TOI Author :: Cormac Keane

Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) can be used when one wishes to connect several LANs dispersed across a packet switched network. VPLS can allow the dispersed LANs to act like a single bridged LAN by providing a service to connect the LANs. The service will appear like an Ethernet LAN (in almost all regards). VPLS achieves this by creating a mesh of pseudowires that connect the dispersed LANs, while also processing the traffic that moves through the pseudowires in a similar way to how a L2 service would. For example, MAC address learning, flooding and forwarding functions are applied to the pseudowire traffic in a VPLS. This allows  VPLS to mimic the functionality of an any-to-any L2 service when connecting dispersed LANs.