MPLS
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Multiprotocol Label Switching |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Technology & Computing, Geography & Places |
| Also written | Mpls. |
MPLS has two meanings. It stands for Multiprotocol Label Switching (networking) or Minneapolis (city and neighborhood).
Meanings of MPLS at a glance
| # | MPLS stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Multiprotocol Label Switching | Technology & Computing › Networking |
| 2 | Minneapolis | Geography & Places › City and Neighborhood |
1. Multiprotocol Label Switching
Technology & Computing · Networking Abbreviations
A forwarding technique in which routers send packets along predetermined paths using short labels instead of looking up the full IP address at every hop. Carriers use MPLS to sell private WAN services linking company offices, with traffic engineering and QoS guarantees.
Example: The bank's 200 branches connect over an MPLS network with a guaranteed latency SLA.
Standardized by the IETF around 2001 in RFC 3031, growing out of earlier tag-switching work at Cisco and elsewhere. "Multiprotocol" means it can carry IPv4, IPv6, Ethernet and other traffic. MPLS circuits are reliable but expensive, which pushed many businesses toward SD-WAN over ordinary internet links in the late 2010s.
2. Minneapolis (Mpls.)
Geography & Places · City and Neighborhood Abbreviations
Long-standing abbreviation for Minneapolis, Minnesota, used in newspapers, addresses, street signs and casual writing. Minneapolis is the larger of the Twin Cities and home to the Mississippi River's only true waterfall, St. Anthony Falls.
Example: The Mpls. skyway system lets workers cross downtown without going outdoors.
Often written Mpls without a period. Minneapolis' name combines the Dakota word for water, mni, with the Greek polis, city.
Related abbreviations
More networking abbreviations
- LAN – Local area network
- LDAP – Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
- MAC – Media access control (address)
- MAN – Metropolitan area network
- MQTT – MQTT (formerly MQ Telemetry Transport)
- MSS – Maximum segment size
- MTA – Mail transfer agent
- MTU – Maximum transmission unit
See all 113 networking abbreviations →