witched technologies. References Davie, B. S., and Rekhter, Y. (2000) MPLS: Multiprotocol Label Switching Technology and Application, Morgan Kaufmann. De Ghein, L. (2006) MPLS Fundamentals, Cisco Press. Marzo, J. L., Calle, E., Scoglio, C., and Anjah, T. (2003) QoS online routing and MPLS multilevel protection: A survey, IEEE Communi. Mag. 41(10):126-132. 14 Next Generation Ethernet Alan McGuire British Telecommunications Plc Introduction Ethernet as a technology completely dominates the enterprise environment and is rapidly entrenching itself in the residential market as a result of the widespread uptake of broadband services. For many corporate customers it is the interface of choice because of its ubiquity, simplicity, and cost effectiveness. This is driving the need to develop end-to-end Ethernet service solutions and has seen the introduction of a new industry forum-the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF)-dedicated to developing such solutions, along with the development of Ethernet technology by standards bodies such as IEEE and ITU-T. Ethernet services can be delivered over a wide variety of technologies, and Ethernet's popularity as an interface has encouraged network technologies such as SDH/SONET- were not originally optimized to provide packet transport-to successfully evolve to embrace Ethernet services. It has also allowed IP/MPLS to extend its capabilities into new areas. In this chapter we will begin by asking what is meant by carrier-grade Ethernet before examining the main features of the Ethernet service architecture and the central construct of an Ethernet Virtual Connection (EVC) and its role in describing Ethernet services. It will become clear that this architecture allows Ethernet services to be delivered over many tech- nologies, and although we will indicate some examples, we will focus on how Ethernet as a technology can deliver such services. To meet the growth in demand in the carrier envi- ronment, solutions based on Ethernet technology must address the requirements of scal- ability, performan