RFC 2105 (rfc2105) - Page 1 of 13
Cisco Systems' Tag Switching Architecture Overview
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group Y. Rekhter
Request for Comments: 2105 B. Davie
Category: Informational D. Katz
E. Rosen
G. Swallow
Cisco Systems, Inc.
February 1997
Cisco Systems' Tag Switching Architecture Overview
Status of this Memo
This memo provides information for the Internet community. This memo
does not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of
this memo is unlimited.
IESG Note:
This protocol is NOT the product of an IETF working group nor is it a
standards track document. It has not necessarily benefited from the
widespread and in depth community review that standards track
documents receive.
Abstract
This document provides an overview of a novel approach to network
layer packet forwarding, called tag switching. The two main
components of the tag switching architecture - forwarding and
control - are described. Forwarding is accomplished using simple
label-swapping techniques, while the existing network layer routing
protocols plus mechanisms for binding and distributing tags are used
for control. Tag switching can retain the scaling properties of IP,
and can help improve the scalability of IP networks. While tag
switching does not rely on ATM, it can straightforwardly be applied
to ATM switches. A range of tag switching applications and deployment
scenarios are described.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction ........................................... 2
2 Tag Switching components ............................... 3
3 Forwarding component ................................... 3
3.1 Tag encapsulation ...................................... 4
4 Control component ...................................... 4
4.1 Destination-based routing .............................. 5
4.2 Hierarchy of routing knowledge ......................... 7
4.3 Multicast .............................................. 8
Rekhter, et. al. Informational