Carrier Ethernet and MPLS services
The two most popular WAN options today are: MPLS and Carrier Ethernet.
Carrier Ethernet services include virtual private LAN service (VPLS), Gigabit and metro Ethernet.
- E-LINE service -- site-to-site service, competes directly with leased lines.
- E-LAN -- extends the LAN to the wide area, as if the PSDN service was only trunk lines between switches.
MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) services typically refer to Layer 3 MPLS VPN services
- a MPLS network determines the best path for packets between two hosts -- the label switched path.
- Routers will send all packets along this path that receive a label path number.