A practical guide to understanding multiservice switching architecture and designing and deploying its MPLS and PNNI implementations using Cisco IOS(r) and Cisco's BPX(r), IGX(tm), and MGX(tm) product lines

Cisco Multiservice Switching Networks offers indispensable information on how to:

• Maintain IP QoS across a cell-based MPLS network and deploy MPLS VPNs
• Partition the multiservice switching network between MPLS and PNNI domains and plan for expansion
• Build redundancy into the multiservice switching network and minimize single points of failure
• Understand the VSI protocol and how to troubleshoot problems associated with it
• Effectively utilize IISP and AINI routing in a PNNI network
• Understand and deploy SVC signaling and hierarchical PNNI and plan ATM addressing
• Dimension and size Points of Presence and understand scaling and oversubscription
• Understand "ships in the night" and deploy multiple controllers

Service providers and large enterprise customers are faced with the objective of delivering different services over a common infrastructure so that they don't interfere with one another. Multiservice switching networks achieve this goal.

Cisco Multiservice Switching Networks sheds light on the general architecture of multiservice switches and presents case studies on MPLS and PNNI as well as both protocols running simultaneously. This will aid engineers who design, deploy, and troubleshoot networks that use the BPX(r)/IGX(tm)/MGX(tm) families of multiservice switches.

Cisco Multiservice Switching Networks is designed to be flexible and allow you to easily move between chapters and sections of chapters to cover just the material that you need. Divided into three modules, the first, comprising Chapters 1 through 3, introduces the architectural framework and delves into the Virtual Switch Interface details and realizations, describing the controller-controlled switch and QoS architecture, resource partitioning, and the different master and slave models. The second module, comprising Chapters 4 through 7, details MPLS architecture, configuration, and design in multiservice switches including LDP, VC Merge, QoS, and VPNs. The third module comprises Chapters 8 through 11 and discusses PNNI and ATM Forum signaling and routing technologies in multiservice switches, including theory, implementation, configuration, and design. Chapter 12 presents some general conclusions for the whole book.