Lab 1 – Getting Started with LDP-Based MPLS Network

Welcome to the first hands-on lab of this book, which focuses on establishing a foundational topology utilizing the traditional MPLS protocol LDP. This lab starts from scratch, beginning with the creation of a base physical topology in a virtual environment. It then explains and configures the IP address conventions used for all routers and the links connecting them, facilitating ease of understanding and identification. The IS-IS link-state IGP routing protocol is deployed for end-to-end IP communication, while LDP is used for end-to-end MPLS communication between all the routers in the topology.

This lab is more extensive than others in the book, as it forms the basis for subsequent chapters. The IS-IS routing protocol will later carry SR-MPLS control-plane information, and MPLS will provide data-plane forwarding for network traffic. Therefore, significant emphasis is placed on understanding how IS-IS carries link-state...