VPLS can be used to transport Ethernet frames to and from multiple, geographically dispersed sites belonging to a customer Virtual Private Network (VPN). The Provider Edge (PE) devices connecting the customer sites provide functions similar to a Layer 2 switch.
Equivalent Ranks to an Army Master Sergeant A Master Sergeant is a Noncommissioned Officer, with a military paygrade of E-8. The civilian equivalent of this military rank is roughly GS-6 under the federal government's General Schedule payscale.
Generally, a private first class (E3) must have served in her current rank for a minimum of four months; however, an E3 with three months time in grade (TIG) is eligible for promotion to specialist (E4) if she is granted a waiver from her company first sergeant.