Question

MPLS to carry voice and data

Asked by: mrkent

I am tasked to connect three offices together, in three different cities on the east coast.  Data and voice services.  It was recommended strongly that I procure an MPLS service.  I've worked with private lines (T1, T3) and switched services (frame relay, ATM) in the past but never MPLS, which I know very little about.  Each location has a PBX and I need each to connect to each other as if theyhad T1 trunks connecting them (They used to have that, not any more, too expensive).   This is a two part question:  1.  What kind of MPLS service do I order and what questios do I ask (QoS? etc.)?  2.  And what kind of hardware do I need to interface the MPLS for both the IP data and the voice? (I suppose this might hinge on what I get with the MPLS service.)

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Asked On
2009-10-25 at 17:27:16ID24842393
Topics

Broadband Internet

,

Networking Hardware

,

Telecommunications

Participating Experts
4
Points
500
Comments
9

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Answers

 

by: MikeHolcombPosted on 2009-10-25 at 17:33:40ID: 25659143

1.  Different providers offer varying levels of MPLS connectivity which are typically based on the level of QoS associated with each.  For example, the lowest cost MPLS offering would not include QoS features.  You'll want to contact the providers and evaluate each of their service offerings.  You'll want to find a single provider to cover all of your locations to simplify the process.  Typically, cost is the deciding factor for implementation.

2.  With most MPLS implementations, no additional hardware is required on your part.  Your provider should be able to take care of all hardware needs with their own equipment (in most situations).

Hope this helps...

Mike

 

by: avcontrolPosted on 2009-10-26 at 05:57:19ID: 25661733

There is common misunderstanding about MPLS,  a lot of people heard about, and want to use it.............
Where in a fact, MPLS in most of the cases is strictly ISP service, which they have to offer(if they do).
In some rare cases, where you will have your own router and it have to be put in MPLS- ISP is the one, who is going to "dicatate" MPLS  configuration.
So it easy to confirm with ISP- like Mike sad.
But I would advise- is start looking into IP6 implementation, which most of ISP will be able to have soon, therefore , as long your network will be IP6 ready, and and will support it, the you can achieve better result for your delay sensative traffic, then with MPLS, due to fewer routing/conversion overhead.
You can put all your LAN on IP6 now(as long hardware will support it), but real benifit would be, when ISP will.

 

by: mrkentPosted on 2009-10-27 at 12:34:02ID: 25676463

ISP doesn't have IP6 offering.  And my current equipment (unless I upgrade it I guess) isn't IP6.  I have the option to order an "IP" service, that is, they give me private addresses (10.0.0.1 and 10.0.0.2 and 10.0.0.3) at my locations.  So my network can still be IP and I can connect the three offices via the private IPs.  And I can connect to the public internet through the same gateways that I used before.
But I don't know how that service will get me to connect the three PBXs unless I do VOIP thru my 10.0.0.0 network??

 

by: avcontrolPosted on 2009-10-27 at 15:06:54ID: 25678144

From original posting, I did understood , that you are looking for MPLS in order improve/have min delay, therefore improving your VoIP, and now it seems to be that you have to choose between MPLS, and VPN(supporting LAN IP adresses 10.0.x.x)?
If so, then of cause MPLS is the way to go(and was advise  to deal with ISP on it).
VPN will introduce latency, and make VoIP over VPN not so good idea.
On hardware advise, you can choose any brend, Cisco in particular ask sale team. I think between Cisco and ISP, you will be able find most appropriate solution.

 

by: atrevidoPosted on 2009-10-27 at 15:25:22ID: 25678352

If your PBXes don't support VoIP then I would think you'd have to use a drop & inssert T! card in your router to take out DS0 channels for TDM voice.   If your PBX does VoIP then that will be easy.  Just assign QoS to the MPLS and away you go.  We use VoIP and data on our T1's over 33 MPLS connected sites.  Some sites have 1 T1, some have 3, and our datacenters have T3's.

 

by: mrkentPosted on 2009-10-28 at 21:46:18ID: 25690731

atrevido- What they've done in the past was purchase full T1 lines between the three sites to trunk the three PBXs together.  I'm not the PBX admin, nor do I have access to the PBXs but I am told they do not support VOIP.  They would like to hand me the T1 voice trunks and transparantly send them across to the other side.  Instead of using the expensive pt to pt T1s they want me to explore MPLS since I should be able to also connect data.   So I don't know how to get those T1s thru the MPLS net.  What I've learned from the provider is I have a choice of getting an IP address connection into the MPLS service.  My equipment does  not have to be MPLS enable.  I can use iP to connect via a 10. private address assigned to each site.  That's why I thought about using my own VOIP implmentation.  But perhaps circuit emulation would work better?  Is that the right type of MPLS service to use in this situation?  What would otherwise be the way to interconnect the PBXs over the MPLS service?

Your 33 MPLS connected sites looks interesting BTW.  Can you share with me what services you used (and from whom?) and hardware to build that architecture?  

 

by: mrkentPosted on 2009-10-28 at 21:58:38ID: 25690767

avcontrol-  I think you're right, I need to talk to the isp about what I really need to do.  I don't intend on using VPN if that is going to degrade my voice.  Sorry if it seemed I was leaning toward VPN.  The 10. private address they would assign me at each site would be my "WAN" address at each site

 

by: mrkentPosted on 2009-10-28 at 22:01:57ID: 25690779

Mike-  It seems apparant that there are different flavors of MPLS offering than what my sales rep is telling me?  Seems he is offering me a "layer 3" service.  Is there a more appropriate MPLS offereing (perhaps strictly at the layer 2 level, but then my hardware would have to change) to do what I want to do?

 

by: WiredNetworksPosted on 2009-11-06 at 09:30:08ID: 25761118

mrkent - a word of caution yet again on MPLS.  MPLS for small businesses can be a very expensive endeavor.  I noticed you had removed T-1 private lines between the sites due to costs, so clearly this is a very cost sensitive project.  Getting voice applications to play well with MPLS is where my clients usually run into issues and thus where the expenses begin.  Most salespeople will sell you on a lower end solution, and after it's installed you find out it doesn't work the way they said it would and now you have to upgrade to the higher level of QoS support.  Not sure what your voice application is and how many minutes you are using, but I would recommend that you use TDM or SIP for voice and keep the data and voice separate.  In most cases, the pennies you spend per call don't cost justify the spend you will have for the higher level QoS, possible degradation in voice and configuration nightmares with the carrier.  There are carriers that provide integrated T-1 serivce that has a dynamic MPLS data connection with PSTN access on the other channels based on the number of voice users or trunks you will need.  Hope this helps!

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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