TM8106

Optical Networking
Multi-Protocol Label Switching-Transport Profile
(MPLS-TP)
By
Ameen Chilwan

Syllabus:
[1] MPLS Transport Profile (MPLS-TP): A Set of Enhancements to the Rich MPLS Toolkit, Juniper Networks,
Whitepaper, 2011.

[2] Dieter Beller, Rolf Sperber, MPLS-TP The New Technology for Packet Transport Networks, 2nd DFN Forum, 2009.

Outline

Transport Networks
MPLS-TP Basics
Standardization History
MPLS-TP Components
OAM
Control Plane
Resiliency

Synchronization
Physical Infrastructure Support
Deployment Options
Misconceptions about MPLS-TP
Conclusion

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012

Transport Networks
Goal of transport network

Requirements

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012

Packet-based Transport Network

MPLS has been serving as one for almost a decade
Connection-oriented and Packet-based
Designed to carry L3 IP Traffic
Establishes IP traffic paths
Associates these paths with arbitrarily assigned labels

GMPLS extends MPLS

Label switching for
TDM (SONET/SDH)
Wavelength ()
Spatial switching (incoming ports to outgoing ports)

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012

MPLS-TP Emergence
Lacks some features of SDH-like networks
Operation, Admin and Management (OAM)
Resiliency
Scalable operations
High availability
Performance monitoring
Multi-domain support

IETF and ITU-T joined forces to enhance MPLS

MPLS-TP

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012

MPLS-TP Background
Drivers for MPLS-TP
Rise in demand for service sophistication
Bandwidth-hungry services

Pressure to reduce operational cost (OPEX)

Maximize the value per bit

Lead to a technology that is almost SDH-like

Carrier-grade
Packet-switched
With OAM features

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012

MPLS-TP Overview
Takes a subset of MPLS/GMPLS
Enhance with some functionalities
Network Management (e.g. FCAPS)
Dynamic provisioning of transport paths via control plane
Provide restoration functions
E2E path provisioning across networks/domains

Characteristics
Connection oriented
Client and physical layer agnostic
OAM similar to SDH-like networks
Protection schemes
Network provisioning via centralized NMS
GMPLS Control plane applicable

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012

Standardization History
ITU-T will define requirements
IETF will work on protocol extensions

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012

MPLS-TP Components

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012

Operation, Admin and Management

Dedicated OAM packet
interspersed into the associated user traffic flows
Created and processed by maintenance end-points
Intermediate points can also process them & collect data

OAM Tools

10

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012

OAM Functions and Tools

Functions
Fault Detection (e.g. connectivity check)
Fault Localization (e.g. loopback, lock)
Performance Monitoring (e.g. delay, loss)

Tools (Existing MPLS tools extended)

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)
LSP Ping
LSP Trace

11

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012

OAM Enhancements

12

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012

Associated Channel (ACh)

MPLS-TP shall work without IP functionality

MPLS uses Ach for framing, forwarding and encapsulation
Enhanced by GACh and GACh Label (GAL)
Support in-band control channels

GACh
Ensure congruency between OAM packets and data path
Indicates tagged packet must be processed by special
function
Not suitable for static provisioning
Because negotiated when pseudowire was setup
Solved using GAL (reserved value of 13)
Enables easy extraction at end- and mid-point nodes
13

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012

Control Plane (Static and Dynamic)

Responsible for setup of LSP
MPLS has mature and dynamic control plane
OSPF-TE, IS-IS-TE, RSVP-TE and BGP

Current transport networks have static control plane

using NMS

MPLS-TP
Can have both static or dynamic
Dynamic has advantages like:
Scaling
Advanced protection functions (e.g. LSP tail-end protection)
Restoration

Distributed control plane

Signaling, routing and TE

Decoupled from data plane

14

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012

MPLS-TP Control Plane (contd)

15

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012

Resiliency
Mechanisms in MPLS
LSP fast reroute
Pseudowire redundancy
Path protection

Enhancements in MPLS-TP
OAM-triggered protection
Optimizing protection in ring topologies
Circuit networks are interconnected rings
Fast reroute works but inefficient
Wrapping and steering implemented in MPLS-TP

16

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012

Synchronization
Approaches
An overlay synchronization network
Requires parallel network

Distributed reference clock

Reference clock at least at the edges

Forwarding of clock information across packet domain

Synchronization protocol

17

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012

Synchronization (contd..)
Packet based clock
recover solution
Adaptive Timing
Encapsulated and
de-capsulated at
packet edge nodes
between TDM and
packet domain

Differential Timing
Both edge nodes
performing interworking have
access to reference
clock

18

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012

Physical Infrastructure Support

MPLS-TP over SDH/SONET, PDH and OTN

ITU-T defines Generic Framing Procedure (GFP)
Encapsulate variable length payload of various client signal
Contains User Payload Identifier (UPI)
MPLS-TP uses same UPI point code as MPLS
OTN includes WDM network layer for transport of a variety of
OTN client signals
SONET/SDH uses virtual concatenation to form transmission
pipelines with larger capacities

MPLS-TP over Gigabit Ethernet

Two-octet long Ether Type field in Ethernet II Indicates which
protocol is encapsulated in payload
19

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012

Deployment Options
Access and aggregation network
Major migration from circuit to packet happening nowadays

OAM enhancements will allow more visibility into Core

20

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012

Misconceptions about MPLS-TP

MPLS-TP is a new technology, not part of MPLS
It is a subset of MPLS with some enhancements

Extensions in MPLS-TP are not applicable in MPLS

Actually meant to apply in MPLS to make it broadly applicable

MPLS-TP requires substantial changes in MPLS

Design goal of MPLS-TP is to keep MPLS architecture

MPLS-TP require static provisioning

Supports both static and dynamic control planes

Requires forklift hardware upgrades

Might be true for some vendors, but not always, not in Juniper
at least

21

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012

Conclusion
MPLS-TP is
Subset of MPLS/GMPLS
Enhancements esp. OAM
Fault management
Performance monitoring

E2E integration with existing and next generation MPLS networks

MPLS-TP intended to
Tie together
service routing
transport platforms

Advantages of tying together

22

Consistent operations and OAM functions across networks

Seamless interworking with IP/MPLS networks
Scalability due to multiplexing capability
Supports huge variety of services encapsulated into pseudowires

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012

23

TM8106 Optical Networking - MPLS-TP

27.09.2012