Deployments of Provider Backbone Bridging (PBB)

Fri Aug 25 08:55:26 UTC 2023

On 8/25/23 09:41, Tarko Tikan wrote:

> AFAIK this reflects the reality very well. There are huge PBB 
> deployments in very large networks but the overall number of networks, 
> using PBB, is very low. Even in those networks PBB is/will be phased 
> out so don't expect any new deployments. It is still well supported by 
> the vendors who initially invested into PBB.

Most operators, especially of small-to-medium size scope, but even some 
larger ones, will go from 802.1Q to Q-in-Q, and then to MPLS.

MPLS end-to-end is not as common as MPLS combined with 802.1Q or Q-in-Q, 
in my very rough anecdotal experience. This is mostly due to cost 
control, as well as a seemingly common preference to have a so-called 
Internet Gateway (IGW) pinning all those pseudowires.

There have been ramblings of VXLAN as an IP-based underlay in lieu of 
MPLS. I don't know how well it has scaled outside of the data centre, 
i.e., in the Metro-E network. But the rate at which I hear about VXLAN 
for Metro-E deployments is also the same rate at which I don't hear 
about VXLAN for Metro-E deployments. In other words, it appears to be 
neither here nor there.

Mark.