What is the correct ordering (outer to inner) of packet headers in an IP/MPLS packet?
A.
Ethernet, MPLS, IP
B.
Ethernet, IP, MPLS
C.
MPLS, IP, Ethernet
D.
IP, MPLS, Ethernet
The Answer Is:
A
This question includes an explanation.
Explanation:
The correct ordering (outer to inner) of packet headers in an IP/MPLS packet is Ethernet, MPLS, IP. An IP/MPLS packet is a packet that is encapsulated with an MPLS label stack between the Ethernet header and the IP header. The Ethernet header contains the source and destination MAC addresses and the EtherType field that indicates the type of the payload. The MPLS label stack contains one or more labels that are used for forwarding decisions by the MPLS routers. Each label consists of four fields: label value, experimental bits, bottom of stack, and time to live. The IP header contains the source and destination IP addresses and other information for routing and fragmentation. The order of the headers is important because it determines how the packet is processed by different devices in the network12.