Packets traveling along an LSP (see Label Switching Routers) are identified by its label, the 20-bit, unsigned integer. The range is 0 through 1,048,575. Label values 0-15 are reserved and are defined below as follows:
A value of 0 represents the IPv4 Explicit NULL Label. This Label value is legal only at the bottom of the Label stack. It indicates that the Label stack must be popped, and the packet forwarding must be based on the IPv4 header.
A value of 1 represents the router alert Label. This Label value is legal anywhere in the Label stack except at the bottom. When a received packet contains this Label value at the top of the Label stack, it is delivered to a local software module for processing. The actual packet forwarding is determined by the Label beneath it in the stack. However, if the packet is further forwarded, the router alert Label should be pushed back onto the Label stack before forwarding. The use of this Label is analogous to the use of the router alert option in IP packets. Because this Label cannot occur at the bottom of the stack, it is not associated with a particular network layer protocol.
A value of 3 represents the Implicit NULL Label. This is a Label that a Label Switching Router (LSR) can assign and distribute, but which never actually appears in the encapsulation. When an LSR would otherwise replace the Label at the top of the stack with a new Label, but the new Label is Implicit NULL, the LSR pops the stack instead of doing the replacement. Although this value may never appear in the encapsulation, it needs to be specified in the RSVP, so a value is reserved.
Values 4-15 are reserved for future use.
7210 SAS devices uses labels for MPLS, RSVP-TE, and LDP, as well as packet-based services such as VLL and VPLS.
Label values 16 through 1,048,575 are defined as follows:
Label values 16 through 31 are reserved for future use.
Label values 32 through 1,023 are available for static assignment.
Label values 1,024 through 2,047 are reserved for future use.
Label values 2,048 through 18,431 are statically assigned for services.
Label values 32768 through 131,071 are dynamically assigned for both MPLS and services.
Label values 131,072 through 1,048,575 are reserved for future use.