Chapter 12. Advanced MPLS/VPN Topics

Up until this point in the book, we have been describing all the mechanisms that make up the basic MPLS-enabled VPN architecture. We have explored several different topologies and features that provide solutions to many business and services requirements.

One of the most important issues to address with any network design is how the solution will scale, both initially and in the future. This issue will be common across all deployments, so it is important to understand how to implement the architecture in a scalable and optimal way. Although many network deployments will be similar in nature, each will require a slightly different design and optimization and may have requirements that necessitate enhancements to the features that we described in previous chapters.

This chapter introduces several advanced topics that aim to address these issues. This chapter also illustrates various mechanisms that may be used during the deployment of the MPLS-enabled VPN architecture to assist with the scaling and optimization of the network infrastructure, as well as the introduction of advanced topologies to support certain types of connectivity requirements.

The SuperCom backbone topology illustrated in Figure 12-1 will be used throughout this chapter; Table 12-1 provides all the necessary IP address assignments for the service provider backbone and VPN customers.