This is an abstract base class for representing different types of switching protocols that can be managed. Switching protocols are those protocols that enable routing to take into account layer 2 information, such as bandwidth and QoS. (Remember that traditional routing protocols are designed to evaluate each frame's layer 3 header only). <br/><br/><br/><br/>Several methods are available for accomplishing the task of looking at layer 2 information and defining a next hop. Most now use the concept of a label, which is a means to define the next hop without evaluating all of the information of a traditional header.<br/><br/><br/><br/>The SID model currently concentrates on defining MPLS as an example of a SwitchingProtocol.<br/>