Chapter 15 / 15.7 / 15.7.4

15.7.4 Modern Network Infrastructure

As Internet traffic has grown, communication providers have introduced increasingly sophisticated techniques to improve network efficiency.

High-capacity optical fiber forms the backbone of most Internet infrastructure, while technologies such as Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) are often used within large service-provider networks to improve traffic engineering, reliability, and quality of service.

These technologies operate largely behind the scenes and are normally invisible to Internet users. Their purpose is simply to transport growing volumes of traffic efficiently across the global communication infrastructure.