* AT&T, Cisco, EDS and others at MPLScon
Last time, we discussed the Multi-protocol Label Switching/Frame Relay Alliance’s work on an MPLS User-to-Network Interface and the fantastic promise that this holds for true end-to-end quality of service. This extension of MPLS from the service provider domain into the enterprise is further highlighted by a number of presentations at last month’s MPLScon conference.
In one of the keynote presentations, Rose Klimovich, AT&T vice president of AT&T Managed Internet Access Services, says in the session abstract, “AT&T believes significant future technological innovation will be IP-focused. That’s why AT&T continues to be a key contributor to the development of MPLS technology and envisions a future where MPLS-enabled networks over optical core with intelligent nodes and multi-protocol/multi-service edge capabilities will replace today’s multiple ATM, FR, PL, and IP networks and allow true convergence of networks and services.”
Bruce Davie, a Cisco fellow followed this enterprise-focused direction with a session titled, “MPLS and the Enterprise.” In his session abstract, he states, “This talk will examine the reasons why an enterprise might desire MPLS services from a service provider, or might choose to deploy MPLS within the enterprise network itself.”
In another session, Christopher Lewis, a Cisco consulting systems engineer examined the internal network at Cisco as an example of migration from traditional ATM and frame relay services to a Layer 3 VPN that incorporates MPLS. In particular, there was discussion of the impact for supporting IP QoS, routing protocol transparency and multicast transparency in the new Layer 3 service.
Additional conference presentations relating to MPLS in the enterprise included a keynote by Ray Edwards, director of Enterprise Architecture at EDS; a presentation titled “Evolution of Enterprise Network and a Role of MPLS IP-VPN,” by Tetsuro Mikami, vice president of IP Business Development at the Global Network Business Division of NTT Communications; and another presentation “MPLS-WAN for Geographically Dispersed Enterprises,” by Rick Wilder, principal scientist at Masergy Communications.
The bad news is that the conference is already over. But the good news is that if you want to take a look at the presentation handouts, the entire conference proceedings are available at the link below.
