a forwarding equivalence class (fec) is a term used in multiprotocol label switching (mpls) to describe a set of packets with similar and / or identical characteristics which may be forwarded the same way; that is, they may be bound to the same mpls label. characteristics determining the fec of a higher-layer packet depend on the configuration of the router, but typically this is at least the destination ip address. quality of service class is also often used. thus, a forward equivalence class tends to correspond to a label switched path (lsp). the reverse is not true, however: an lsp may be (and usually is) used for multiple fecs. ==references== * mpls faq for beginners: what is a forwarding equivalence class (fec)? * understanding the role of fecs in mpls
MPLS_networking