The MPLS & Frame Relay Alliance (MFA) completed two implementation agreements (IAs) for improving the service quality of real-time applications such as audio and video streaming, VoIP, and multimedia conferencing. The IAs define highly scalable resource reservation and admission control capabilities for IP-addressed traffic in an MPLS Traffic Engineered (TE) network.
The MPLS Proxy Admission Control capability is an extension of MPLS User-to-Network Interface (UNI) 2.0.1. Building on the MPLS UNI, MPLS Proxy Admission Control allows application equipment, such as IP telephony and multimedia, to request and release resources from the MPLS core network as needed. The requested network resources are dedicated to the application traffic, enhancing the service quality to the application end-user. Since network resources are requested and released when needed, the core network is used more efficiently.
The capability is defined in two documents. MFA 6.0.0, MPLS Proxy Admission Control Definition, provides a user's view of the operation and provisioning of the capability. MFA 7.0.0, MPLS Proxy Admission Control Protocol, details the extensions to the MPLS UNI protocol necessary to implement the capability.
"Conventional IP transport provides the necessary scalability, but not the reserved bandwidth required for these applications. Conventional MPLS Traffic Engineered Label Switched Paths (LSPs) provide the reserved bandwidth, but don't scale well in an IP telephony environment," said Tom Phelan (Sonus Networks), editor of the MPLS Proxy Admission Control IAs. http://www.mplsforum.org/
- In July 2004, The MPLS & Frame Relay Alliance and The ATM Forum announced plans to merge into a single organization aimed at advancing the deployment of multi-vendor, multi-service, packet-based networks, associated applications and interworking solutions. The merged organization will have a combined membership of more than 100 companies representing the world's major service providers, equipment vendors, software and silicon suppliers, and enterprise end-users.
