC UNI is an important step in the development of MPLS technology and the networking industry in general. The MPLS PVC UNI extends MPLS beyond its traditional use in the core of an IP network and brings its benefits out to the customer edge. It provides the standard interface necessary for carriers and providers to offer revenue producing services using MPLS as a conduit." The MPLS PVC UNI provides an industry standard interface to a public network offering services via provisioned MPLS LSP LSP - Label Switched Path (Label Switched Path (networking) label switched path - (LSP) The specific path through a network that a datagram follows, based on its MPLS labels. ) connections. The MPLS PVC UNI uses existing, industry proven protocols as a signaling basis and enhances them to provide the quality of service characteristics the industry has come to expect in a user-to-network interface. Building on experiences with the Frame Relay A high-speed packet switching protocol used in wide area networks (WANs). Providing a granular service of up to DS3 speed (45 Mbps), it has become popular for LAN to LAN connections across remote distances, and services are offered by most major carriers. and ATM PVC UNIs, the MPLS PVC UNI provides the subscriber equipment with the ability for static or fully automatic configuration driven from the provider network. Andrew G. Malis, vice chair, MPLS Forum and chief technologist, Vivace Networks, said: "The development of the Frame Relay and ATM UNI interface specifications, by the Frame Relay Forum and the ATM Forum respectively, led to the extremely successful commercial deployment of public Frame Relay and ATM services. Our intention at the MPLS Forum is to enable public MPLS services through the use of the MPLS UNI interface specification." In addition to providing quality of service connectivity, the MPLS UNI's Layer 3 VPN (Virtual Private Network) A private network that is configured within a public network (a carrier's network or the Internet) in order to take advantage of the economies of scale and management facilities of large networks. (Virtual Private Network) annex provides the means for public access to RFC (Request For Comments) A document that describes the specifications for a recommended technology. Although the word "request" is in the title, if the specification is ratified, it becomes a standards document. 2547 VPN services using provisioned LSPs. The MPLS Forum is continuing work to provide mechanisms allowing additional services to be offered over the UNI. Further technical details about this development, including the downloadable MPLS PVC UNI Implementation Agreement, are available at http://www.mplsforum.org/mpls_pvc_IA.pdf About The MPLS Forum The MPLS Forum is an international industry organization driving worldwide deployment of multi-vendor MPLS networks, applications, and services. The Forum accomplishes this through interoperability initiatives, implementation agreements and education programs. For more information about The MPLS Forum, please contact Alexa Morris, MPLS Forum Executive Director, at (510) 608-5914 or via e-mail at amorris@mplsforum.org. Additional information regarding Forum membership and the Forum's mission is available online at http://www.mplsforum.org/. |
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