MPLS broadband

Hi

Can someone please explain (technically) how Multi Protocol Label Switching
(MPLS) broadband works, at work we have had this installed so remote sites
to us connect back to us, BT describe it as a form of broadband but
apparently it has no contention ratio as its direct. Does anyone know how
it works, is it just routed ? BT seem to be installing normal lines that are
enabled for broadband ( so the engineers think ) also do these work same as
ADSL so they can use a phone on line as well ?

Thanks

Duncan

"Duncan Newell" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:40d2d26d$0$4580$(E-Mail Removed)
> Can someone please explain (technically) how Multi Protocol Label
> Switching (MPLS) broadband works, at work we have had this installed
> so remote sites to us connect back to us, BT describe it as a form of
> broadband but apparently it has no contention ratio as its direct.
> Does anyone know how it works, is it just routed ? BT seem to be
> installing normal lines that are enabled for broadband ( so the
> engineers think ) also do these work same as ADSL so they can use a
> phone on line as well ?

Have a read of http://www.mplsrc.com/mplsfaq.shtml

Regards
Sunil

"Sunil Sood" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> "Duncan Newell" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:40d2d26d$0$4580$(E-Mail Removed)
> > Can someone please explain (technically) how Multi Protocol Label
> > Switching (MPLS) broadband works, at work we have had this installed
> > so remote sites to us connect back to us, BT describe it as a form of
> > broadband but apparently it has no contention ratio as its direct.
> > Does anyone know how it works, is it just routed ? BT seem to be
> > installing normal lines that are enabled for broadband ( so the
> > engineers think ) also do these work same as ADSL so they can use a
> > phone on line as well ?
>
> Have a read of http://www.mplsrc.com/mplsfaq.shtml
>
> Regards
> Sunil
>
Interesting FAQ. Do you know is this connected up the same at the exchange
end as if it was ADSL or differently ?

Duncan

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>,
Sunil Sood <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>> Can someone please explain (technically) how Multi Protocol Label
>> Switching (MPLS) broadband works, at work we have had this installed
>> so remote sites to us connect back to us, BT describe it as a form of
>> broadband but apparently it has no contention ratio as its direct.
[...]
>Have a read of http://www.mplsrc.com/mplsfaq.shtml

I know what MPLS is (and have used implementations from BT and other
suppliers) and I know what broadband is. But what is MPLS broadband? DSLAM
as a label switching router?

Zane.

Duncan Newell <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> "Sunil Sood" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> "Duncan Newell" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:40d2d26d$0$4580$(E-Mail Removed)
>> > Can someone please explain (technically) how Multi Protocol Label
>> > Switching (MPLS) broadband works, at work we have had this installed
>> > so remote sites to us connect back to us, BT describe it as a form of
>> > broadband but apparently it has no contention ratio as its direct.
>> > Does anyone know how it works, is it just routed ? BT seem to be
>> > installing normal lines that are enabled for broadband ( so the
>> > engineers think ) also do these work same as ADSL so they can use a
>> > phone on line as well ?
>>
>> Have a read of http://www.mplsrc.com/mplsfaq.shtml
>>
>> Regards
>> Sunil
>>
> Interesting FAQ. Do you know is this connected up the same at the exchange
> end as if it was ADSL or differently ?

Answering in the general, I have no specific knowledge on this.
In principle, ADSL can be set up in many ways.
All of the varying services, from SDSL 2Mb/2Mb symmetric to ADSL 8Mb/256K
to ... are simply a connection back to the exchange.
There can be a phone connection installed at the same time over the
same line, or the phone bit can be turned off (this is usually done during
engineer installs, and the phone enabled seperately).

From there, the data goes over internal circuits in the exchange to
either BT IP-based networks, back to the ISP (or other end) or
rented ATM network capacity.

The ADSL connection to the exchange is little more than a means of
transferring an ATM network connection back over the phone line to the
exchange.
This is very, very flexible, and in principle could support all sorts of
services, for example being able to make private connections that do
not go over the wider internet to multimedia services (at the same time
that an internet conneciton is active to the ISP), or being able to
access different ISPs when yours goes down, or being able to make
data calls of a specified bandwidth to any similarly equipped subscriber.

However, some of these possibilities are ruled out either by BT
network design, or policy.

On Fri, 18 Jun 2004 12:34:12 +0100, "Duncan Newell"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Hi
>
>Can someone please explain (technically) how Multi Protocol Label Switching
>(MPLS) broadband works, at work we have had this installed so remote sites
>to us connect back to us, BT describe it as a form of broadband but
>apparently it has no contention ratio as its direct. Does anyone know how
>it works, is it just routed ? BT seem to be installing normal lines that are
>enabled for broadband ( so the engineers think ) also do these work same as
>ADSL so they can use a phone on line as well ?

It sounds like a IP-VPN based on MPLS (using RFC2547bis). The normal
lines you describe are access lines to the edge (PE) router.

This is a nice overview:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns...080143be0.html

"Steve" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Fri, 18 Jun 2004 12:34:12 +0100, "Duncan Newell"
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> >Hi
> >
> >Can someone please explain (technically) how Multi Protocol Label
Switching
> >(MPLS) broadband works, at work we have had this installed so remote
sites
> >to us connect back to us, BT describe it as a form of broadband but
> >apparently it has no contention ratio as its direct. Does anyone know
how
> >it works, is it just routed ? BT seem to be installing normal lines that
are
> >enabled for broadband ( so the engineers think ) also do these work same
as
> >ADSL so they can use a phone on line as well ?
>
> It sounds like a IP-VPN based on MPLS (using RFC2547bis). The normal
> lines you describe are access lines to the edge (PE) router.
>
> This is a nice overview:
>
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns...080143be0.html
>
>
>
>

I went to link and did a little research, and came up with this new product,
PaDSL from Thus.
http://www.let-it-be-thus.com/pdf/NE_THUS_3.pdf

Tom Buchanan

"Duncan Newell" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:40d2d5a7$0$4575$(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> "Sunil Sood" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> > "Duncan Newell" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> > news:40d2d26d$0$4580$(E-Mail Removed)
> > > Can someone please explain (technically) how Multi Protocol Label
> > > Switching (MPLS) broadband works, at work we have had this installed
> > > so remote sites to us connect back to us, BT describe it as a form of
> > > broadband but apparently it has no contention ratio as its direct.
> > > Does anyone know how it works, is it just routed ? BT seem to be
> > > installing normal lines that are enabled for broadband ( so the
> > > engineers think ) also do these work same as ADSL so they can use a
> > > phone on line as well ?
> >
> > Have a read of http://www.mplsrc.com/mplsfaq.shtml
> >
> > Regards
> > Sunil
> >
> Interesting FAQ. Do you know is this connected up the same at the
exchange
> end as if it was ADSL or differently ?

i work on a similar system.

The BT DSLAM has a backhaul via ATM or IP - which is used depends on how the
service was implemented by whoever provides the link - not sure if they are
separate connections or not.

our ADSL links to MPLS use ATM - it gives more control over contention
ratios, without having to limit IP MTU, and doesnt need to touch BTs IP
space.

so - typical use of an ADSL access line to get to MPLS in this case is:

LAN - CE router --- ADSL - DSLAM -- ATM -- PE router - MPLS core.

So the ADSL link to the DSLAM just carries IP over ATM as for normal BT
service (i think the ATM varient is called Datastream). any actual label
switching for MPLS happens from PE to PE and doesnt affect the ADSL link.

Have a look at SIN 347 on the BT specs web site
http://www.sinet.bt.com/

>
> Duncan
--
Regards

Stephen Hope - return address needs fewer xxs