EoMPLS

ednard

Can someone help me understand Ethernet Emulation a little better please, as I'm not entirely sure I understand it properly. This is the way I see it.

A company buys a leased line from a SP, and as a service, logically, the SP creates a direct line from the company's New York branch router, and their Brooklyn branch router. So when PC1 sends data from New York, to PC2 inBrooklyn, PC1 will encapsulate the packet in a frame containing the destination MAC address of PC2 (in Brooklyn), and the source MAC address of PC1 (in New York).

When the frame now reaches R1 (New York branch router) from PC1, it strips this frame from the packet, and encapsulates it in a new frame with the source MAC address of R1 (New York branch router), and the destination MAC address of R2 (Brooklyn branch router). The frame now travels over the EoMPLS WAN and reaches R2 (Brooklyn branch router), where this frame is stripped off, and a new frame is added to the packet with the source MAC address of PC1, and the destination MAC address of PC2. The packet then reaches its destination.

Can someone explain what the benefit of this service perhaps is?

DoubleNNs

I'm currently studying for my ICND2.

**

I believe the main benefit for this type of network is speed. Leased lines are known for running @ T1/T3 speeds of 1.544/44.73 Mbps, respectively. Using EoMPLS, you can use Ethernet speeds such as 100 Mbps or 1 Gbps, which are both pretty common.

Also, you have a larger variety of connectors you can use, rather than just serial interfaces, which are used for leased lines.

Additionally, it may be easier for admins to use/think about MAC addresses, rather than other types of L2 addresses. (I personally understood MAC addresses before studying any IT. I just recently learned about Frame Relay and DLCIs. I'm sure it would be easier having an entry-level technician like me troubleshoot MAC addresses and EoMPLS than a Frame Relay network.)

**

That's my general understanding based on my (incomplete) CCNA studies.
Hopefully someone else will chime in and correct any of my inaccuracies or elaborate further.

Edit: Leased lines in the UK use the E-carrier model I believe? So instead it'd be E1/E3 w/ 2/34 Mbps, respectively.

networker050184

If you are doing EoMPLS you can basically use your WAN as an extension of your LAN. You can take the routers out of the equation completely and hook an ethernet switch to the WAN connection on both sides and it is as if they are directly connected together. This is a great benefit for applications that need L2 connectivity like many virtualization technologies.

ednard

Ahh I see. It's something I'd like to understand more about but I'm guessing I'm going to need to understand a lot more basic and even advanced concepts before I delve too far in.

Thanks for the input, DoubleNNs and networker050184.