Subject: Re: MPLS, Active Network and Active routing

From: "Hemant P. Kelkar" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 07:00:32 -0400 (EDT)

Hi Xu,
Active Networks allow their "clients" to inject customized programs into
the nodes (routers/switches) of the network, e.g. packets are more
"generic capsules or program fragments" that are executed at each network
router/switch they traverse. 
In one sense the "label" values in the MPLS packet, is an "information
piece" which is interpreted wisely at any node(here MPLS LSR). But this
"intelligence" at LSR which enables it to determine label swapping and
forwarding operation, has been known at the time of LDP sessions. Only one
label determines the QoS treatment, the next hop, the TE decisions. In
this sense we can see MPLS to be somewhat "active". The basic idea behind
MPLS was to make the FR/ATM switches more "intelligent" using the IP
routing software.
MPLS also incorporates strong OAM, QoS and Traffic Engineering
capabilities. Any network which minimizes the complexity of the "End user"
and maximizes intelligence in "core" is active network.
Any thoughts or suggestions, if I am going in wrong direction ?

Regards,
Hemant

Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 16:29:27 +0800
From: Xu Yingxiao <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]

I am studying on MPLS and Active Network.
I think, broadly speeking, MPLS is a kind of active network as it is
active in processing packets.
But it is not active network as we normally thought of, as MPLS Nodes was
not designed with structure of Active network.

And active routing is selecting routes actively. It can be realized in
Active network, also it can be realized using MPLS.

Any idea is welcome.

---

From: "Xu Yingxiao" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2001 21:00:48 +0800

---

From: "Xu Yingxiao" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2001 21:07:45 +0800

I think the key of active network is not minimizes the complexity of the 
"End user", but only intelligence in "core" .

In this point, MPLS is active because of its ability in explictit routing.
In active network with programmable hardware level, active package 
take different ID to indicate the switch/router how to deal with it.
In MPLS, package using lable to indicate the LSR how to forward it( LSP, QoS etc.)

The only confusing problem is that, in active network with either package level or
 programmable hardware level ,  active nodes can accept code sent by user. 
But MPLS LSR can't.

And, the defacto standard of active network is ANEP, while no MPLS document ever
mention of ANEP.