11.1. MPLS: An Overview
An MPLS VC is called a Label-Switched Path (LSP).[1] You can also think of an LSP as a tunnel, in that a packet is encapsulated behind an MPLS header for transport over the LSP. What makes MPLS so flexible is that it is multiprotocol both in terms of the data link layer and the network layer. Because it operates above the data link layer, MPLS can run over any kind of data link. And because it runs below the network layer, it can carry any kind of network layer packet.
[1] The acronym LSP is, of course, used throughout this book to represent “Link State PDU.” This is not the only example of the same acronym representing different terms. In this chapter, you should normally be able to understand which term LSP represents ...
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