Extreme Adds MPLS to Ethernet Metro Services

Extreme Networks will use multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) technology to simplify and expand its Ethernet Everywhere networks beginning in June, at the conclusion of beta trials, the company said.

“MPLS gives a connection-oriented flavor to IP networks that are by nature connectionless,” explained Sam Halabi, Extreme’s vice president of carrier marketing and business development.

Because of its circuit-like capabilities, MPLS “acts as a tunneler or a regenerator or a repeater of services across the wide area network,” said Halabi.

Extreme’s MPLS network provides transparent tunneling of Ethernet and Sonet-based services, combined with per-packet and network-wide quality of service capabilities, traffic engineering and fast path restoration, the company said.

This gives metro service providers more flexibility in how they use the Ethernet network and how they expand it beyond the local markets, according to Halabi.

“Ethernet service is becoming more global,” he said. “The metro provider is being asked to extend the service that they’ve deployed in the metro on a global basis. Somebody connecting an enterprise to another enterprise – or an enterprise to an ASP – would like to extend the reachability of that service across the wide area network to another (geographic) location.”

With MPLS’ circuit-like approach, an Ethernet network can be traffic- engineered to connect customers in different virtual LANs (VLANs), meaning “that Ethernet can now be carried not just over fiber, but from the first mile over any legacy media,” he said.

Though Extreme’s customers moving into the MPLS realm must add a hardware engine, Halabi described the integration as “seamless.”

“They have to buy the MPLS hardware engine because MPLS by itself is a switching technology that is hardware intensive,” he explained “It’s like any other line car you add, but instead of the line card being an Ethernet line card or SONET line card, it’s an MPLS engine.”

Halabi has heard concerns that MPLS still has rough edges where it is not standardized but he knows first hand how far the technology has traveled and where it stands.

“I am on the board of directors of the MPLS Forum, which is an initiative to accelerate implementation and deployment of MPLS and its applications,” he said.

MPLS, he admits, is a “moving target” but the forum has taken steps to slow the motion.

“The hardware MPLS engine is programmable so all the new additions will be programmed as software, but will run at hardware speeds,” he said.

Extreme, he added, is a step ahead of its competition in adding MPLS to its Ethernet networks.

”We have the unfair advantage of being deployed in the metro and working with providers who want to use the service today, which gives our solution relevancy in the marketplace,” he said. “But I would expect that other players are going to see the opportunity and try to do the same.”