What is VPLS and how is it implemented?
Virtual private LAN service is a type of VPN (virtual private network) that links multiple sites in a single domain, through an IP or multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) network. The network is Ethernet-based and bridges the gap between different LAN sites. Organisations with a VPLS have their sites linked up to the same secure, high-speed network.
As a VPLS acts like a LAN, it requires full mesh connectivity, which can be more expensive and difficult to implement. This type of connectivity is where a site connects to every other site. The advantage of full mesh connectivity is that if the fibre connecting two nodes malfunctions, all the other nodes are still up and running, offering a failover solution.
How does VPLS work?
VPLS mimics the functionality of a traditional Ethernet LAN, but across a network of interconnected devices. So wherever your sites might be located, your devices will be interconnected as if they were on the same local network. VPLS builds a virtual bridge between various, geographically-distant sites. It does so by configuring VLANs on the network equipment of your service provider.
If you need to interconnect multiple sites using a wide area network (WAN), VPLS is a secure and scalable answer. At the same time, you’ll benefit from the reliability and performance of a traditional LAN.
Is VPLS secure for my business?
VPLS is an exceedingly secure strategy for transmitting data since it uses any-to-any connectivity, with built-in failover options.
Unlike some other approaches, VPLS involves data packets being transmitted using internal routing protocols, rather than those of a service provider. As a result, service providers don’t get visibility of information such as IP addresses or routing paths, and businesses retain complete control of how their data is transmitted.
Crucially, this extra security comes without compromising on speed or latency.
What is the difference between MPLS and VPLS?
While both offer low-latency connections between geographically remote sites and VPLS is underpinned by MPLS technology, there are important distinctions between the two. MPLS is a routing technique, getting data from one place to another, while VPLS is network architecture that facilitates multipoint connectivity using MPLS.
MPLS is popular among businesses because it can easily be scaled up or down to meet commercial demand, can use any kind of protocol and also deals with various types of traffic.
Where VPLS outperforms MPLS alone is speed and security. It is more troublesome and expensive to set up, partly because full mesh connectivity is a prerequisite, but costs are coming down. As they do, many organisations are looking to implement VPLS on top of their existing MPLS solutions.
What are the advantages of a VPLS solution compared to other solutions?
If you compare VPLS to a point-to-point Ethernet service, the main advantage is that all the sites connected to the same VPLS can communicate directly with each other as it is an any-to-any connectivity service. A point-to-point service can only connect two sites together. If you compare a VPLS service to an IP MPLS service (sometimes called IP-VPN), the difference is that VPLS is a Layer 2 any-to-any service and IP MPLS is a Layer 3 any-to-any service. This means that you can extend VLANs between sites using VPLS, whereas you can’t do that with an IP MPLS service (unless you use a Layer 2 overlay technology such as OTV).
With IP MPLS, routers are deployed at each site, which exchange IP routing information with the service provider core. With VPLS, you can use switches or routers at each site, although care needs to be taken with the size of broadcast domains if using switches.
