When both primary and secondary paths are configured for an LSP, there may be a need to select a specific path to be used. If selection is not configured, MPLS uses an automatic path selection algorithm.
This feature introduces manual path selection within an LSP. With manual selection, the path is immediately selected for carrying traffic as long as it is up and stable. Traffic is sent to other working paths if the current path is down or degraded (receiving errors). Only one path within an LSP can be marked for manual selection.