Frame Relay VS MPLS

Hey guys, sorry for being MIA.....been quite busy....haven't had a chance for air!!!

Anyways, I wanted to create a constructive thread on Frame Relay VS MPLS. Not so much FR but really all the benfits of MPLS. I may have an opportunity to work with migrating a site from FR to MPLS so I want to fully understand the benefits of MPLS. (yes, I have 3-5 books on MPLS that I am trying to speed read....)

I don't want to spend too much time on Frame Relay because I look at that as the past but I do want to touch up on it just for fundamental purposes so here goes.

Frame Relay

FR is a networking service that does not support VPN's or QoS or Traffic Engineering. It's based on an oversubscription model where your frames/data gets switched around in a FR cloud. The carrier provides to you a CIR agreement and allows some burstable traffic but that data traffic is now guaranteed and at any point the carrier can drop your bursted traffic.

I haven't done any competitive analysis as far as price is concerned. I'm not sure if carriers are trying to keep FR customers by lowering rates or if they too are trying to push customers to MPLS.

MPLS

Offers traffic engineering, QoS(bandwidth prioritization) and VPN in the form of MPLS VPN. Because it is a layer2.5 technology and switches data packets below layer3, it handles data much faster without the overhead of L3 protocols. Label swapping is how it manages to forward packets. To reduce CPU utilization on the CE router, MPLS performs PHP on the LER before the CE. Apparently MPLS is more cost effective but again, no competitive analysis.....

So without further ado, I'd like to get everyones 2 cents regarding this topic, I'd like to keep it high level and not get too detailed. Thoughts anyone?

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Comments

Forsaken_GA

The biggest thing for me is MPLS's flexibility. I can either just exchange routes via a Layer3 VPN, or I can have the cloud deliver, as far as my routers are concerned, a direct layer 2 ethernet connection.

MPLS gives you lots and lots of options for transport, and that's why I like it.

BTW, I'm not sure who you're quoting below, but MPLS doesn't really have a significant speed advantage over layer 3 anymore. Switches have gotten alot better at handling layer 3 in hardware to the point where the gains of MPLS only having to use the LFIB are pretty much a wash.

deth1k

MPLS offers any to any connectivity which is a big cost saver over FR since you don't have to order more PVCs as more sites go in. Also your MPLS connection could go through various FR switches and it all depends on the SP POP. As Forsaken_GA said MPLS no longer offers any speed advantage over L3 routing.

notgoing2fail

Thanks guys,

so it looks like the speed factor is a non-factor.

That is extremely important to keep in mind. Not that I have to "sell" MPLS over Frame Relay. The client is already making that decision. But knowing this helps keep me grounded.

Let me ask you guys this, when I think of FR, I always think of 512K, 768K 1.5M circuits.

So with MPLS you are no longer dealing with CIR's correct? The bandwidth you get is what is configured on your port? How fast can you go? Do the carrieris throttle your speeds?

notgoing2fail

deth1k wrote: »

MPLS offers any to any connectivity which is a big cost saver over FR since you don't have to order more PVCs as more sites go in.

I'm glad you brought this up. I think this is an important key point as well. Instead of ordering more and more PVC's which add costs, your entire MPLS line is just one cost. Now I haven't setup an MPLS circuit yet so I don't know if there are any gotchya's. I'd like to know if there are de facto fees that they tag onto your service?

Also, would it be appropriate to say, "MPLS circuit"? or MPLS drop/line?

deth1k

Normaly MPLS circuits are called IPVPN lease line. Speeds can be from anything of 56kbps up to 10Gig if you have the $

You still get the CIR i.e you still have to buy the bandwidth from your provider and it will be presented as a copper of fiber depending on what speed you've chosen and you location (no fiber in the area).
Also no gotchya's either

MPLS is flexible in a way that you can limit access from site to site or create your own topoligy - any to any, one to one, one to any, overlapping VPNs and so on. And ofcourse you get QoS but that depends on the contract you've chosen with your ISP.

notgoing2fail

deth1k wrote: »

Normaly MPLS circuits are called IPVPN lease line. Speeds can be from anything of 56kbps up to 10Gig if you have the $
You still get the CIR i.e you still have to buy the bandwidth from your provider and it will be presented as a copper of fiber depending on what speed you've chosen and you location (no fiber in the area).
Also no gotchya's either MPLS is flexible in a way that you can limit access from site to site or create your own topoligy - any to any, one to one, one to any, overlapping VPNs and so on. And ofcourse you get QoS but that depends on the contract you've chosen with your ISP.

I'm liking MPLS more and more everyday! Thanks for the quick response.

When speaking about MPLS, would you say it is synonymous with MPLS VPN? Basically are they the same thing, you just need to request VPN from the provider, and they will turn it on, just like QoS?

networker050184

notgoing2fail wrote: »

I'm liking MPLS more and more everyday! Thanks for the quick response.

When speaking about MPLS, would you say it is synonymous with MPLS VPN? Basically are they the same thing, you just need to request VPN from the provider, and they will turn it on, just like QoS?

In the context your thinking of, yes MPLS is synonymous with an MPLS VPN. When you get an MPLS service they will be provisioning you an L3 or L2 MPLS VPN depending on your needs. Basically they do just "turn it on" by configuring it on their network and provisioning your service.

notgoing2fail

When ordering your bandwidth, say 10 megs. Does that 10 megs apply to all other sites as well? Or can you have disparate bandwidth at different sites?

networker050184

You can have different speeds at different sites. The typical set up is to have your main site have the largest pipe and smaller pipes at your branches. That will keep a single branch from saturating your main site.