🔄 Switching refers to the process of forwarding data from one interface to another on a router. For example, when a router connects two networks (X and Y), it switches traffic received from network X to network Y.

⚙️ There are multiple types of switching methods, including Process Switching, Fast Switching, Cisco Express Forwarding (CEF), and Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS). Each method improves the efficiency of data forwarding.

📉 CPU Utilization is crucial for router performance. It should remain below 70% for optimal performance. If it exceeds 90%, performance issues like packet loss and slowness may occur.

🕰️ Process Switching is the oldest and slowest method, where the router checks its routing table for every packet, leading to high CPU usage. In contrast, Fast Switching reduces CPU load by caching routing information after the first packet.

📊 Cisco Express Forwarding (CEF) introduces a Forwarding Information Base (FIB) table, which is a copy of the routing table stored in the data plane, allowing faster packet forwarding without constant CPU checks.

🚀 MPLS is a more advanced method that uses 20-bit labels instead of 32-bit addresses, significantly speeding up the forwarding process, especially in large service provider networks.

🔗 To enable MPLS, the Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) or Tag Distribution Protocol (TDP) is used to exchange label information between routers.

📑 The Label Information Base (LIB) and Label Forwarding Information Base (LFIB) tables are crucial for MPLS, allowing routers to forward packets based on labels rather than IP addresses.

🔄 When a packet enters an MPLS network, a label is added, and routers forward packets based on these labels, reducing latency and improving performance.

🛠️ To configure MPLS, commands like ip mpls are used on router interfaces, and the status of MPLS can be verified using commands like show mpls ldp neighbor.