Ericsson Asserts Leadership in Multi-Protocol Label Switching

Ericsson Asserts Leadership in Multi-Protocol Label Switching - Multi-vendor field trials prove MPLS interoperability and robustness for maturing standard Ericsson advances Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) technology by successfully integrating its system with multiple vendors' products. In a first-of-its-kind industry-wide field trial, Ericsson's advanced MPLS solution successfully interoperated with the hardware and software of leading data networking vendors, including Cisco Systems, Fore Systems, Juniper Networks and Nortel Networks. The interoperability test results proved Ericsson's capabilities to offer support, across numerous products, for MPLS' two main traffic-engineering standards: Constraint-Based Routed Label Distribution (CR-LDP), for Layer 3 determination; and Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP), for predetermined paths. "It's a confidence builder to take these different vendor MPLS implementations that are still maturing, and get them to talk together. That shows a lot of promise," says Bill Jenson, chief network technologist for the University of Wisconsin's Division of Information Technology. Bill Jenson coordinated the field trial demonstration, allowing vendors to test solutions as they are being developed. Ericsson is the leading provider in the new telecom world, with communications solutions that combine telecom and datacom technologies with freedom of mobility for the user. With more than 100,000 employees in 140 countries, Ericsson simplifies communications for its customers - network operators, service providers, enterprises and consumers - the world over. Please visit Ericsson's Press Room at http://www.ericsson.se/pressroom. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT Johan Wiklund, Ericsson Corporate Communications Phone: +46 70 560 0134; E-mail: johan.wiklund@lme.ericsson.se About MPLS MPLS technology is in the process of being developed deployed and standardized by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). MPLS uses labels that contain forwarding information, which are then attached to packets by the initial router. Label-based data is easier to forward because switches and routers can bypass searching for destination addresses in a routing table. More about the Ericsson MPLS interoperability tests In one test, Ericsson's AXI 540 routers interoperated with Juniper's M40 (Ericsson's AXI 520) routers using MPLS with RSVP-based traffic engineering. Both routers implemented Label Edge Routing (LER) as well as Label Switch Routing (LSR). They also interoperated with Cisco Systems' and Fore Systems' equipment. Ericsson's scaleable ATM switch, the AXD 301, interoperated with both Cisco Systems' 7206 and Nortel Network's BLN routers as well as with Nortel's Passport switches and other LDP software applications. ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/10/15/19991015BIT00640/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/10/15/19991015BIT00640/bit0002.pdf