{"id":172,"date":"2024-04-22T12:06:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-22T00:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.agilenetworks.co.nz\/?p=172"},"modified":"2024-04-22T12:26:47","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T00:26:47","slug":"compare-ethernet-vs-mpls-white-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.agilenetworks.co.nz\/compare-ethernet-vs-mpls-white-paper\/","title":{"rendered":"Compare Ethernet vs. MPLS \u2013 White Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

Access Networks and Core Networks<\/h3>\n

Core networks have relatively few network elements (routers, LSRs, switches), while access\u00a0networks have many (CPEs, NTUs, DSLAMs, aggregators). This means that there is stronger pressure\u00a0on access network CapEx, and that access network elements need to be as \u201ctouchless\u201d as possible.\u00a0The core runs higher data rates while the access runs lower data rates (including DSL, PON,\u00a0wireless). Thus the core may guarantee Quality of Service (QoS) by resource overprovisioning, while\u00a0the access needs true QoS mechanisms (such as token bucketing).<\/p>\n

The core is richly connected, while access network topologies are typically tree or ring\u00a0configurations. Thus a fault in the access network affects fewer people than a fault in the core, but\u00a0there are fewer bypass options. The core can get away with fast re-route (FRR) while the access\u00a0network requires OAM and planned Automatic Protection Switching (APS).\u00a0The core network elements are in well-guarded networking installations while access network\u00a0elements are often readily accessible to outsiders. Thus, the core can be considered a \u201cwalled\u00a0garden\u201d from a security point of view, since it features strong security to and from the outside\u00a0world but loose security on the inside. While customer networks can also be considered walled\u00a0gardens, it is impractical to protect the entire access network.<\/p>\n

Ethernet and MPLS-TP<\/h3>\n

While both Ethernet and MPLS are commonly used to carry IP, there are many fundamental protocol\u00a0differences between the two. Ethernet is defined from Layer 0 to Layer 2 (but may run over MPLS),\u00a0while MPLS always requires a foreign server layer to transport it (which may be Ethernet).\u00a0Ethernet frames are inherently self-describing, while MPLS packets do not contain a protocol ID.\u00a0Every Ethernet frame contains a global non-aggregatable destination address, but MPLS packets\u00a0have only locally-meaningful labels. Every Ethernet frame contains a unique source address, but\u00a0MPLS packets contain no source identifier.<\/p>\n

Both Ethernet and MPLS-TP can transport IP and other clients. Both Ethernet and MPLS-TP can be\u00a0transmitted over SDH\/SONET and OTNs (Optical Transport Networks).\u00a0Both Ethernet and MPLS-TP define fault management and performance management OAM, as well\u00a0as APS mechanisms. Ethernet does not define a routing protocol (neglecting TRILL and similar\u00a0recent proposals) but defines a number of Layer 2 control protocols (L2CPs). On the other hand\u00a0MPLS leverages the entire IP suite of protocols.\u00a0Ethernet does not tolerate topology loops, while MPLS, having a Time To Live (TTL) field, can survive\u00a0transient loops. Ethernet and MPLS both define 3-bit priority (DiffServ) marking. S-tagged Ethernet
\nalso supports Drop Eligibility marking. Carrier-grade Ethernet supports bandwidth profiles (token\u00a0bucketing). Ethernet defines timing (1588) and security (MACsec) protocols.\u00a0For both protocols a single entity claims to hold the pen for the specification \u2013 the IEEE for\u00a0Ethernet and the IETF for MPLS. However, in actuality, multiple competing Service Data Objects\u00a0(SDOs) work on development of both.<\/p>\n

Download full article PDF:\u00a024001_Ethernet-MPLS-TP-in-Access-WhitePaper<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Access Networks and Core Networks Core networks have relatively few network elements (routers, LSRs, switches), while access\u00a0networks have many (CPEs,… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":93,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,8],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCompare Ethernet vs. MPLS \u2013 White Paper - agilenetworks<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.agilenetworks.co.nz\/compare-ethernet-vs-mpls-white-paper\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Compare Ethernet vs. MPLS \u2013 White Paper - agilenetworks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Access Networks and Core Networks Core networks have relatively few network elements (routers, LSRs, switches), while access\u00a0networks have many (CPEs,... 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