An LSP hop is a unidirectional logical link between two devices in an MPLS network across which MPLS-labeled packets are sent. No label processing occurs over the logical link.
An exception to this definition is the last hop of an LSP, across which the packets may be unlabeled due to penultimate hop popping, which is defined in Appendix A, “MPLS Terminology.” In this case, the Label attribute of the LSP hop is 3, although the packets are, in fact, unlabeled.
For VPN packets and penultimate hop popping, the packets retain their inner label when traversing the last hop of an LSP.
For each TE LSP, subLSP, or LDP LSP instance that MPLS Manager creates, MPLS Manager also creates the LSPHop instances along the path of the LSP. It create the LSPHops from the LSP source to the LSP destination, hop by hop.
