One document matched: draft-shiomoto-ccamp-gmpls-mrn-reqs-01.txt

Differences from draft-shiomoto-ccamp-gmpls-mrn-reqs-00.txt



        Network Working Group                    Kohei Shiomoto (NTT) 
        Internet Draft                Dimitri Papadimitriou (Alcatel) 
        Expires: August 2005      Jean-Louis Le Roux (France Telecom) 
                                           Martin Vigoureux (Alcatel) 
                                              Deborah Brungard (AT&T) 
                                                                    
                                                       February 2005 
         
         
            Requirements for GMPLS-based multi-region networks (MRN) 
                                       
                  draft-shiomoto-ccamp-gmpls-mrn-reqs-01.txt 
         
         
     Status of this Memo 
         
        This document is an Internet-Draft and is subject to all 
        provisions of section 3 of RFC 3667. By submitting this 
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        will be disclosed, in accordance with RFC 3668. 
         
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     Copyright Notice 
         
        Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2005). All Rights Reserved. 

         
     Abstract 
         
        Most of the initial efforts on Generalized MPLS (GMPLS) have 
        been related to environments hosting devices with a single 
        switching capability, that is, one data plane switching layer. 
        The complexity raised by the control of such data planes is 
        similar to that seen in classical IP/MPLS networks. 
         
        By extending MPLS to support multiple switching technologies, 
        GMPLS provides a comprehensive framework for the control of a 
        network where different types of switching capabilities coexist, 
        which we call multi-region networks (MRN). This draft defines a 
        framework for GMPLS based multi-region networks and lists a set 
        of functional requirements. 
         
     1. Introduction 
         
        Generalized MPLS (GMPLS) extends MPLS to handle multiple 
        switching technologies: packet switching, layer-two switching, 
        TDM switching, wavelength switching, and fiber switching (see 
        [GMPLS-ARCH]). The Interface Switching Capability concept is 

          
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        introduced for these switching technologies and is designated as 
        follows: PSC (packet switch capable), L2SC (Layer-2 switch 
        capable), TDM (Time Division Multiplex capable), LSC (lambda 
        switch capable), and FSC (fiber switch capable). 
         
        Service providers may operate networks where multiple different 
        switching capabilities exist. These networks consist of several 
        switching technology domains, each of which uses the same 
        switching capability. The representation, in a GMPLS control 
        plane, of a switching technology domain is referred to as a 
        region [HIER].  
         
        A network comprising of multiple switching capabilities, 
        controlled by a single GMPLS control plane instance is called a 
        Multi-Region Network (MRN). MRNs can be categorized according to 
        the distribution of the switching capabilities amongst the LSRs: 
        - Network elements are single switching capable LSRs and  
          different types of LSRs form the network. All TE links  
          terminating on such nodes have the same interface switching  
          capability. A typical example is a network composed of PSC and  
          TDM LSRs with only PSC TE-links and with only TDM TE-links,  
          respectively. 
        - Network elements are multi-switching capable LSRs i.e. nodes  
          hosting at least more than one switching capability. TE links  
          terminating on such nodes may have a set of one or more  
          interface switching capabilities. A typical example is a  
          network composed of LSRs that are capable of switching with  
          PSC+TDM TE-links. Multi-switching capable LSRs are further  
          classified as "simplex" and "hybrid" nodes (see Section 4.2). 
        - Any combination of the above two elements. A network composed  
          of both single and multi-switching capable LSRs. 
         
        Since GMPLS provides a comprehensive framework for the control 
        of different switching capabilities, a single GMPLS instance may 
        be used to control the MRNs enabling rapid service provisioning 
        and efficient resource usage across all switching capabilities. 
         
        In GMPLS-based multi-region networks, TE Links are consolidated 
        into a single Traffic Engineering Database (TED). Since this TED 
        contains the information relative to all the different regions 
        existing in the network, a path across multiple regions can be 
        computed using this TED. Thus optimization of network resources 
        can be sought and take place in across multiple regions. 
         
        Consider, for example, a network consisting of IP/MPLS routers 
        and TDM cross-connects. Assume that a packet LSP is routed 
        between source and destination IP/MPLS routers, and that the LSP 
        can be routed across the PSC-region (i.e., utilizing only 
        resources of the IP/MPLS level topology). If the performance 
        objective for the LSP is not satisfied, new data links may be 
        created between the IP/MPLS routers across the TDM-region and 
        the LSP can be routed over those links. Further, even if the LSP 
        can be successfully established across the PSC-region, TDM FA-
        LSPs across the TDM region between the IP/MPLS routers may be 
        established and used if doing so enables meeting an operatorĘs 
        objectives on network resources available (e.g., link bandwidth, 
        and adaptation port between regions) across the multiple 
        regions. 
         
        A service provider's network may be divided into different 
        network layers. The customer's network is considered the highest 
        layer network, and interfaces to the highest layer of the 
        service provider's network. Network layers are commonly arranged 
        according to the switching capabilities of the devices in the 
        networks. Thus a customer network may be provided on top of the 
        GMPLS-based multi-region network. Such customer networks may 
          
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        take various kind of network layer. Services provided on top of 
        GMPLS-based multi-region network is refereed to as "Multi-region 
        network services". For example legacy IP and MPLS/IP networks 
        can be supported on top of the multi-region networks. Details 
        concerning requirements for such services and functionality 
        required from multi-region networks to deliver such services 
        will be addressed in a future release of this document. It has 
        however to be emphasized that delivery of such services is a 
        strong motivator for the deployment of multi-region networks. 
         
        This document describes the requirements for the multi-region 
        network. The rest of this document is organized as follows. In 
        Section 3, the region and layer terminology considerations are 
        provided. In Section 4, the key concepts for the Generalized 
        MPLS-based multi-region and multi-layer service networks are 
        described. In Section 5, the functional requirements are listed. 
         
        There is no intention to specify solution specific elements in 
        this document. The applicability of existing GMPLS protocol to 
        MRN, and any protocol extensions, will be addressed in separate 
        documents. 
         
     2. 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]. 
         
     3. Positioning 
         
     3.1. LSP Region and layer  
      
        From the control plane viewpoint, an LSP region is defined as a 
        set of one or several data plane layers that share the same type 
        of switching technology. Examples of regions are: PSC, L2SC, 
        TDM, LSC, and FSC regions. Hence, an LSP region is a technology 
        domain (identified by the Switching Capability) for which data 
        plane resources (i.e. data links) are represented into the 
        control plane as an aggregate of TE information associated to a 
        set of links (i.e. TE links). Example: VC-11 to VC4-64c capable 
        TE links are part of the same TDM Region.   
         
        On the other hand, a data plane layer is a network resource of a 
        certain topological type (using the same type of termination 
        functions, e.g. a VC-11 and a VC-4-64c represent two different 
        layers), that could be used for establishing LSPs or 
        connectionless traffic delivery.  
         
        Note also that region is a control plane only concept. That is, 
        layers of the same region share the same switching technology 
        and, therefore, need the same set of technology specific 
        signaling objects. Multiple layers can exist in a single region 
        network. Moreover, the control plane mechanisms related to LSP 
        region, e.g., Forwarding Adjacency (FA) and Virtual FA Topology, 
        described as part of this document can also be described from a 
        data plane multi-layer perspective. 
          
        A service provider's network may be divided into different 
        service network layers. The customer's network is considered the 
        highest layer network, and interfaces to the highest layer of 
        the service provider's network. Connectivity across the highest 
        layer of the service provider's network may be provided with 
        support from networks of successively lower layers. Network 
        layers are commonly arranged according to the switching 
        capabilities of the devices in the networks so that, for example, 
          
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        there may be layer one networks (TDM, LSC and FSC) supporting 
        layer two networks (L2SC) supporting layer three networks (IP 
        and MPLS). The supported data plane relationship is, however, a 
        data-plane client-server relationship where the lower layer 
        provides a service for the higher layer using the data links of 
        the lower layer, and so the layering relationship is actually 
        administrative rather than dependent on the switching 
        capabilities of the networks. Note that a multi-region  network 
        does not impact the arbitrary data plane layering of networks.  
         
     4. Key mechanisms in GMPLS-based multi-region networks 
         
        An example of Multi-Region Networks (MRN) which consists of PSC 
        and LSC is illustrated in Figure 1. The concept of region is by 
        nature hierarchical. PSC and LSC are defined from the upper to 
        the lower regions in Figure 1. Network elements with different 
        switching technologies in the MRN are controlled by a unified 
        GMPLS control plane. 
         
                                   +-----+ 
                                   | PSC | 
                         ----------|     |--------- 
                        |          | LSC |         | 
                        |          +-----+         | 
                        |             |            |          
                     +-----+       +-----+      +-----+  
                     | PSC |       |     |      |     | 
                     |     |-------| LSC |------| PSC | 
                     | LSC |       |     |      |     | 
                     +-----+       +-----+      +-----+ 
                        |             |            | 
                        |          +-----+         | 
                        |          | PSC |         | 
                         ----------|     |--------- 
                                   | LSC | 
                                   +-----+ 
         
                Figure 1: Example of multi-region network 
         
     4.1. Interface switching capability 
         
        The Interface Switching Capability (ISC) concept is introduced 
        in GMPLS to support various kinds of switching technology in a 
        unified way [GMPLS-ROUTING]. An ISC refers to the ability of a 
        node  to forward data of a particular type. PSC, L2SC, TDM, LSC, 
        and FSC are defined. Each end of the link in a GMPLS network is 
        associated with at least one switching capability. For example, 
        PSC is associated with an interface which can delineate IP/MPLS 
        packets (e.g., a router's interface) while LSC is associated 
        with an interface which can switch individual wavelengths 
        multiplexed in a fiber link (e.g., an OXC's interface). Links in 
        the TE database are identified by their switching capabilities 
        (at both ends). 
         
        An interface may have multiple interface switching capabilities. 
        A router has only interfaces with a single switching capability 
        (PSC) while a hybrid node has a mixture of interfaces with 
        single and multiple switching capabilities. 
         
     4.2. Multiple Switching Capabilities 
         
        In MRN, network elements may be single-switching or multiple 
        switching capable nodes. Single switching capable nodes will 
        advertise a unique switching capability value as part of their 
        Interface Switching Capability Descriptor (ISCD) sub-TLV(s) to 

          
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        describe the termination of all their TE Link(s). This case is 
        described in [GMPLS-ROUTING]. 
         
        Moreover, in MRN, some network elements may be multiple 
        switching capable nodes. Two types of multi-switching capable 
        nodes are defined: simplex and hybrid nodes.  
        - A simplex node, has a single switching capability per  
          interface, but can comprise of interfaces with distinct  
          switching capabilities (example: an LSR with PSC only  
          interfaces and TDM only interfaces). 
        - A hybrid node, on the other hand, has interfaces with multiple  
          switching capabilities, and interfaces of the same hybrid node  
          may have different multiple switching capabilities (ex. LSR  
          with PSC + TDM interfaces). It may also have interfaces of a  
          single switching capability, in addition to its interfaces  
          supporting multiple switching capabilities. 
         
        Simplex and Hybrid nodes can also be categorized according to 
        the way they advertise these multiple switching capabilities. 
        - A simplex node advertises several TE Links each with a single  
          SC value as part of its ISCD sub-TLVs. 
        - An hybrid node advertises at least one TE Link containing  
          multiple ISCDs with different SC values (at least one per  
          supported SC value per interface). 
         
        Note: These cases are only partially described in [GMPLS-
        ROUTING]. 
         
      4.3.1 MRN with Simplex nodes 
         
        In this case, the MRN network consists of at least one simplex 
        node and include a set of single switching capable nodes (i.e. 
        all TE links terminating on such nodes have the same switching 
        capability). 
         
        For example, the node TL2 in Figure 2 is a simplex node, which 
        has links associated with TDM and links associated with LSC. At 
        the region boundary, the interface switching capabilities of the 
        ends of the link are different. When an LSP crosses the boundary 
        from the upper to the lower regions, it is nested in a lower-
        region FA. 
         
          .........................................................  
          :      ...........................................      :  
          :      :      .............................      :      :  
          :      :      :      ...............      :      :      :  
          :  PSC :  TDM : LSC  :  FSC        :      :      :      :  
          : +--+ : +--+ : +--+ : +--+   +--+ : +--+ : +--+ : +--+ :  
          : |P1|---|T1|---|L1|---|F1|---|F3|---|L3|---|T3|---|P3| :  
          : +--+ : +--+ : +--+ : +--+   +--+ : +--+ : +--+ : +--+ :  
          :   |  :   |  :   |  :   |      |  :   |  :   |  :   |  :  
          :   |  :   |  :   |  :   |      |  :   |  :   |  :   |  :  
          : +--+ : +---------+ : +--+   +--+ : +--+ : +--+ : +--+ :  
          : |P2|---|   TL2   |---|F2|---|F4|---|L4|---|T4|---|P4| :  
          : +--+ : +---------+ : +--+   +--+ : +--+ : +--+ : +--+ :  
          :      :      :       ..............      :      :      :  
          :      :      .............................      :      :  
          :      ...........................................      :  
          ......................................................... 
      
                           Figure 2: Simplex node MRN model. 
         
      4.3.2 MRN with hybrid nodes  
         
        In this case, the MRN network consists of at least one hybrid 
        node and include a set of single switching capable nodes (i.e. 
          
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        all TE links terminating on such nodes have the same switching 
        capability). 
         
        Figure 3a shows an example of a hybrid node. The hybrid node has 
        two switching elements, which have, for instance, interface 
        switching capabilities PSC and TDM. It has two external 
        interfaces (Link1 and Link2), which are directly connected to 
        the switching element of TDM. The two switching elements are 
        interconnected via an internal interface, which is not disclosed 
        outside the network element. The internal interface is used to 
        facilitate the "adaptation" between different switching 
        capabilities: PSC and TDM. By cross-connecting port #a and port 
        #b in the TDM switching element, if no reconfiguration of the 
        ISCD sub-TLVs for Link 2 is performed, Link 2 is still 
        advertised as being capable of TDM and PSC switching. Therefore, 
        since there are no free resources for having a PSC FA Link 
        terminating on this node, Link 2 should be advertised with a  
        PSC ISCD sub-TLV with Max LSP bandwidth set to 0 for all 
        priorities to described that only TDM resources are still 
        available on this link.  
         
                                Network element 
                           ............................. 
                           :            --------       : 
                           :           |  PSC   |      : 
                           :  +--<->---|        |      : 
                           :  |         --------       : 
                 TDM       :  |        ----------      : 
                 +PSC      :  +--<->--|#a  TDM   |     : 
               Link1 ------------<->--|#b        |     : 
               Link2 ------------<->--|#c        |     : 
                           :           ----------      : 
                           :............................ 
         
                                Figure 3a. Hybrid node. 
         
        Figure 3b illustrates that existing GMPLS Routing is not 
        sufficient and need to be extended to consider (internal) 
        adaptation capabilities for hybrid nodes. 
         
                                Network element 
                           ............................. 
                           :            --------       : 
                           :           |  PSC   |      : 
                           :           |        |      : 
                           :         --|#b1     |      : 
                           :        |  |   #d   |      : 
                           :        |   --------       : 
                           :        |       |          : 
                           :        |  ----------      : 
                           :    /|  | |    #c    |     : 
                           :   | |--  |          |     : 
                 Link1 ========| |    |    TDM   |     : 
                           :   | |----|#b2       |     : 
                           :    \|     ----------      : 
                           :............................ 
         
                           Figure 3b. Hybrid node. 
         
        Let's assume that all interfaces are STM64 (with VC4-16c capable 
        as Max LSP bandwidth). So, initially, TE Link 1 composed is 
        advertised with two ISCD sub-TLVs: 
        - ISCD #1 sub-TLV: TDM with Max LSP bandwidth = STM16 (i.e. VC4- 
          16c capable as Max LSP bandwidth) and Unreserved bandwidth =  
          STM64 
        - ISCD #2 sub-TLV: PSC with Max LSP bandwidth = 2.5 Gb (i.e.    
          
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          and Unreserved bandwidth = 10 Gb 
         
        After, setting up several PSC LSPs via port #d, there is only 
        155 Mb capacity still available between on port #d, however a 
        622 Mb capacity remains on port b1 and VC4-5c capacity in port 
        b2. TE Link 1 is now advertised with the following ISCD sub-
        TLVs: 
        - ISCD #1 sub-TLV: TDM with Max LSP bandwidth = VC4-4c, the  
          Unreserved bandwidth reflects the VC4-5c capacity still  
          available for port b2 
        - ISCD #2 sub-TLV: PSC with Max LSP bandwidth = 622 Mb, the 
          Unreserved bandwidth reflects the capacity still available for  
          the whole link i.e. 622 (port #b1) + 155 (port #d) Mb 
         
        When computing the path for a new PSC LSP of 622 Mbps, one 
        cannot know, based on existing GMPLS routing advertisements (i.e. 
        two ISCD sub-TLVs), that it cannot setup a PSC-LSP that would be 
        nested into a new VC4-4c TDM FA-LSP as there is only 155M still 
        available for TDM-PSC adaptation. Thus, in that case additional 
        routing information is required to advertise the available TDM-
        PSC internal adaptation resources (i.e. 155 Mb here). 
         
      4.3.3 Vertical and Horizontal interaction and integration 
         
        Vertical interaction is defined as the collaborative mechanisms 
        within a network element that is capable of supporting more than 
        one switching capability (for example, PSC + LSC capable nodes). 
        Integration of these interactions as part of the control plane 
        is referred to as vertical integration. The latter refers thus 
        to the collaborative mechanisms within a single control plane 
        instance driving multiple switching capabilities (i.e. multiple 
        LSP regions). Such a concept is useful in order to construct a 
        framework that facilitates efficient network resource usage and 
        rapid service provisioning in carrier's networks that are based 
        on multiple switching technologies. 
         
        Horizontal interaction is defined as the protocol exchange 
        between network elements that support a single common switching 
        technology (i.e. switching capability). For instance, the 
        control plane interactions between two LSC network elements is 
        an example of horizontal interaction. GMPLS protocol operations 
        handle horizontal interactions within the same routing area. For 
        the case where the interaction takes place across a domain 
        boundary, such as between two routing areas that support the 
        same switching technology, is currently being evaluated as part 
        of the inter-domain work [Inter-domain] and referred to as 
        horizontal integration. The latter refers thus to the 
        collaborative mechanisms between network partitions and/or 
        administrative boundaries such as routing areas or autonomous 
        systems. This distinction gets blurred when administrative 
        domains match LSP region boundaries. For example, the 
        collaborative mechanisms in place between two lambda switching 
        capable areas relate to horizontal integration. On the other 
        hand, the collaborative mechanisms in place in a IP/MPLS over a 
        TDM switching capable network could either be associated to 
        horizontal integration (if each network is associated to an 
        separate area) or to vertical integration (if both capabilities 
        are located within the same area and driven by the same control 
        plane instance). 
         
        Networks where multiple switching capability (as defined in 
        [RFC3945]) exist and are controllable through vertical 
        interaction are termed "multi-region" networks. This document 
        focuses on multi-region networks as a way to realize effective 
        vertical integration. 
         
          
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     4.3. Integrated Traffic Engineering (TE) and Resource Control 
         
        In GMPLS-based multi-region networks, TE Links are consolidated 
        into a single Traffic Engineering Database (TED). Since this TED 
        contains the information relative to all the different regions 
        existing in the network, a path across multiple regions can be 
        computed using this TED. Thus optimization of network resources 
        across the multiple regions can be achieved. 
         
        The multi-region concept allows for the operation of one network 
        switching type over another switching type (for example, the use 
        of a PSC Forwarding Adjacency over an LSC network), the multi-
        region concept offers a greater degree of control and 
        interworking including (but not limited too): 
        - dynamic establishment of FA-LSPs 
        - provisioning of end-to-end LSPs with dynamic FA-LSP triggering 
         
        Note that MRN including multi-switching capable nodes, as the 
        explicit route for establishing the end-to-end LSP can includes 
        nodes belonging to multiple region (e.g. strict route), a 
        mechanism to control the dynamic creation of FA-LSPs between 
        each pair of node is required. 
         
        There is a full spectrum of control as to how FA-LSPs can be 
        established dynamically. It can be subject to the control of a 
        policy, which may be set by a management component, and may 
        require that the management plane is consulted at the time of FA 
        establishment. Or FA-LSPs can be established at the request of 
        the control plane without any management control. 
         
     4.4. Triggered signaling 
         
        When a LSP crosses the boundary from an upper to a lower region, 
        it may be nested in or stitched to a lower-region LSP. If such 
        an LSP does not exist, the LSP may be established dynamically. 
        Such a mechanism is referred to as "triggered signaling". 
         
     4.5. Forwarding adjacency (FA) 
         
        Once an LSP across a lower region is created, it can be 
        advertised as a TE-link called a Forwarding Adjacency (FA) TE 
        link, allowing other nodes to use the LSP as a TE links for 
        their path computation [HIER]. The FA is a useful and powerful 
        tool for improving the scalability of GMPLS Traffic Engineering 
        (TE) capable networks. 
         
        The aggregation of TE Label Switched Paths (TE-LSPs) enables the 
        creation of a vertical (nested) TE-LSP Hierarchy. A set of FAs 
        across or within a lower region can be used by a higher region 
        as part of the path computation process, and higher region LSPs 
        may be carried across the FAs (just as they are carried across 
        any TE link). This process requires either the nesting of LSPs 
        through a hierarchical process [HIER]. In the MRN, since more 
        than one higher region paths computation and modification can 
        occur, FAs in the various regions are treated in a simple and 
        efficient way. A MRN traffic engineering database (TED) is a set 
        of FA information from multiple different regions. An FA's 
        region is identified by the interface switching capability 
        attached to the link state advertisement associated with the FA 
        [GMPLS-ROUTING]. 
         
     4.6. Virtual network topology (VNT) 
         
        A set of lower-region FAs provides a set of information for 
        efficient path handling in the upper-region of the MRN, or 
        provides a virtual network topology to the upper-region. For 
          
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        instance, a set of FAs, each of which is instantiated by an LSC 
        LSP, provides a virtual network topology to the PSC region, 
        assuming that the PSC region is connected to the LSC region. The 
        virtual network topology is configured by setting up or tearing 
        down the LSC LSPs. By using GMPLS signaling and routing 
        protocols, the virtual network topology can be easily adapted to 
        traffic demands. 
         
        By reconfiguring the virtual network topology according to 
        traffic demand between source and destination node pairs, 
        network performance factors, such as maximum link utilization 
        and residual capacity of the network, can be optimized [MAMLTE]. 
        Reconfiguration is performed by computing the new VNT from the 
        traffic demand matrix and optionally from the current VNT. Exact 
        details are outside the scope of this document. However, this 
        method MAY be tailored according to the service provider's 
        policy regarding network performance and quality of service 
        (delay, loss/disruption, utilization, residual capacity, 
        reliability). 
         
     5. Requirements 
         
     5.1. Requirements for multi-region TE 
         
      5.1.1 Scalability 
         
        The MRN relies on a unified traffic engineering and routing 
        model. The Traffic Engineering Database in each LSR will be 
        populated with TE-links from all regions. This may lead to a 
        huge amount of information that has to be flooded and stored 
        within the network. Furthermore, path computation delays, which 
        may be of huge importance during restoration, will depend on the 
        size of the TE Database. 
         
        Thus MRN routing mechanisms MUST be designed to scale well with 
        an increase of any of the following: 
            - Number of nodes 
            - Number of TE-links (including FA-LSP) 
            - Number of LSPs 
            - Number of regions 
         
      5.1.2 FA link resource utilization 
         
        It MUST be possible to utilize network resources efficiently. 
        Particularly, resource usage in each region SHOULD be optimized 
        as a whole (i.e. across all regions), in a coordinated manner. 
        The number of lower-region FA-LSPs carrying upper-region LSPs 
        SHOULD be minimized. Redundant lower-region FA-LSPs SHOULD be 
        avoided (except for protection purpose). 
         
      5.1.2.1 FA release and setup 
         
        Statistical multiplexing can only be employed in PSC and L2SC 
        regions. PSC or L2SC (FA-)LSP may or may not consume the maximum 
        reservable bandwidth of the FA-LSP. On the other hand, a TDM, or 
        LSC (FA-)LSP always consumes a fixed amount of bandwidth of the 
        FA-LSP as long as it exists (and is fully instantiated) because 
        statistical multiplexing is not available. 
         
        If there is low traffic demand, some FA-LSPs, which do not carry 
        any LSP may be released so that resources are released. Note 
        that if a small fraction of the available bandwidth is still 
        under usage the nested LSPs can also be re-routed (make before 
        break, before releasing the nesting FA-LSP. Alternatively, the 
        FA-LSPs may be retained for future usage. Release or retention 
        of underutilized FA-LSPs is a policy decision. 
          
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        As part of the re-optimization process, the MRN solution MUST 
        allow rerouting of FA-LSPs while keeping interface identifiers 
        of FA links unchanged. 
         
        Additional FAs MAY also be created based on policy, which might 
        consider residual resources and the change of traffic demand 
        across the region. By creating the new FAs, the network 
        performance such as maximum residual capacity may be improved. 
         
        As the number of FAs grows, the residual resource may decrease. 
        In this case, re-optimization of FAs MAY be invoked according 
        the policy. 
         
      5.1.2.2 Virtual FAs 
         
        If FAs are used to enable connectivity over part or all of the 
        lower-region, it may be considered disadvantageous to fully 
        instantiate (i.e. pre-provision) the FA-LSPs since this may 
        reserve bandwidth within the lower-region network that could be 
        used for other LSPs in the absence of the upper-region traffic. 
         
        However, in order that the upper-region can route traffic across 
        the lower-region, the FA links MAY (this is not a MUST 
        requirement as you can route an upper region LSP into a lower 
        region based on lower region TE-links, even if there is no FA) 
        still be advertised into the lower-region as TE links. Such FA 
        links that represent the possibility of an FA-LSP are termed 
        "virtual FAs". 
         
        If an upper-region LSP that makes use of a virtual FA is set up, 
        the underlying FA-LSP MUST be immediately signaled if it has not 
        already been signaled. 
         
        If virtual FAs are used in place of FAs, the TE links across the 
        lower-region can remain stable using pre-computed paths while 
        wastage of bandwidth within the lower-region, and unnecessary 
        reservation of adaptation ports at the border nodes is avoided. 
         
        The set of the virtual FAs defines the virtual FA topology 
        across the lower region. The solution is expected to deliver the 
        following mechanism in terms of the build-up of virtual FA 
        topology operations taking into account the (forecast) traffic 
        demand and available resource in the lower-region. The virtual 
        FA topology MAY be modified dynamically (by adding or removing 
        virtual FAs) according to the change of the (forecast) traffic 
        demand and the available resource in the lower-region. 
         
        The virtual FA topology can be changed by setting up and/or 
        tearing down virtual FA-LSPs as well as by changes to real links 
        and to real FAs. The maximum number of FAs that can be soft 
        provisioned on a given resources SHOULD be well-engineered. How 
        to design the virtual FA topology and its changes is out of 
        scope of this document.  
         
      5.1.3 FA LSP Attribute inheritance 
         
        FA TE-Link parameters SHOULD be inherited from FA-LSP parameters. 
        These include: 
            - Interface Switching Capability 
            - TE metric 
            - Maximum LSP bandwidth per priority level 
            - Unreserved bandwidth for all priority levels  
            - Maximum Reservable bandwidth 
            - Protection attribute 
            - Minimum LSP bandwidth (depending on the Switching  
          
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               Capability) 
         
        Inheritance rules MUST be applied based on specific policies. 
        Particular attention should be given to the inheritance of TE 
        metric and protection attributes. 
         
      5.1.4 Verify the FA before it enters service 
         
        When the FA is created, it SHOULD be verified before it enters 
        the in-service state. Data-plane connectivity, performance 
        SHOULD be examined. 
         
      5.1.5 Disruption minimization 
         
        When reconfiguring the virtual network topology according to the 
        traffic demand change, the upper-region LSP may be disrupted. 
        Such disruption MUST be minimized. 
         
        When residual resource decreases to a certain level, some FAs 
        may be released according to policies. Ideally, only FAs that 
        are not carrying LSPs would be released, but in some cases it 
        may be necessary to release FAs that are carrying traffic. 
         
      5.1.6 Path computation re-optimization stability 
         
        When the virtual network topology is reconfigured, the path 
        computation over the virtual network topology may be affected 
        (re-optimized). The re-optimization of the path computation 
        should be carefully controlled when the virtual network topology 
        is reconfigured. 
         
        The path computation is dependent on the network topology and 
        associated link state. The path computation stability of upper 
        region may be impaired if the Virtual Network Topology 
        frequently changes and/or if the status and TE parameters (TE 
        metric for instance) of links in the Virtual Network Topology 
        changes frequently. 
         
        In this context, robustness of the Virtual Network Topology is 
        defined as the capability to smooth changes that may occur and 
        avoid their subsequent propagation. Changes of the Virtual 
        Network Topology may be caused by the creation and/or deletion 
        of several LSPs. 
         
        Creation and deletion of LSPs may be triggered by adjacent 
        regions or through operational actions to meet change of traffic 
        demand. Routing robustness should be traded with adaptability 
        with respect to the change of incoming traffic requests. 
         
        A full mesh of LSPs may be created between every pair of border 
        nodes of the PSC region. The merit of a full mesh of PSC FAs is 
        that it provides stability to the PSC-level routing. That is, 
        the forwarding table of an PSC-LSR is not impacted by re-routing 
        changes within the lower-region (e.g., TDM). Further, there is 
        always full PSC reachability and immediate access to bandwidth 
        to support PSC LSPs. But it also has significant drawbacks, 
        since it requires the maintenance of n^2 RSVP-TE sessions, which 
        may be quite CPU and memory consuming (scalability impact). 
         
      5.1.7 Computing paths with and without nested signaling 
         
        Path computation may take into account LSP region boundaries 
        when computing a path for an LSP. For example, path computation 
        may restrict the path taken by an LSP to only the links whose 
        interface switching capability is PSC-1. 
         
          
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        Interface switching capability is used as a constraint in 
        computing the path. A TDM-LSP is routed over the topology 
        composed of TE links, both of whose ends has TDM switching 
        capability. 
         
        In Figure 4, a TDM-LSP is routed from LSR-P1, through TDM_SW-T1 
        and TDM_SW-T2, to LSR-P2. The path for the TDM-LSP is composed 
        of links, both of whose ends has TDM switching capability. Once 
        the TDM LSP is set up, it is advertised as an FA-LSP, both ends 
        of which are PSC. In calculating the path for the PSC-LSP, the 
        TE database is filtered to include the link, both ends of which 
        include only PSC. In this way hierarchical routing of the PSC-
        LSP and TDM-LSP is done by using a TE database filtered with 
        respect to switching capability. 
         
        There may be a case, in which we can set up the LSP if we build 
        new lower-region LSPs along the computed path. Suppose that we 
        set up the TDM-LSP between P1 and P2 in Figure 5. The TDM-LSP is 
        routed over the path T1-L1-L2-T2. At this time, there is no 
        direct link between T1 and T2. Then, the LSC-LSP is set up 
        between T1 and T2. The LSC-LSP setup request (between T1 and T2) 
        is triggered by the TDM-LSP setup request (between P1 and P2). 
        If triggered signaling is allowed, the path computation 
        mechanism may produce a route containing multiple regions. 
         
            .................................................. 
            :       ..................................       : 
            :       :       .................        :       : 
            :       :       :               :        :       : 
            :  PSC  :  TDM  : LSC           :        :       : 
            : +--+  :  +--+ :   +--+   +--+ :   +--+ :  +--+ : 
            : |P1|-----|T1|-----|L1|---|L2|-----|T2|----|P2| : 
            : +--+  :  +--+ :   +--+   +--+ :   +--+ :  +--+ : 
            :       :    |  .................    |   :       : 
            :       :    |                       |   :       : 
            :       :     ------------------------   :       : 
            :       ..................................       : 
            .................................................. 
         
                         Figure 4 and 5. Path computation in MRN. 
         
      5.1.8 Handling single-switching and multi-switching TE links 
         
        The MRN can consist of single-switching capable and multi 
        switching capable TE links. The path computation mechanism in 
        the MRN SHOULD be able to compute the paths consisting of both 
        types of TE-links. 
         
        Recall the simplex node model shown in Figure 2. The switching 
        capability of both ends of a TE-link may or may not be the same. 
        For a TE-link between an LSR and a TDM switch, the switching 
        capability of the end-point on the LSR-side is PSC while the one 
        on the TDM switch-side is TDM. For a TE-link between two TDM 
        switches, the switching capability of the both end-points is TDM. 
         
        The links of the hybrid node shown in Figure 3 are advertised as 
        TE-links with multiple interface switching capabilities: PSC and 
        TDM. The hybrid node is used as a transit node for a TDM-region. 
        At the same time, the hybrid node is used as an ingress, egress, 
        or transit node for the PSC-region. 
         
      5.1.9 Advertisement of the available adaptation resource 
         
        A multi-switching capable node is required to hold and advertise 
        resource information on its internal links. 
         
          
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        Requirements for GMPLS-based multi-region network    Feb. 2005 
         
        For example, if the hybrid node shown in Figure 3a is used as an 
        ingress or egress node, once the cross-connection is made 
        between port #a and #b in the TDM switching element, a new FA 
        link is advertised as with a single switching capability: PSC. 
        After that, there is no available internal link to connect port 
        #b to the PSC. Therefore, a mechanism is required such that Link 
        2 ISCD sub-TLVs are advertised with Max LSP bandwidth values 
        reflecting that only TDM resources are still available on this 
        link. 
         
        However, as shown in Figure 3b, the above mechanism is not 
        realizable anymore when a given switching capability is accessed 
        directly from the incoming link and from another switching 
        capability hosted by the same node. Therefore, within multi-
        region networks, the advertisement of the so-called adaptation 
        capability to terminate LSPs is required, as it provides 
        critical information when performing multi-region path 
        computation. 
         
     6. Security Considerations 
         
        The current version of .his document does not introduce any new 
        security considerations as it only lists a set of requirements. 
        In the future versions, new security requirements may be added. 
      
     7. References 
         
     7.1. Normative Reference 
         
        [MPLSGMPLS] D.Brungard, J.L.Le Roux, E.Oki, D. Papadimitriou, 
                   D.Shimazaki, K.Shiomoto, "Migrating from IP/MPLS to 
                   GMPLS networks," draft-oki-ccamp-gmpls-ip- 
                   interworking-03.txt (work in progress), July 2004. 
         
        [GMPLS-ROUTING]K.Kompella and Y.Rekhter, "Routing Extensions 
                   in Support of Generalized Multi-Protocol Label  
                   Switching," draft-ietf-ccamp-gmpls-routing-09.txt, 
                   October 2003 (work in progress). 
         
        [Inter-domain] A.Farrel, J-P. Vasseur, and A.Ayyangar, "A  
                   framework for inter-domain MPLS traffic  
                   engineering," draft-ietf-ccamp-inter-domain- 
                   framework-00.txt, work in prgoress, July 2004. 
         
        [HIER]     K.Kompella and Y.Rekhter, "LSP hierarchy with  
                   generalized MPLS TE," draft-ietf-mpls-lsp- 
                   hierarchy-08.txt, work in progress, Sept. 2002. 
         
        [LMP]      J. Lang, "Link management protocol (LMP)," draft-
                   ietf-ccamp-lmp-10.txt (work in progress), October 
                   2003. 
         
        [RFC3945]  E.Mannie (Ed.), "Generalized Multi-Protocol Label 
            `      Switching (GMPLS) Architecture", RFC 3945, October 
                   2004. 
         
     7.2. Informative References 
         
        [MAMLTE] K. Shiomoto et al., "Multi-area multi-layer traffic 
        engineering using hierarchical LSPs in GMPLS networks", draft-
        shiomoto-multiarea-te-01.txt (work in progress). 
         
     8. Author's Addresses 
         
        Kohei Shiomoto 
        NTT Network Service Systems Laboratories 
          
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        Requirements for GMPLS-based multi-region network    Feb. 2005 
         
        3-9-11 Midori-cho,  
        Musashino-shi, Tokyo 180-8585, Japan 
        Email: shiomoto.kohei@lab.ntt.co.jp 
         
        Dimitri Papadimitriou 
        Alcatel 
        Francis Wellensplein 1,  
        B-2018 Antwerpen, Belgium 
        Phone : +32 3 240 8491 
        Email: dimitri.papadimitriou@alcatel.be 
         
        Jean-Louis Le Roux 
        France Telecom R&D,  
        Av Pierre Marzin,  
        22300 Lannion, France 
        Email: jeanlouis.leroux@francetelecom.com 
         
        Martin Vigoureux  
        Alcatel 
        Route de Nozay, 91461 Marcoussis cedex, France 
        Phone: +33 (0)1 69 63 18 52 
        Email: martin.vigoureux@alcatel.fr 
         
        Deborah Brungard 
        AT&T 
        Rm. D1-3C22 - 200  
        S. Laurel Ave., Middletown, NJ 07748, USA 
        Phone: +1 732 420 1573 
        Email: dbrungard@att.com 
         
        Contributors 
         
        Eiji Oki (NTT Network Service Systems Laboratories)  
        3-9-11 Midori-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo 180-8585, Japan  
        Phone: +81 422 59 3441 Email: oki.eiji@lab.ntt.co.jp 
         
        Ichiro Inoue (NTT Network Service Systems Laboratories)  
        3-9-11 Midori-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo 180-8585, Japan  
        Phone: +81 422 59 3441 Email: ichiro.inoue@lab.ntt.co.jp 
         
        Emmanuel Dotaro (Alcatel)  
        Route de Nozay, 91461 Marcoussis cedex, France 
        Phone : +33 1 6963 4723 Email: emmanuel.dotaro@alcatel.fr 
         
     9. 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. 
         
        By submitting this Internet-Draft, each author represents that 
        any applicable patent or other IPR claims of which he or she is  
        aware have been or will be disclosed, and any of which he or she 
        becomes aware will be disclosed, in accordance with Section 6 of 
        RFC 3668.  
         
        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 
          
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        Requirements for GMPLS-based multi-region network    Feb. 2005 
         
        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.  
         
        The IETF has been notified by Tellabs Operations, Inc. of 
        intellectual property rights claimed in regard to some or all of 
        the specification contained in this document. For more 
        information, see http://www.ietf.org/ietf/IPR/tellabs-ipr-draft-
        shiomoto-ccamp-gmpls-mrn-reqs.txt 
         
     10. 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 
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