Service providers (SPs), and Enterprises alike are migrating from existing ATM, Frame Relay (FR), and Time Division Multiplex (TDM) infrastructures to an IP-based backbone. Current IP backbones can no longer be designed just to transport IP packets. Instead, Next Generation (NG) Internet Protocol (IP) backbones must be capable of providing multiple IP services over a single physical infrastructure, using techniques such as differentiated quality of service (QoS) and secure transport layer. In addition, NG IP backbones should provide Layer 2/3 VPNs, IP multicast, IPv6, and granular traffic-engineering capabilities.
Ultimately, these IP backbones should be scalable and flexible enough to support the mission-critical, time-sensitive applications that all modern networks require and to meet new demands for applications, services, and bandwidth. Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), when used on an IP backbone, provides the mechanism to offer rich IP services and transport capabilities to the routing infrastructure.
Additionally providing the capabilities to offer MPLS based VPNʼs over a non-MPLS capable IP core offers an extremely flexible, cost efficient virtualized WAN design that is simple to configure, whilst at the same time maintaining the support for core infrastructure services such as security and QoS
A typical deployment is well suited to a high bandwidth deployment running tunneled MPLS between regional locations, where the number of tunnels is relatively few. However the throughout required for each tunnel may be in the 1 - 10Gbps range.
This white paper examines the advanced Virtual Private Network (VPN) capabilities in next generation application aware WAN designs specifically focusing on MPLS VPN over an IP-only core; that being deployment of MPLS VPN over IP Tunnels (GRE) and will examine the benefits, deployment options, configurations, as well as the associated technologies such as IPSec, QOS and Fragmentation.
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This is the type of detailed, technical paper that our community loves. Getting this level of tutorial information is difficult, and the paper does a great job of meeting that need.
I especially like the fact that the paper goes into a fair level of detail on issues like dealing with fragmentation, encryption, and QoS.
As you explore the depths of this paper, the paper's author, Russell Kelly, is standing by to discuss and answer questions.
I hope you'll take advantage of this great opportunity!