A forwarding equivalence class (FEC) is a term used in

Multiprotocol Label Switching Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a routing technique in telecommunications networks that directs data from one node to the next based on labels rather than network addresses. Whereas network addresses identify endpoints the labels identif ...

(MPLS) to describe a set of packets with similar or identical characteristics which may be forwarded the same way; that is, they may be bound to the same MPLS label. Characteristics determining the FEC of a higher-layer packet depend on the configuration of the router, but typically this is at least the destination IP address.

Quality of service Quality of service (QoS) is the description or measurement of the overall performance of a service, such as a telephony or computer network, or a cloud computing service, particularly the performance seen by the users of the network. To quantitat ...

class is also often used. Thus, a forward equivalence class tends to correspond to a

label-switched path Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a routing technique in telecommunications networks that directs data from one node to the next based on labels rather than network addresses. Whereas network addresses identify endpoints the labels identif ...

(LSP). The reverse is not true, however: an LSP may be (and usually is) used for multiple FECs.

References

MPLS FAQ For Beginners: What is a Forwarding Equivalence Class (FEC)?

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