MetroEthernet - Virtual Private LAN service
Virtual Private LAN service is the simplest MetroEthernet service, as it’s a point-to-point connection between two sites. It is also often called Ethernet Line Service or E-Line. Metro Ethernet is a type of Wide Area Network service that leverages Ethernet as its transmission protocol.
From the customer’s perspective, it’s like connecting two routers to each other with a crossover cable. It’s a layer two link so if you configure IP addresses, the routers will be in the same subnet. The point-to-point link is called an EVC (Ethernet Virtual Circuit).
If you have multiple sites, it is possible to use multiple E-lines on a single physical interface using subinterfaces. In other words, we use 802.1Q trunking and a different VLAN for each Virtual Private LAN.
VPLS is the term used when the provider uses MPLS on their network, transporting Ethernet over the MPLS network.
E-Line is the term used when MPLS is not involved in the implementation.
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