One document matched: draft-ietf-ccamp-inter-domain-pd-path-comp-01.txt

Differences from draft-ietf-ccamp-inter-domain-pd-path-comp-00.txt


                                                                         
Network Working Group                               JP Vasseur (Editor) 
IETF Internet draft                                 Cisco Systems, Inc.  
Proposed Status: Standard                       Arthi Ayyangar (Editor) 
                                                       Juniper Networks 
                                                          Raymond Zhang 
                                            Infonet Service Corporation 
 
Expires: April 2006                                                
                                                           October 2005 
 
 
           draft-ietf-ccamp-inter-domain-pd-path-comp-01.txt 
                                     
                                     
   A Per-domain path computation method for establishing Inter-domain 
          Traffic Engineering (TE) Label Switched Paths (LSPs)  
 
 
Status of this Memo 
 
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http://www.ietf.org/ietf/1id-abstracts.txt. 
 
The list of Internet-Draft Shadow Directories can be accessed at 
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Abstract 
 
This document specifies a per-domain path computation technique for 
establishing inter-domain Traffic Engineering (TE) Multiprotocol Label 
Switching (MPLS) and Generalized MPLS (GMPLS) Label Switched Paths 
(LSPs). In this document a domain refers to a collection of network 
elements within a common sphere of address management or path 
computational responsibility such as IGP areas and Autonomous Systems. 
 
Per-domain computation applies where the full path of an inter-domain 
TE LSP cannot be or is not determined at the ingress node of the TE 
  
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LSP, and is not signaled across domain boundaries. This is most likely 
to arise owing to TE visibility limitations. The signaling message 
indicates the destination and nodes up to the next domain boundary. It 
may also indicate further domain boundaries or domain identifiers. The 
path through each domain, possibly including the choice of exit point 
from the domain, must be determined within the domain. 
 
Conventions used in this document 
 
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", 
"SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this 
document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119 [RFC2119]. 
 
Table of content  
 
1. Terminology..................................................3 
2. Introduction.................................................3 
3. General assumptions..........................................4 
3.1 Common assumptions..........................................4 
3.2 Example of topology for the inter-area TE case .............5
3.3 Example of topology for the inter-AS TE case ...............6
4. Per-domain path computation procedures.......................7
4.1 Example with an inter-area TE LSP...........................10
4.1.1 Case 1: T1 is a contiguous TE LSP.........................10
4.1.2 Case 2: T1 is a stitched or nested TE LSP.................11
4.2 Example with an inter-AS TE LSP.............................11
4.2.1 Case 1: T1 is a contiguous TE LSP.........................12
4.2.2 Case 2: T1 is a stitched or a nested TE LSP...............12
5. Path optimality/diversity....................................13
6. Reoptimization of an inter-domain TE LSP.....................13
6.1 Contiguous TE LSPs..........................................13
6.2. Stitched or nested (non-contiguous) TE LSPs................13
6.3 Path characteristics after reoptimization...................15 
7. Security Considerations .....................................15
8. Intellectual Property Considerations ........................15 
9. Acknowledgments..............................................15 
10. References..................................................15 
10.1 Normatives References .....................................16
10.2 Informative References ....................................17
 












 
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1. Terminology 
 
ABR Routers: routers used to connect two IGP areas (areas in OSPF or 
levels in IS-IS) 
 
ASBR Routers: routers used to connect together ASes of a different or 
the same Service Provider via one or more Inter-AS links. 
 
Boundary LSR: a boundary LSR is either an ABR in the context of inter-
area TE or an ASBR in the context of inter-AS TE. 
 
Inter-AS TE LSP: A TE LSP that crosses an AS boundary. 
 
Inter-area TE LSP: A TE LSP that crosses an IGP area. 
 
LSR: Label Switching Router 
 
LSP: Label Switched Path 
 
TE LSP: Traffic Engineering Label Switched Path 
  
PCE: Path Computation Element: an entity (component, application or 
network node) that is capable of computing a network path or route 
based on a network graph and applying computational constraints. 
    
TED: Traffic Engineering Database 
 
The notion of contiguous, stitched and nested TE LSPs is defined in 
[INT-DOMAIN-FRWK] and will not be repeated here. 
 
2. Introduction 
 
The requirements for inter-domain Traffic Engineering (inter-area and 
inter-AS TE) have been developed by the Traffic Engineering Working 
Group and have been stated in [INT-AREA-REQS] and [INT-AS-REQS]. The 
framework for inter-domain MPLS Traffic Engineering has been provided 
in [INT-DOMAIN-FRWK]. 
 
Some of the mechanisms used to establish and maintain inter-domain TE 
LSPs are specified in [INTER-DOMAIN-SIG] and [LSP-STITCHING]. 
 
This document exclusively focuses on the path computation aspects and 
defines a method for establishing inter-domain TE LSP where each node 
in charge of computing a section of an inter-domain TE LSP path is 
always along the path of such TE LSP.  
 
When the visibility of an end to end complete path spanning multiple 
domains is not available at the Head-end LSR, one approach described in 
this document consists of using a per-domain path computation technique 

 
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during LSP setup to determine the inter-domain TE LSP as it traverses 
multiple domains. 
 
The mechanisms proposed in this document are also applicable to MPLS TE 
domains other than IGP areas and ASes. 
 
The solution described in this document does not attempt to address all 
the requirements specified in [INT-AREA-REQS] and [INT-AS-REQS]. This 
is acceptable according to [INT-AS-REQS] which indicates that a 
solution may be developed to address a particular deployment scenario 
and might, therefore, not meet all requirements for other deployment 
scenarios.  
 
It must be pointed out that the inter-domain path computation technique 
proposed in this document is one among many others and the choice of 
the appropriate technique must be driven by the set of requirements for 
the paths attributes and the applicability to a particular technique 
with respect to the deployment scenario. For example, if the 
requirement is to get an end-to-end constraint-based shortest path 
across multiple domains, then a mechanism using one or more distributed 
PCEs could be used to compute the shortest path across different 
domains (see [PCE-ARCH]). Other offline mechanisms for path computation 
are not precluded either. Note also that a Service Provider may elect 
to use different inter-domain path computation techniques for different 
TE LSP types. 
 
3. General assumptions 
 
In the rest of this document, we make the following set of assumptions: 
 
3.1.  Common assumptions 
 
- Each domain in all the examples below is assumed to be capable of 
doing Traffic Engineering (i.e. running OSPF-TE or ISIS-TE and RSVP-
TE). A domain may itself comprise multiple other domains. E.g. An AS 
may itself be composed of several other sub-AS(es) (BGP confederations) 
or areas/levels. In this case, the path computation technique described 
for inter-area and inter-AS MPLS Traffic Engineering just recursively 
applies. 
 
- The inter-domain TE LSPs are signaled using RSVP-TE ([RSVP-TE]). 
 
- The path (ERO) for an inter-domain TE LSP may be signaled as a set of 
(loose and/or strict) hops. The hops may identify: 
        * The complete strict path end-to-end across different domains 
        * The complete strict path in the source domain followed by 
        boundary LSRs (or domain identifiers, e.g. AS numbers) 
        * The complete list of boundary LSRs along the path 
        * The current boundary LSR and the LSP destination 
 

 
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The set of (loose or strict) hops can either be statically configured 
on the Head-end LSR or dynamically computed. A per-domain path 
computation method is defined in this document with an optional Auto-
discovery mechanism based on IGP and/or BGP information yielding the 
next-hop boundary node (domain exit point, such as ABR/ASBR) along the 
path as the TE LSP is being signaled, along with potential crankback 
mechanisms. Alternatively the domain exit points may be statically 
configured on the Head-end LSR in which case next-hop boundary node 
auto-discovery would not be required. 
 
- Boundary LSRs are assumed to be capable of performing local path 
computation for expansion of a loose next-hop in the signaled ERO if 
the path is not signaled by the Head-end LSR as a set of strict hops or 
if the strict hop is an abstract node (e.g. an AS). In any case, no 
topology or resource information needs to be distributed between 
domains (as mandated per [INT-AREA-REQS] and [INT-AS-REQS]), which is 
critical to preserve IGP/BGP scalability and confidentiality in the 
case of TE LSPs spanning multiple routing domains. 
 
- The paths for the intra-domain Hierarchical LSPs (H-LSP) or S-LSPs 
(S-LSP) or for a contiguous TE LSP within the domain may be pre-
configured or computed dynamically based on the arriving inter-domain 
LSP setup request (depending on the requirements of the transit 
domain). Note that this capability is explicitly specified as a 
requirement in [INT-AS-REQS]. When the paths for the H-LSPs/S-LSP are 
pre-configured, the constraints as well as other parameters like local 
protection scheme for the intra-domain H-LSP/S-LSP are also pre-
configured. 
 
- While certain constraints like bandwidth can be used across different 
domains, certain other TE constraints like resource affinity, color, 
metric, etc. as listed in [RFC2702] may need to be translated at domain  
boundaries. If required, it is assumed that, at the domain boundary 
LSRs, there will exist some sort of local mapping based on policy 
agreement in order to translate such constraints across domain 
boundaries. It is expected that such an assumption particularly applies 
to inter-AS TE: for example, the local mapping would be similar to the 
Inter-AS TE Agreement Enforcement Polices stated in [INT-AS-REQS]. 
 
   3.2. Example of topology for the inter-area TE case 
 
The following example will be used for the inter-area TE case in this 
document. 
 
<-area 1-><-- area 0 --><--- area 2 ---> 
 ------ABR1------------ABR3------- 
 |    /   |              |  \     | 
R0--X1    |              |   X2---X3--R1 
 |        |              |  /     | 
 ------ABR2-----------ABR4-------- 
<=========== Inter-area TE LSP =======> 
 
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   Figure 1 - Example of topology for the inter-area TE case 
 
Description of Figure 1: 
 
- ABR1, ABR2, ABR3 and ABR4 are ABRs, 
- X1: an LSR in area 1, 
- X2, X3: LSRs in area 2, 
- An inter-area TE LSP T0 originated at R0 in area 1 and terminating at 
R1 in area 2. 
 
Notes: 
- The terminology used in the example above corresponds to OSPF but the 
path computation technique proposed in this document equally applies to 
the case of an IS-IS multi-level network. 
- Just a few routers in each area are depicted in the diagram above for 
the sake of simplicity. 
- The example depicted in Figure 1 shows the case where the Head-end 
and Tail-end areas are connected by means of area 0. The case of an 
inter-area TE LSP between two IGP areas that does not transit through 
area 0 is not precluded. 
 
   3.3. Example of topology for the inter-AS TE case 
 
We consider the following general case, built on a superset of the 
various scenarios defined in [INT-AS-REQS]: 
 
     <-- AS 1 ---> <------- AS 2 -----><--- AS 3 ---->  
 
               <---BGP--->            <---BGP--> 
CE1---R0---X1-ASBR1-----ASBR4--R3---ASBR7----ASBR9----R6  
      |\     \ |       / |   / |   / |          |     | 
      | \     ASBR2---/ ASBR5  | --  |          |     |   
      |  \     |         |     |/    |          |     | 
      R1-R2---ASBR3----ASBR6--R4---ASBR8----ASBR10---R7---CE2  
                 
      <======= Inter-AS TE LSP(LSR to LSR)===========> 
or 
 
<======== Inter-AS TE LSP (CE to ASBR => 
 
or 
 
<================= Inter-AS TE LSP (CE to CE)===============> 
 
       Figure 2 - Example of topology for the inter-AS TE case 
 
The diagram depicted in Figure 2 covers all the inter-AS TE deployment 
cases described in [INT-AS-REQS]. 
 
Description of Figure 2: 
 
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- Three interconnected ASes, respectively AS1, AS2, and AS3. Note that  
in some scenarios described in [INT-AS-REQS] AS1=AS3. 
 
- The ASBRs in different ASes are BGP peers. There is usually no IGP 
running on the single hop links interconnecting the ASBRs and also 
referred to as inter-ASBR links. 
 
- Each AS runs an IGP (IS-IS or OSPF) with the required IGP TE 
extensions (see [OSPF-TE], [ISIS-TE], [G-OSPF] and [G-ISIS]). In other 
words, the ASes are TE enabled,   
 
- Each AS can be made of several IGP areas. The path computation 
technique described in this document applies to the case of a single AS 
made of multiple IGP areas, multiples ASes made of a single IGP areas 
or any combination of the above. For the sake of simplicity, each 
routing domain will be considered as single area in this document. The 
case of an Inter-AS TE LSP spanning multiple ASes where some of those 
ASes are themselves made of multiple IGP areas can be easily derived 
from the examples above: the per-domain path computation technique 
described in this document is applied recursively in this case. 
 
- An inter-AS TE LSP T1 originated at R0 in AS1 and terminating at R6 
in AS3. 
 
4. Per-domain path computation procedures 
 
The mechanisms for inter-domain TE LSP computation as described in this 
document can be used regardless of the nature of the inter-domain TE 
LSP (contiguous, stitched or nested).  
 
Note that any path can be defined as a set of loose and strict hops. In 
other words, in some cases, it might be desirable to rely on the 
dynamic path computation in some area, and exert a strict control on 
the path in other areas (defining strict hops). 
 
When a boundary LSR (e.g. ABR/ASBR) receives a Path message with an ERO 
that contains a loose hop or an abstract node that is not a simple 
abstract node (that is, an abstract node that identifies more than one 
LSR), then it MUST follow the procedures as described in [INTER-DOMAIN-
SIG]. In addition, the following procedures describe the path 
computation procedures that SHOULD be carried out on the LSR: 
 
1) If the next hop boundary LSR is not present in the TED.  
 
If the loose next-hop is not present in the TED, the following 
conditions MUST be checked: 
    - If the IP address of the next hop boundary LSR is outside of the 
      current domain, 
    - If the domain is PSC (Packet Switch Capable) and uses in-band 
      control channel 
 
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If the two conditions above are satisfied then the boundary LSR SHOULD 
check if the next-hop has IP reachability (via IGP or BGP). If the 
next-hop is not reachable, then a signaling failure occurs and the LSR 
SHOULD send back a PathErr message upstream with error code=24 
("Routing Problem") and error subcode as described in section 4.3.4 of 
[RSVP-TE]. If the next-hop is reachable, then it SHOULD find a domain 
boundary LSR (domain boundary point) to get to the next-hop. The 
determination of domain boundary point based on routing information is 
what we term as "auto-discovery" in this document. In the absence of 
such an auto-discovery mechanism, a) the ABR in the case of inter-area 
TE or the ASBR in the next-hop AS in the case of inter-AS TE should be 
the signaled loose next-hop in the ERO and hence should be accessible 
via the TED or b) there needs to be an alternate scheme that provides 
the domain exit points. Otherwise the path computation for the inter-
domain TE LSP will fail. 
 
An implementation MAY support the ability to disable such IP 
reachability fall-back option should the next hop boundary LSR not be 
present in the TED. In other words, an implementation MAY support the 
possibility to trigger a signaling failure whenever the next-hop is not 
present in the TED. 
 
2) If the next-hop boundary LSR is present in the TED. 
 
        a) Case of a contiguous TE LSP. The boundary LSR that processes 
        the ERO SHOULD perform an ERO expansion (unless not allowed by 
        policy) after having computed the path to the next loose hop 
        (ABR/ASBR) that obeys the set of required constraints. If no 
        path satisfying the set of constraints can be found, then this 
        SHOULD be treated as a path computation and signaling failure 
        and a PathErr message SHOULD be sent for the inter-domain TE 
        LSP based on section 4.3.4 of [RSVP-TE]. 
 
        b) Case of stitched or nested LSP 
         
                i) If the boundary LSR is a candidate LSR for intra-
                area H-LSP/S-LSP setup (the LSR has local policy for 
                nesting or stitching), and if there is no H-LSP/S-LSP 
                from this LSR to the next-hop boundary LSR that 
                satisfies the constraints, it SHOULD signal a H-LSP/S-
                LSP to the next-hop boundary LSR. If pre-configured H-
                LSP(s) or S-LSP(s) already exist, then it will try to 
                select from among those intra-domain LSPs. Depending on 
                local policy, it MAY signal a new H-LSP/S-LSP if this 
                selection fails. If the H-LSP/S-LSP is successfully 
                signaled or selected, it propagates the inter-domain 
                Path message to the next-hop following the procedures 
                described in [INTER-DOMAIN-SIG]. If, for some reason 
                the dynamic H-LSP/S-LSP setup to the next-hop boundary 
                LSR fails, then this SHOULD be treated as a path 
 
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                computation and signaling failure and a PathErr message 
                SHOULD be sent upstream for the inter-domain LSP. 
                Similarly, if selection of a preconfigured H-LSP/S-LSP 
                fails and local policy prevents dynamic H-LSP/S this 
                SHOULD be treated as a path computation and signaling 
                failure and a PathErr SHOULD be sent upstream for the 
                inter-domain TE LSP. In both these cases procedures 
                described in section 4.3.4 of [RSVP-TE] SHOULD be 
                followed to handle the failure. 
 
                ii) If, however, the boundary LSR is not a candidate 
                for intra-domain H-LSP/S-LSP (the LSR does not have 
                local policy for nesting or stitching), then it SHOULD 
                apply the same procedure as for the contiguous case. 
                 
                Note that in both cases, path computation and signaling 
                process may be stopped due to policy violation. 
 
The ERO of an inter-domain TE LSP may comprise abstract nodes such as 
ASes. In such a case, upon receiving the ERO whose next hop is an AS, 
the boundary LSR has to determine the next-hop boundary LSR which may 
be determined based on the "auto-discovery" process mentioned above. If 
multiple ASBRs candidates exist the boundary LSR may apply some 
policies based on peering contracts that may have been pre-negotiated. 
Once the next-hop boundary LSR has been determined a similar procedure 
as the one described above is followed. 
 
Note related to the inter-AS TE case 
 
The links interconnecting ASBRs are usually not TE-enabled and no IGP 
is running at the AS boundaries. An implementation supporting inter-AS 
MPLS TE MUST allow the set up of inter-AS TE LSP over the region 
interconnecting multiple ASBRs. In other words, an ASBR compliant with 
this document MUST support the set up of TE LSP over inter-ASBR links 
and MUST be able to perform all the usual operations related to MPLS 
Traffic Engineering (call admission control, ...).  
 
In terms of computation of an inter-AS TE LSP path, an interesting 
optimization technique consists of allowing the ASBRs to flood the TE 
information related to the inter-ASBR link(s) although no IGP TE is 
enabled over those links (and so there is no IGP adjacency over the 
inter-ASBR links). This of course implies for the inter-ASBR links to 
be TE-enabled although no IGP is running on those links. This allows an 
LSR (could be entry ASBR) in the previous AS to make a more appropriate 
route selection up to the entry ASBR in the immediately downstream AS 
taking into account the constraints associated with the inter-ASBR 
links. This reduces the risk of call set up failure due to inter-ASBR 
links not satisfying the inter-AS TE LSP set of constraints. Note that 
the TE information is only related to the inter-ASBR links: the TE 
LSA/LSP flooded by the ASBR includes not only the TE-enabled links 
contained in the AS but also the inter-ASBR links.  
 
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Note that no summarized TE information is leaked between ASes which is 
compliant with the requirements listed in [INT-AREA-REQS] and [INT-AS-
REQS]. 
 
For example, consider the diagram depicted in Figure 2: when ASBR1 
floods its IGP TE LSA ((opaque LSA for OSPF)/LSP (TLV 22 for IS-IS)) in 
its routing domain, it reflects the reservation states and TE 
properties of the following links: X1-ASBR1, ASBR1-ASBR2 and ASBR1-
ASBR4. 
 
Thanks to such an optimization, the inter-ASBRs TE link information 
corresponding to the links originated by the ASBR is made available in 
the TED of other LSRs in the same domain that the ASBR belongs to. 
Consequently, the path computation for an inter-AS TE LSP path can also 
take into account the inter-ASBR link(s). This will improve the chance 
of successful signaling along the next AS in case of resource shortage 
or unsatisfied constraints on inter-ASBR links and it potentially 
reduces one level of crankback. Note that no topology information is 
flooded and these links are not used in IGP SPF computations. Only the 
TE information for the outgoing links directly connected to the ASBR is 
advertised. 
 
Note that an Operator may decide to operate a stitched segment or 1-hop 
hierarchical LSP for the inter-ASBR link. 
 
   4.1. Example with an inter-area TE LSP 
 
4.1.1 Case 1: T1 is a contiguous TE LSP 
 
The Head-end LSR (R0) first determines the next hop ABR (which could be 
manually configured by the user or dynamically determined by using 
auto-discovery mechanism). R0 then computes the path to reach the 
selected next hop ABR and signals the Path message. When the Path 
message reaches ABR1, it first determines the next hop ABR from its 
area 0 along the LSP path (say ABR3), either directly from the ERO (if 
for example the next hop ABR is specified as a loose hop in the ERO) or 
by using the auto-discovery mechanism specified above.   
 
- Example 1 (set of loose hops): R0-ABR1(loose)-ABR3(loose)-R1(loose) 
- Example 2 (mix of strict and loose hops): R0-X1-ASR1-ABR3(loose)-X2-
X3-R1 
 
Note that a set of paths can be configured on the Head-end LSR, ordered 
by priority. Each priority path can be associated with a different set 
of constraints. It may be desirable to systematically have a last 
resort option with no constraint to ensure that the inter-area TE LSP 
could always be set up if at least a TE path exists between the inter-
area TE LSP source and destination. In case of set up failure or when 
an RSVP PathErr is received indicating the TE LSP has suffered a 
failure, an implementation might support the possibility to retry a 
 
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particular path option configurable amount of times (optionally with 
dynamic intervals between each trial) before trying a lower priority 
path option.  
 
Once it has computed the path up to the next hop ABR (ABR3), ABR1 sends 
the Path message along the computed path. Upon receiving the Path 
message, ABR3 then repeats a similar procedure. If ABR3 cannot find a 
path obeying the set of constraints for the inter-area TE LSP, the 
signaling process stops and ABR3 sends a PathErr message to ABR1. Then 
ABR1 can in turn trigger a new path computation by selecting another 
egress boundary LSR (ABR4 in the example above) if crankback is allowed 
for this inter-area TE LSP (see [CRANKBACK]). If crankback is not 
allowed for that inter-area TE LSP or if ABR1 has been configured not 
to perform crankback, then ABR1 MUST stop the signaling process and 
MUST forward a PathErr up to the Head-end LSR (R0) without trying to 
select another ABR. 
 
4.1.2 Case 2: T1 is a stitched or nested TE LSP 
 
The Head-end LSR (R0) first determines the next hop ABR (which could be 
manually configured by the user or dynamically determined by using 
auto-discovery mechanism). R0 then computes the path to reach the 
selected next hop ABR and signals the Path message. When the Path 
message reaches ABR1, it first determines the next hop ABR from its 
area 0 along the LSP path (say ABR3), either directly from the ERO (if 
for example the next hop ABR is specified as a loose hop in the ERO) or 
by using an auto-discovery mechanism, specified above.   
 
ABR1 then checks if it has a H-LSP or S-LSP to ABR3 matching the 
constraints carried in the inter-area TE LSP Path message. If not, ABR1 
computes the path for a H-LSP or S-LSP from ABR1 to ABR3 satisfying the 
constraint and sets it up accordingly. Note that the H-LSP or S-LSP 
could have also been pre-configured. 
 
Once ABR1 has selected the H-LSP/S-LSP for the inter-area LSP, using 
the signaling procedures described in [INTER-DOMAIN-SIG], ABR1 sends 
the Path message for inter-area TE LSP to ABR3. Note that irrespective 
of whether ABR1 does nesting or stitching, the Path message for the 
inter-area TE LSP is always forwarded to ABR3. ABR3 then repeats the 
exact same procedures. If ABR3 cannot find a path obeying the set of 
constraints for the inter-area TE LSP, ABR3 sends a PathErr message to 
ABR1. Then ABR1 can in turn either select another H-LSP/S-LSP to ABR3 
if such an LSP exists or select another egress boundary LSR (ABR4 in 
the example above) if crankback is allowed for this inter-area TE LSP 
(see [CRANKBACK]). If crankback is not allowed for that inter-area TE 
LSP or if ABR1 has been configured not to perform crankback, then ABR1 
forwards the PathErr up to the inter-area Head-end LSR (R0) without 
trying to select another egress LSR. 
 
   4.2. Example with an inter-AS TE LSP 
 
 
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The path computation procedures for establishing an inter-AS TE LSP are 
very similar to those of an inter-area TE LSP described above. The main 
difference is related to the presence of inter-ASBRs link(s).  
 
4.2.1. Case 1: T1 is a contiguous TE LSP 
 
The inter-AS TE path may be configured on the Head-end LSR as a set of 
strict hops, loose hops or a combination of both. 
 
- Example 1 (set of loose hops): ASBR4(loose)-ASBR9(loose)-R6(loose) 
- Example 2 (mix of strict and loose hops): R2-ASBR3-ASBR2-ASBR1-ASBR4-
ASBR10(loose)-ASBR9-R6 
 
In the example 1 above, a per-AS path computation is performed, 
respectively on R0 for AS1, ASBR4 for AS2 and ASBR9 for AS3. Note that 
when an LSR has to perform an ERO expansion, the next hop must either 
belong to the same AS, or must be the ASBR directly connected to the 
next hops AS. In this later case, the ASBR reachability is announced in 
the IGP TE LSA/LSP originated by its neighboring ASBR. In the example 1 
above, the TE LSP path is defined as: ASBR4(loose)-ASBR9(loose)-
R6(loose). This implies that R0 must compute the path from R0 to ASBR4, 
hence the need for R0 to get the TE reservation state related to the 
ASBR1-ASBR4 link (flooded in AS1 by ASBR1). In addition, ASBR1 must 
also announce the IP address of ASBR4 specified in the T1's path 
configuration. 
 
Once it has computed the path up to the next hop ASBR, ASBR1 sends the 
Path message for the inter-area TE LSP to ASBR4 (supposing that ASBR4 
is the selected next hop ASBR). ASBR4 then repeats the exact same 
procedures. If ASBR4 cannot find a path obeying the set of constraints 
for the inter-AS TE LSP, then ASBR4 sends a PathErr message to ASBR1. 
Then ASBR1 can in turn either select another ASBR (ASBR5 in the example 
above) if crankback is allowed for this inter-AS TE LSP (see 
[CRANKBACK]). If crankback is not allowed for that inter-AS TE LSP or 
if ASBR1 has been configured not to perform crankback, ABR1 stops the 
signaling process and forwards a PathErr up to the Head-end LSR (R0) 
without trying to select another egress LSR. In this case, the Head-end 
LSR can in turn select another sequence of loose hops, if configured. 
Alternatively, the Head-end LSR may decide to retry the same path; this 
can be useful in case of set up failure due an outdated IGP TE database 
in some downstream AS. An alternative could also be for the Head-end 
LSR to retry to same sequence of loose hops after having relaxed some 
constraint(s). 
 
4.2.2. Case 2: T1 is a stitched or nested TE LSP 
 
The path computation procedures are very similar to the inter-area LSP 
setup case described earlier. In this case, the H-LSPs or S-LSPs are 
originated by the ASBRs at the entry to the AS. 
 
 
 
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draft-ietf-ccamp-inter-domain-pd-path-comp-01.txt          October 2005 
 
 
 
5. Path optimality/diversity 
 
Since the inter-domain TE LSP is computed on a per domain (area, AS) 
basis, one cannot guarantee that the optimal inter-domain path can be 
found.  
 
Moreover, computing two diverse paths using a per-domain path 
computation approach may not be possible in some topologies (due to the 
well-known "trapping" problem). 
 
As already pointed out, the required path computation method can be 
selected by the Service Provider on a per LSP basis.  
 
If the per-domain path computation technique does no meet the set of 
requirements for a particular TE LSP (e.g. path optimality, 
requirements for a set of diversely routed TE LSPs, ...) other techniques 
such as PCE-based path computation techniques may be used (see [PCE-
ARCH]). 
 
6. Reoptimization of an inter-domain TE LSP 
 
The ability to reoptimize an already established inter-domain TE LSP 
constitutes a requirement. The reoptimization process significantly 
differs based upon the nature of the TE LSP and the mechanism in use 
for the TE LSP computation. 
 
The following mechanisms can be used for reoptimization and are 
dependent on the nature of the inter-domain TE LSP. 
 
   6.1. Contiguous TE LSPs 
 
After an inter-domain TE LSP has been set up, a more optimal route 
might appear within any traversed domain. Then in this case, it is 
desirable to get the ability to reroute an inter-domain TE LSP in a 
non-disruptive fashion (making use of the so-called Make-Before-Break 
procedure) to follow such more optimal path. This is a known as a TE 
LSP reoptimization procedure.  
 
[LOOSE-REOPT] proposes a mechanism that allows the Head-end LSR to be 
notified of the existence of a more optimal path in a downstream 
domain. The Head-end LSR may then decide to gracefully reroute the TE 
LSP using the so-called Make-Before-Break procedure. 
In case of a contiguous LSP, the reoptimization process is strictly 
controlled by the Head-end LSR which triggers the make-before-break 
procedure, regardless of the location of the more optimal path. 
 
   6.2. Stitched or nested (non-contiguous) TE LSPs 
 
In the case of a stitched or nested inter-domain TE LSP, the 
reoptimization process is treated as a local matter to any domain. The 
 
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draft-ietf-ccamp-inter-domain-pd-path-comp-01.txt          October 2005 
 
 
main reason is that the inter-domain TE LSP is a different LSP (and 
therefore different RSVP session) from the intra-domain S-LSP or H-LSP 
in an area or an AS. Therefore, reoptimization in a domain is done by 
locally reoptimizing the intra-domain H-LSP or S-LSP.  Since the inter-
domain TE LSPs are transported using S-LSP or H-LSP across each domain, 
optimality of the inter-domain TE LSP in a domain is dependent on the 
optimality of the corresponding S-LSP or H-LSPs. If, after an inter-
domain LSP is setup, a more optimal path is available within an domain, 
the corresponding S-LSP  or H-LSP will be reoptimized using "Make-
Before-Break" techniques discussed in [RSVP-TE]. Reoptimization of the 
H-LSP or S-LSP automatically reoptimizes the inter-domain TE LSPs that 
the H-LSP or the S-LSP transports. Reoptimization parameters like 
frequency of reoptimization, criteria for reoptimization like metric or 
bandwidth availability, etc can vary from one domain to another and can 
be configured as required, per intra-domain TE S-LSP or H-LSP if it is 
preconfigured or based on some global policy within the domain. 
 
Hence, in this scheme, since each domain takes care of reoptimizing its 
own S-LSPs or H-LSPs, and therefore the corresponding inter-domain TE 
LSPs, the Make-Before-Break can happen locally and is not triggered by 
the Head-end LSR for the inter-domain LSP. So, no additional RSVP 
signaling is required for LSP reoptimization and reoptimization is 
transparent to the Head-end LSR of the inter-domain TE LSP. 
 
If, however, an operator desires to manually trigger reoptimization at 
the Head-end LSR for the inter-domain TE LSP, then this solution does 
not prevent that. A manual trigger for reoptimization at the Head-end 
LSR SHOULD force a reoptimization thereby signaling a "new" path for 
the same LSP (along the more optimal path) making use of the Make-
Before-Break procedure. In response to this new setup request, the 
boundary LSR may either initiate new S-LSP setup, in case the inter-
domain TE LSP is being stitched to the intra-domain S-LSP or it may 
select an existing or new H-LSP in case of nesting. When the LSP setup 
along the current path is complete, the Head-end LSR should switchover 
the traffic onto that path and the old path is eventually torn down. 
Note that the Head-end LSR does not know a priori whether a more 
optimal path exists. Such a manual trigger from the Head-end LSR of the 
inter-domain TE LSP is, however, not considered to be a frequent 
occurrence.  
 
Note that stitching or nesting rely on local optimization: the 
reoptimization process allows to locally reoptimize each TE S-LSP 
or H-LSP: hence, the reoptimization is not global and consequently the 
end to end path may no longer be optimal should it be optimal when 
being set up. 
 
Procedures described in [LOOSE-REOPT] MUST be used if the operator does 
not desire local reoptimization of certain inter-domain LSPs. In this 
case, any reoptimization event within the domain MUST be reported to 
the Head-end node. This SHOULD be a configurable policy. 
 
 
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draft-ietf-ccamp-inter-domain-pd-path-comp-01.txt          October 2005 
 
 
   6.3. Path characteristics after reoptimization 
 
Note that in the case of loose hop reoptimization of contiguous inter-
domain TE LSP or local reoptimization of stitched/nested S-LSP where 
boundary LSRs are specified as loose hops, the TE LSP may follow a 
preferable path within one or more domain(s) but would still traverse 
the same set of boundary LSRs. In contrast, in the case of PCE-based 
path computation techniques, because end to end optimal path is 
computed, the reoptimization process may lead to following a completely 
different inter-domain path (including a different set of boundary 
LSRs). 
 
7. Security Considerations 
 
Signaling of inter-domain TE LSPs raises security issues that have been 
described in section 7 of [INTER-DOMAIN-SIG]; however the path 
computation aspects specified in this document do not raise additional 
security concerns.  
 
8. Intellectual Property Considerations 
 
The IETF takes no position regarding the validity or scope of any 
Intellectual Property Rights or other rights that might be claimed to 
pertain to the implementation or use of the technology described in 
this document or the extent to which any license under such rights 
might or might not be available; nor does it represent that it has 
made any independent effort to identify any such rights.  Information 
on the procedures with respect to rights in RFC documents can be 
found in BCP 78 and BCP 79. 
 
Copies of IPR disclosures made to the IETF Secretariat and any 
assurances of licenses to be made available, or the result of an 
attempt made to obtain a general license or permission for the use of 
such proprietary rights by implementers or users of this 
specification can be obtained from the IETF on-line IPR repository at 
http://www.ietf.org/ipr. 
 
The IETF invites any interested party to bring to its attention any 
copyrights, patents or patent applications, or other proprietary 
rights that may cover technology that may be required to implement 
this standard.  Please address the information to the IETF at ietf- 
ipr@ietf.org.  
 
9. Acknowledgments 
 
We would like to acknowledge input and helpful comments from Adrian 
Farrel, Jean-Louis Le Roux and Dimitri Papadimitriou. 
 
10. References 
 

 
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draft-ietf-ccamp-inter-domain-pd-path-comp-01.txt          October 2005 
 
 
   10.1. Normative References 
 
[RFC2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to indicate 
requirements levels", RFC 2119, March 1997. 
    
[RFC3979] Bradner, S., Ed., "Intellectual Property Rights in IETF 
Technology", BCP 79, RFC 3979, March 2005. 
  
[RSVP] Braden, et al, "Resource ReSerVation Protocol (RSVP)" Version 
1, Functional Specification", RFC 2205, September 1997. 
 
[RSVP-TE] Awduche, et al, "Extensions to RSVP for LSP Tunnels", RFC 
3209, December 2001. 
 
[OSPF-TE] Katz, D., Yeung, D., Kompella, K., "Traffic Engineering 
Extensions to OSPF Version 2", RFC 3630, September 2003. 
 
[ISIS-TE] Li, T., Smit, H., "IS-IS extensions for Traffic Engineering", 
RFC 3784, June 2004. 
 
[G-OSPF]Rekhter Y., Kompella K, et al., "OSPF Extensions in Support of 
Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching", draft-ietf-ccamp-ospf-
gmpls-extensions, work in progress. 
 
[G-ISIS] Rekhter Y., Kompella K, et al., "IS-IS Extensions in Support 
of Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching", draft-ietf-isis-gmpls-
extensions, work in progress. 
 
   10.2. Informative references 
 
[CRANKBACK] Farrel A., et al., "Crankback Signaling Extensions for MPLS 
and GMPLS RSVP-TE", draft-ietf-ccamp-crankback, work in progress. 
 
[INT-AREA-REQ] Le Roux, J.L., Vasseur, J.P., Boyle, J., "Requirements 
for inter-area MPLS Traffic Engineering", RFC 4105, June 2005. 
    
[INT-AS-REQ] Zhang, R., Vasseur, J.P., "MPLS Inter-AS Traffic 
Engineering Requirements", draft-ietf-tewg-interas-mpls-te-req, work in 
progress. 
    
[INT-DOMAIN-FRWK] Farrel, A., Vasseur, J.P., Ayyangar, A., "A Framework 
for Inter-Domain MPLS Traffic Engineering", draft-ietf-ccamp-inter-
domain-framework, work in progress. 
    

 
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draft-ietf-ccamp-inter-domain-pd-path-comp-01.txt          October 2005 
 
 
[INTER-DOMAIN-SIG] Ayyangar, A., Vasseur, JP. "Inter-domain MPLS 
Traffic Engineering - RSVP extensions", draft-ietf-ccamp-inter-domain-
rsvp-te, work in progress. 
 
[LSP-STITCHING] Ayyangar, A., Vasseur, JP. "Label Switched Path 
Stitching with Generalized MPLS Traffic Engineering", draft-ietf-ccamp-
lsp-stitching-00, work under progress. 
 
[LOOSE-PATH-REOPT] Vasseur, Ikejiri and Zhang "Reoptimization of an 
explicit loosely routed MPLS TE paths", draft-ietf-ccamp-loose-path-
reopt, work in Progress. 
 
[LSP-HIER] Kompella K., Rekhter Y., "LSP Hierarchy with Generalized 
MPLS TE", draft-ietf-mpls-lsp-hierarchy-08.txt, March 2002. 
 
[PCE-ARCH] Farrel A., Vasseur J.P, Ash J, "Path Computation Element 
(PCE) Architecture", draft-ietf-pce-architecture, work in progress. 
 
Authors' Address: 
 
Jean-Philippe Vasseur (Editor) 
Cisco Systems, Inc. 
300 Beaver Brook Road 
Boxborough , MA - 01719 
USA 
Email: jpv@cisco.com 
 
Arthi Ayyangar (Editor) 
Juniper Networks, Inc 
1194 N.Mathilda Ave 
Sunnyvale, CA 94089 
USA 
e-mail: arthi@juniper.net  
 
Raymond Zhang 
BT/Infonet 
2160 E. Grand Ave. 
El Segundo, CA 90025 
USA 
Email: raymond_zhang@infonet.com  
 
 
Full Copyright Statement 
 
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2005).  This document is subject to 
the rights, licenses and restrictions contained in BCP 78, and except 
as set forth therein, the authors retain all their rights. 
    
This document and the information contained herein are provided on an   
"AS IS" basis and THE CONTRIBUTOR, THE ORGANIZATION HE/SHE REPRESENTS 
OR IS SPONSORED BY (IF ANY), THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET 
 
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draft-ietf-ccamp-inter-domain-pd-path-comp-01.txt          October 2005 
 
 
ENGINEERING TASK FORCE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, 
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE 
INFORMATION HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED 
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. 
 
 
 












































 
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PAFTECH AB 2003-20262026-04-23 08:54:04