MPLS Multi Protocol Label Switching
Multi Protocol Label Switching is a technique which allows IP datagrams to be labelled with a particular identifier. This label allows MPLS LSR to switch the packet to it's appropriate destination over a preconfigured LSP , rather than route the packet on the basis of its IP addressing. The key drivers for deploying MPLS instead of a solely IP based transport network are Traffic Engineering, Pseudowires/VPN and finally, Protection and Restoration. It should be noted that MPLS was not designed to only work with IP - MPLS can be deployed in a number of transmission networks, such as those based on ATM, SDH and optical transmission (termed Generalized MPLS).
