Protocol Action: Multiprotocol Label Switching Architecture to Proposed Standard
The IESG <iesg-secretary@ietf.org> Thu, 16 September 1999 12:24 UTC
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From: The IESG <iesg-secretary@ietf.org>
Subject: Protocol Action: Multiprotocol Label Switching Architecture to Proposed Standard
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1999 07:56:26 -0400
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The IESG has approved publication of the following Internet-Drafts as Proposed Standards: o Multiprotocol Label Switching Architecture <draft-ietf-mpls-arch-06.txt> o MPLS Label Stack Encoding <draft-ietf-mpls-label-encaps-07.txt> These documents are the product of the Multiprotocol Label Switching Working Group. The IESG contact persons are Rob Coltun and Dave Oran. Technical Summary This document describes the overall architecture of MPLS. It defines the basic concepts of MPLS and establishes the elemental terminology. It defines label operations and label semantics. It defines strategies for such things as label distribution, and encapsulation. Finally it describes potential applications of MPLS. The document does not define a protocol directly, but it is anticipated that several protocols will be developed and/or modified in order to support the architecture defined herein. This document is intended to serve as a basis for making design choices for those anticipated protocols. Working Group Summary During the development of MPLS many good ideas came forward. Where approaches competed, there were times where application needs demanded that multiple approaches be incorporated in the architecture. At other points difficult choices had to be made for the sake of interoperability. This document captures the decisions of the workgroup and thus has served as a vehicle to both achieve and document workgroup consensus. Protocol Quality These drafts have been reviewed by Rob Coltun. There are interoperable implementations of a number of the protocols that constitute the MPLS suite of protocols (which have yet to be issued as RFCs). This document exists to improve the protocol quality of protocols built or modified to implement MPLS. It represents a thorough professional job on the part of its authors and has captured the technical efforts of the workgroup. But ultimately its quality will be judged by the protocols that proceed from it.