5. Conclusion

With the rapid evolution of high-speed transport technologies, it's becoming clear that ATM is no longer the solution of the future for IP network cores, firstly because it's difficult to integrate other technologies into ATM signaling, and secondly because the cell tax becomes prohibitive as bandwidth increases and we no longer know how to build cards capable of segmenting and reassembling packets into cells at link speed. MPLS is therefore a promising solution, because it makes it very easy to integrate new technologies into an existing core network (apart from the administration aspect, which usually requires specific developments for each technology). What's more, it's highly flexible, allowing the administrator to manage the entire network automatically using LDP, without precluding specific processing for certain types of traffic. Finally, as in the case of ATM, there is nothing to...