Layer 2 Tunnelling Protocol version 3 is an
IETF
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is a standards organization for the Internet and is responsible for the technical standards that make up the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP). It has no formal membership roster or requirements and a ...
standard related to
L2TP In computer networking, Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) is a tunneling protocol used to support virtual private networks (VPNs) or as part of the delivery of services by ISPs. It uses encryption ('hiding') only for its own control messages (using ...
that can be used as an alternative protocol to
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) for
encapsulation of
multiprotocol Layer 2
The data link layer, or layer 2, is the second layer of the seven-layer OSI model of computer networking. This layer is the protocol layer that transfers data between nodes on a network segment across the physical layer. The data link layer pr ...
communications traffic over
IP networks.
Like L2TP, L2TPv3 provides a
pseudo-wire
In computer networking and telecommunications, a pseudowire (or pseudo-wire) is an emulation of a point-to-point connection over a packet-switched network (PSN).
The pseudowire emulates the operation of a "transparent wire" carrying the servic ...
service, but scaled to fit carrier requirements.
L2TPv3 can be regarded as being to MPLS what IP is to
ATM: a simplified version of the same concept, with much of the same benefit achieved at a fraction of the effort, at the cost of losing some technical features considered less important in the market. In the case of L2TPv3, the features lost are
teletraffic engineering
Teletraffic engineering, telecommunications traffic engineering, or just traffic engineering when in context, is the application of transportation traffic engineering theory to telecommunications. Teletraffic engineers use their knowledge of stat ...
features considered important in MPLS. However, there is no reason these features could not be re-engineered in or on top of L2TPv3 in later products. The
protocol
Protocol may refer to:
Sociology and politics
* Protocol (politics), a formal agreement between nation states
* Protocol (diplomacy), the etiquette of diplomacy and affairs of state
* Etiquette, a code of personal behavior
Science and technolog ...
overhead of L2TPv3 is also significantly bigger than MPLS.
References
External links
IETF L2TPEXT working groupRFC 3931 - Layer Two Tunneling Protocol - Version 3 (L2TPv3)RFC 2661 - Layer Two Tunneling Protocol "L2TP"
{{VPN
Internet protocols
Tunneling protocols
de:L2TPv3