Label switching, an economical and efficient technique for message forwarding in IP networks, is fast becoming a widely deployed solution for improving performance, scalability, and functionality. Written by leading experts in the field, this guide explores the underlying technology of label switching and provides a detailed analysis and comparison of approaches developed by Ipsilon, Cisco, Toshiba, and IBM. It also compares label switching with conventional routing, culminating in a discussion of the Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) standard now being developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETP). This book―the result of a rigorous review process by key designers―is an invaluable resource to network engineers and designers for evaluating the use of label switching in their own networks.
Bruce Davie is VP and CTO for VMware, APJ. He joined VMware as part of the Nicira acquisition, and was Networking CTO until 2017. He has over 30 years of industry experience, and was a Cisco Fellow prior to joining Nicira. He has contributed to many networking standards and authored several networking textbooks. Bruce received his Ph. D. in computer science from the University of Edinburgh in 1988 and is an ACM Fellow.
Paul Doolan is Chief Technology Officer with Ennovate Networks in Boxboro, Massachusetts―a startup that is embracing MPLS as one of its core technologies. In his previous position at Cisco Systems, Inc., Doolan worked with Bruce Davie, Yakov Rekhter, and others on the Tag Switching proposals. An active member of the MPLS working group, Doolan is co-author of the MPLS Framework and Label Distribution Protocol documents.
Yakov Rekhter works at Cisco Systems, Inc., where he is a Cisco Fellow. He is one of the leading designers of Tag Switching, BGP/MPLS VPNs, and MPLS Traffic Engineering. He is also one of the leading designers of Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). He is the author/co-author of many RFCs, as well as numerous presentations, papers, and articles on TCP/IP and the Internet.