Tomorrow's "best-of-breed" networks will combine fiber optics with Internet protocols to deliver unprecedented performance and manageability. Next Generation Optical Networks is the first comprehensive guide to optical IP networks for both the electrical and data networking engineers who must work together to build them. In this book, two Cisco engineers who are pioneering optical IP networking review the field from each key perspective: today's emerging standards, the state of the technology, and new enterprise and service provider applications. The authors show how Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) will enable powerful traffic engineering on optical IP networks. In particular, Next Generation Optical Networking presents an in-depth examination of the emerging Multiprotocol Lambda Switching Model (MPLms): its architecture, elements, and its role in real-time lightpath provisioning. The book also includes several detailed application case studies. For data networking engineers who understand IP and need to learn optical networking; and for electrical engineers who need to learn how to build IP intelligence into fiber optic networks.