Book Review :: MPLS-Enabled Applications: Emerging Developments and New Technologies

MPLS-Enabled Applications: Emerging Developments and New Technologies
by Ina Minei, Julian Lucek
Paperback: 526 pages
Publisher: Wiley
ISBN-13: 978-0470986448

Excellent coverage of VPLS, and Multicast over Layer 3 VPNs

Recently I had to work on a project which involved demonstrating Multicast over Layer 3 VPN interoperability between Cisco and Juniper. I spent several days reading through all the RFCs and working-group drafts which pertained to this subject matter, after which I still had many unanswered questions. In order to round out my understanding, I decided to order the Second Edition of ‘MPLS-Enabled Applications’. Looking back, I wish I had read this book instead of wasting my time reading the various RFCs and working-group drafts. This book answered all of my questions and went above and beyond to give me a solid understanding of the concepts and their application. As other reviewers have pointed out, often one needs to read a book to understand the technology basics, and then refer to RFCs or working-group drafts in order to keep abreast of the latest changes. Not so with this book… In fact, this book is so current that reading the working-group drafts is largely unnecessary. It is incredibly comprehensive, concise, and gives the reader a thorough understanding of the business drivers. Furthermore, it illustrates the various ways in which MPLS services can be offered and outlines the pros and cons of each approach so that the network designer can make intelligent decisions with regards to implementation.

In addition to the great coverage that was provided by the First Edition, the Second Edition has updated the text to reflect newer trends and applications such as the transport of IPv6 over an IPv4 MPLS core, and detailed coverage of end-to-end and local protection schemes in MPLS networks. Likewise, the chapter previously called “Point-to-Multipoint LSPs” has now been renamed to “MPLS Multicast”, with much more detailed coverage of the P2MP hierarchy and the forwarding-plane and control-plane operation. The biggest value for me was the addition of a completely new chapter on “Multicast over Layer 3 VPNs” which provided comprehensive coverage of this emerging technology and fully illustrates the full gamut of operation of either the PIM/GRE approach, or the NG-VPN approach utilizing BGP and P2MP LSPs. Finally, the addition of a chapter on “MPLS in Access Networks” was well deserved seeing as Ethernet is quickly becoming the access technology of choice and MPLS will likely be utilized as an overlay in order to realize the full potential of Ethernet in these environments.

This book has earned a spot on my bookshelf as one of my most coveted resources, and I refer to it quite often to refresh my memory on the myriad workings of various functions within MPLS. I wish I could give this book a rating higher than five stars! I can’t overemphasize how exceptional this book is. If you are in the market for a book covering MPLS and emerging applications offered on MPLS networks, this single book should be at the top of your list!