MLppp versus CEF

[ama165]

I’m trying to figure out the difference between MLPPP versus CEF? Which is truly better in simulating “1-large” pipe using 6-8 DS1 (T1)???

When searching both this site & the main Cisco pages for MLPPP versus CEF I get one sentence at best… What would a configuration look like on a 7200?Any help would be gratefully appreciated!

[tbaranski]

CEF can load share on a per-packet or per-flow basis over equal-cost links, while MLPPP can bond several links into a single virtual link. MLPPP works at a lower level and is therefore better at dividing load evenly, but it can cause higher CPU utiliztion on some platforms depending on the bandwidth of the links being bonded.

I think the best bet is usually to try MLPPP first if possible, and revert to per-packet CEF if MLPPP causes CPU usage problems.

[ama165]

Thanks for the quick reply! Just to be clear, does MLPPP spread up/down packets (by default) to all DS1's in the MLPPP virtual group?

Can you set per-packet versus per-session on MLPPP

like CEF?

[rajesh444]

Multilink PPP sends packets across the DS1 links in a round-robin fashion. The link below should be useful.

Alternatives for High Bandwidth Connections Using Parallel T1/E1 Links:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/partner/products/hw/modules/ps2033/products_white_paper09186a0080091d4b.shtml