T E C H N O L O G Y

W H I T E

P A P E R

MPLS-TP
The Key Enabler of Converged Packet Transport Networks

Service providers are experiencing compounding challenges from an exponential increase in demand for communications and information exchange along with the rising expectations of content providers and end users for the highest quality of service/experience. As IP-based traffic increases, service providers must consider a new packet transport technology that is capable of converging networks and enabling more efficient operation, administration and management (OAM) in line with the well-known operational model that carriers and service providers expect from their transport network, such as high scalability and resilience, multiservice capabilities and deterministic performance for ensuring strong Service Level Agreement (SLA) assurance for any type of transported service. The Multiprotocol Label Switching Transport Profile (MPLS-TP) is a packet transport technology that allows service providers to leverage benefits from the existing network infrastructure, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of networks for packet transport, while leveraging or maintaining the familiar OAM benefits of traditional SONET/SDH and OTN networks.

Table of contents
1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 8 8 1. Why MPLS-TP? 2. What is MPLS-TP? 3. Additional functionalities of MPLS-TP 4. MPLS-TP OAM 5. MPLS-TP control plane and management 6. MPLS-TP resilience 7. MPLS-TP and IP/MPLS 8. MPLS-TP applications 9. MPLS-TP standards 10. Summary 11. Acronyms

1. Why MPLS-TP?
The exponential growth of IP-based services for data and video is driving the need to evolve transport networks to efficiently support packet-based transport services. While the new transport technology should be optimized for packet-based services, it should also feature the same mode of operation, as well as the same operation benefits in terms of transport grade and deterministic performance as existing transport networks. MPLS-TP allows networks to better address packet transport needs, and provides the ability to converge and transport Ethernet, IP and multiservices with the flexibility and packet bandwidth efficiency of MPLS and the reliability and manageability of traditional SONET/SDH. Figure 1 illustrates the technology evolution of the MPLS-TP.
Figure 1. How we have arrived at MPLS-TP

Routing

IP/MPLS

Pac

ket

ef

cien

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Transport

n Tra

spo

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de gra

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MPLS-TP

SONET/SDH 40G/100G/WDM expansion

OTN

MPLS-TP bridges the gap between the transport and service routing world, thus allowing true convergence

2. What is MPLS-TP?
MPLS-TP is a transport layer technology that provides highly reliable and manageable functionalities with connection-oriented capabilities a key feature for deterministic control of traffic performance required for packet transport networks. MPLS-TP is based on the widely adopted IP/MPLS protocols, with all of the major constructs (PWs, LSPs, and label processing) fully supported. On one hand, MPLS-TP uses a subset of IP/MPLS standards where features that are not required in transport networks such as IP forwarding, penultimate hop popping (PHP), or equal cost multiple path (ECMP) are not supported or made optional. On the other hand, MPLS-TP defines extensions to existing IP/MPLS standards and introduces established requirements from transport networks. Among the key new features are: comprehensive OAM capable of fast detection, localization, troubleshooting and SLA verification including end-to-end network performance monitoring (traffic loss/delay measurements); transportgrade sub-50 ms recovery for both linear and ring applications; separation of control and data plane; and fully automated operation without control plane using Network Management System (NMS), as is a norm in transport networks. By providing an expansive set of OAM and recovery tools, coupled with various counters and the NMS-based operation, MPLS-TP enables more deterministic network operation, thus allowing for any SLA violation to be quickly detected and corrected, and giving the network operators full control of their networks.

MPLS-TP The Key Enabler of Converged Packet Transport Networks | Technology White Paper

Among the optional features, IP forwarding and control plane stand out. It is crucial that MPLSTP allows for operation in the networks without requiring the nodes to implement IP forwarding, this being a strong requirement from transport networks where IP forwarding is not widely deployed. This has implications on the OAM operation, which has to be able to operate in IP and IP-less modes. Similarly, a strong requirement from the transport networks is the operation through a centralized engine (NMS) and without a control plane. In MPLS-TP, the control plane is optional and the protocols such as OAM and protection are structured such as to be able to operate fully without a control plane. Figure 2 illustrates the set of overall functionalities of the MPLS-TP.

Figure 2. What is MPLS-TP?

MPLS

IP/MPLS ECMP MP2P LDP IP forwarding PHP

MPLS-TP Subset to meet transport network operational requirements MPLS/PWE3 architecture MPLS forwarding GMPLS/PWE3 control

Additional functionality based on transport requirements

3. Additional functionalities of MPLS-TP

MPLS-TP introduces features associated with transport networks (such as data plane-based OAM and protection switching, separation of control and data plane) and transport-grade OAM functions. These features facilitate the transition to a connection-oriented packet transport network by providing efficient packet switching while allowing transport-grade operation. Figure 3 illustrates the set of additional functionalities of the MPLS-TP. These extensions are defined in a way that makes them applicable also to existing IP/MPLS networks in order to enable the interoperability between service routing and optical transport MPLS-TP networks.

Figure 3. Additional functionalities for MPLS-TP

Additional functionalities

Transport-like OAM In-band OAM channels Performance monitoring for SLA verication Tandem connections and multi-level operation Wire-speed operation Alarms and AIS

Transport-like operations Operation through NMS Static provisioning TE rules

Transport-like Resilience Sub-50ms protection switching Linear protection Ring protection

MPLS-TP The Key Enabler of Converged Packet Transport Networks | Technology White Paper

4. MPLS-TP OAM
MPLS-TP provides a comprehensive set of pro-active & on-demand tools, applicable to any MPLS-TP layer (PW, LSP/tunnel, section) and domain (tandem and end-to-end [e2e]). The OAM tools provide the following benefits: allows for fast failure detection provides mechanisms for failure localization allows for SLA verification through performance monitoring assists network operation with issuing and suppressing various alarms assists other mechanisms such as protection switching MPLS-TP introduces Management End Point (MEP) and Management Intermediate Point (MIP), which allow for continuity checks and connectivity verification messages to be propagated between the two endpoints. This represents a powerful tool that allows for fast detection of lost connectivity, as well as support for connection mis-configuration. The Continuity Check (CC)/Continuity Verification (CV) messages can be exchanged with a period that can be set from 3.3 ms to 10 min, thus allowing for very fast-failure detection. MPLS-TP OAM supports monitoring of the SLAs using continuity check and connectivity verification; in addition, it provides mechanisms for performance monitoring, including delay and loss measurements to detect performance degradations. MPLS-TP OAM supports the control of the alarm escalation process using alarm suppression, thereby enabling faults to be quickly detected and isolated, while avoiding unnecessary alarm storms in the network. In order to ensure proper operational control, MPLS-TP network elements exchange OAM packets that strictly follow the same path as traffic data (OAM in the data plane), with a common set of tools running at each network level (PW, LSP, and section). OAM packets are carried using the Generic Associated Channel (G-ACh). Tandem Connection Monitoring (TCM) allows monitoring of a subset or a segment of LSP and allows monitoring in terms of connectivity, fault, quality and alarms. This, in effect, introduces multilevel OAM in MPLS, similar to existing practices in transport networks, and is a valuable tool allowing customization of the management operation and thus more control to the operators. It is also an invaluable tool in multi-domain/multi-vendor environments such as carriers carrier scenarios. In MPLS-TP, TCM can be implemented with Path Segment Tunnels (PST), enabling a subset of the segments of Label Switched Path (LSP) or Multi-Segment - Pseudo Wires (MS-PW) to be monitored independently of any end-to-end OAM.

MPLS-TP The Key Enabler of Converged Packet Transport Networks | Technology White Paper

5. MPLS-TP control plane and management

MPLS-TP enables MPLS to be operated in line with existing transport network practices by making the control plane optional. This allows support for both dynamic operations, using the control plane, or centralized operations through the NMS-based static provisioning. In packet transport networks where efficient and reliable wholesale transport at the lowest cost per bit is of utmost importance, static provisioning, traffic engineering and pre-planned protection in the data plane are necessary requirements. When MPLS-TP is operated in absence of a control plane, MPLS-TP supports static configuration, the ability to assign static labels, and plug-and-play operation. MCC utilizing G-ACH provides a channel for NMS communication (usually referred to as in-band communication channel), but out-of-band communication channels are also possible. In more dynamic and complex networks, using a control plane provides distributed and dynamic connection provisioning, management and protection of network resources in case of topology changes. MPLS-TP uses GMPLS as a control protocol for LSPs, and T-LDP and possibly GMPLS as a control protocol for PWs, both of which are connection-oriented and support bidirectional connections. The LSP tunnel connection utilizes Resource Reservation Protocol Traffic Engineering (RSVP-TE) while Targeted Label Distribution Protocol (T-LDP) is used for the PW connection. GMPLS is able to provide a common control plane for multiple networking technologies as in Multi Region Networks (MRN). MRN is a multi-layer network supporting two or more different switching types like MPLS-TP, OTH, SDH/SONET and WDM either hosted in the same device or on different ones. This facilitates provisioning and operation in transport networks encompassing packets, TDM and WDM by allowing single control plane instance across different layers. GMPLS in MRNs enables rapid service provisioning and efficient traffic engineering across all layers and provides vertical scalability. GMPLS also supports partitioning of the network into routing areas (also known as ASON domains), which can be established by network operator policy and may express differing administrative and/or managerial responsibilities, trust relationships, addressing schemes, distributions of control functionality, infrastructure capabilities, survivability techniques, etc. The capability to partition the transport network into domains is a key requirement to achieve horizontal scalability.

MPLS-TP The Key Enabler of Converged Packet Transport Networks | Technology White Paper

6. MPLS-TP resilience
Connected to the need to support operation through both the control plane and network management plane, MPLS-TP also supports resilience in the data and control plane. A major requirement from transport networks is to support sub-50 ms fully automated protection switching without any control plane. MPLS-TP can provide sub-50 ms protection switching in the data plane by relying on fast OAM messages and the Protection State Coordination (PSC) mechanism to synchronize the both ends in case of failure. The OAM message can be exchanged at rates up to 3.3 ms intervals to achieve protection switching in sub-50 ms time. In recent interoperability measurements at EANTC, it was demonstrated that MPLS-TP is a truly scalable protocol that can protect a large number of LSPs in sub-50 ms time. The fast, accurate and coordinated protection switching time is achieved through simple and rapid protection switching mechanisms for LSP and PW. This is also known as linear protection switching, and it uses a PSC protocol very similar to ITU-T G.8131- defined for linear protection. When deployed in ring topologies, a ring protection mechanism similar to the ITU-T G.8132-defined standard can be used. MPLS-TP supports various modes of protection (i.e., 1+1, 1:1, N:1) and also provides protection on every layer (i.e., PW, LSP and section). All these protection switching mechanisms are very similar to the current mechanisms being used by SONET/SDH and OTN networks, to ensure network reliability, SLA assurance and ultimately end-user quality of experience (QoE). MPLS-TP uses existing GMPLS and PW control plane-based restoration mechanisms applicable to bi-directional paths. Traditional PW redundancy can be used for PE/AC failure protection. In addition, 1+1 and 1:1 LSP protection are supported, as is full LSP Reroute mechanism (as is common in MPLS networks). Figure 4 illustrates the various protection features that enhance the resilience of the MPLS-TP.

Figure 4. MPLS-TP topology example with functionalities

Multiservice Access

Aggregation and Metro MPLS-TP

Edge/Core

IP/MPLS

OTN

Ethernet, TDM, ATM

Wire-speed OAM
Section Tunnel pw

NMS or ASON/GMPLS

LSP/PW protection

Ring protection

Section protection

MPLS-TP The Key Enabler of Converged Packet Transport Networks | Technology White Paper

7. MPLS-TP and IP/MPLS

IP/MPLS is a proven, standardized technology widely deployed in the edge, aggregation and the core of IP networks. MPLS-TP is a transport profiling of MPLS, and offers significant new capabilities that can be applied throughout the whole network (including both IP and transport networks). As a consequence, MPLS-TP has support from both transport vendors and router vendors. This is particularly significant for packet-based services where a connection needs to cross a transport network and be terminated on a router. The intent with MPLS-TP is not to radically change or replace MPLS, but rather to profile an extended MPLS technology-set, allowing for best practices common in transport networks, and to introduce additional features, making it a packet transport-grade technology. This approach provides the high degree of technical synergy between MPLS-TP and IP/MPLS. This allows for support of multi-segment PW across the MPLS-TP and IP/MPLS domains that can be monitored and protected e2e; this synergy between IP/MPLS and MPLS-TP allows for MS-PW interoperability between optical transport and service router platforms. Figure 5 illustrates how the MPLS-TP could be used on access/aggregation networks.

Figure 5. MPLS-TP on access/aggregation networks

PW hand-off between networks Optical and IP platforms act as S-PEs

MS-PW (T-LDP) IP/MPLS w/MPLS-TP

MS-PW (static/T-LDP)

MS-PW (static/T-LDP)

MPLS-TP

Full feature IP aggregation

Full feature Packet Optical Transport aggregation IP/MPLS w/MPLS-TP

PWE3 e2e MPLS-TP OAM LSP [Static/GMPLS-RSVP-TE] LSP MPLS-TP OAM LSP [Static] Section OAM LSP [RSVP-TE/LDP] LSP MPLS-TP OAM/BFD/RSVP/IGP

MPLS-TP The Key Enabler of Converged Packet Transport Networks | Technology White Paper

8. MPLS-TP applications
The goal of converged networks is to break away from a model in which an operator must manage a variety of single-purpose transport networks. Convergence of SONET/SDH and packet networks started over a decade ago and has brought huge advances to the worlds networks. Now that packet services dominate, MPLS-TP continues the drive to reduce CAPEX and OPEX by providing converged solutions for packet transport applications. MPLS-TP is capable of carrying all types of Ethernet services defined by MEF and it also supports any (non-Ethernet) type of service, e.g., ATM. As a consequence, the current applications for MPLS-TP include mobile backhaul, business network services, carrier Ethernet services, and wholesale services, among others.

9. MPLS-TP standards
The International Telecommunications Union Telecommunications Standardization Sector (ITU-T) and the Internet Engineer Task Force (IETF) formed a Joint Working Team (JWT) to achieve consensus about the requirements and framework for elements of the MPLS-TP standard such as architecture, data plane, survivability, OAM, management plane and control plane. All the requirements for packet transport as defined in the existing ITU-T T-MPLS G.81xx standard specifications were recommended to the JWT as basis for the development of a common set of recommendations for MPLS-TP in the IETF. Most of the requirements and frameworks documents for MPLS-TP, identified by the JWT, have been already published or are soon to be published. As soon as IETF MPLS-TP standardization process is completed, the ITU-T will update the existing T-MPLS G.81xx standard specifications and the name will be changed to MPLS-TP to reflect full consistency. Figure 6 illustrates the evolution of the MPLS-TP standard and the interaction between the ITU-T and IETF. Interoperability tests among vendors of T-MPLS and MPLS-TP technologies have been demonstrated, such as in the case of the recent MPLS & Ethernet World Congress in Paris during February 2010. The European Advanced Networking Test Center (EANTC) showcased MPLS-TP pre-standard interoperability tests among three equipment vendors, including the Alcatel-Lucent 1850 Transport Service Switch (TSS). Other similar testing had taken place by EANTC during similar shows like the Carrier Ethernet World Congress 2009.

Figure 6. IETF and ITU-T collaboration

T-MPLS

MPLS-TP

ITU-T

ITU-T G.81xx Transport requirements

Draft Recs

ITU-T G.81xx

Review Joint Working Team (JWT) Alignment JWT

Converged MPLS Transport Specs

IETF

IETF RFCs

IETF Drafts

IETF RFCs

MPLS

MPLS-TP

MPLS-TP The Key Enabler of Converged Packet Transport Networks | Technology White Paper

10. Summary
MPLS-TP is a technology optimized for packet transport but not limited to them; it provides an evolution path from SONET/SDH-based networks to packet networks. It enables convergence between the transport and service routers, thus providing the flexibility and scalability required by Ethernet and IP services, while preserving the manageability, resilience, deterministic performance and the traditional OAM features of transport networks. Alcatel-Lucent is the leader and driver of T-MPLS and MPLS-TP standards, both of which are key transport evolution technologies, which are part of the key considerations of Alcatel-Lucent vision for High Leverage Networks architecture.

11. Acronyms
ASON ATM CAPEX CES CC CV CO-CS CO-PS EANTC e2e GMPLS GigE G-Ach JWT IETF IP/MPLS ITU-T LAN LCAS LDP LSP MEF MPLS MS-PW MRN NMS Automatic Switched Optical Network Asynchronous Transfer Mode Capital Expenses Circuit Emulation Service Continuity Check Continuity Verication Connection-oriented circuit-switched Connection-oriented packet switched European Advanced Networking Test Center End-to-end Generalized MPLS Gigabit Ethernet Generic Associated Channel Joint Working Team Internet Engineering Task Force Internet Protocol/Multiprotocol Label Switching International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunication Standardization Sector Local Area Network Link Capacity Adjustment Scheme Label Distribution Protocol Label Switched Path Metro Ethernet Forum Multiprotocol Label Switching Multi-Segment Pseudo Wires Multi Region Networks Network Management System OAM OPEX OTN PSC PST PW PWE3 QoS ROI RSVP-TE SLA S-PE TCM T-LDP T-MPLS TSS SCC SDH SONET WDM Operations, Administration and Maintenance Operating expenditures Optical Transport Network Protection State Coordination Path Segment Tunnel Pseudo Wires Pseudo Wires emulation edge-to-edge Quality of Service Return on Investment Reservation Protocol Trafc Engineering Service Level Agreement PW Switching provider Edge Tandem Connection Monitoring Targeted Label Distribution Protocol Transport MPLS Transport Service Switch Signaling Communication Channel Synchronous Digital Hierarchy Synchronous Optical Network Wavelength Division Multiplexing

MPLS-TP Multiprotocol Label SwitchingTransport Prole

MPLS-TP The Key Enabler of Converged Packet Transport Networks | Technology White Paper

www.alcatel-lucent.com Alcatel, Lucent, Alcatel-Lucent and the Alcatel-Lucent logo are trademarks of Alcatel-Lucent. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The information presented is subject to change without notice. Alcatel-Lucent assumes no responsibility for inaccuracies contained herein. Copyright 2010 Alcatel-Lucent. All rights reserved. CPG4688100413 (05)