GMPLS routing: Routing Extensions in Support of Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS)

Network Working Group                                   K. Kompella, Ed.
Request for Comments: 4202                              Y. Rekhter,  Ed.
Category: Standards Track                               Juniper Networks
                                                            October 2005


                   Routing Extensions in Support of
           Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS)

Status of This Memo

   This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
   Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
   improvements.  Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
   Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
   and status of this protocol.  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2005).

Abstract

   This document specifies routing extensions in support of carrying
   link state information for Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching
   (GMPLS).  This document enhances the routing extensions required to
   support MPLS Traffic Engineering (TE).

Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
       1.1.  Requirements for Layer-Specific TE Attributes . . . . .   4
       1.2.  Excluding Data Traffic from Control Channels. . . . . .   6
   2.  GMPLS Routing Enhancements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
       2.1.  Support for Unnumbered Links. . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
       2.2.  Link Protection Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
       2.3.  Shared Risk Link Group Information. . . . . . . . . . .   9
       2.4.  Interface Switching Capability Descriptor . . . . . . .   9
             2.4.1.  Layer-2 Switch Capable. . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
             2.4.2.  Packet-Switch Capable . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
             2.4.3.  Time-Division Multiplex Capable . . . . . . . .  12
             2.4.4.  Lambda-Switch Capable . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
             2.4.5.  Fiber-Switch Capable. . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
             2.4.6.  Multiple Switching Capabilities per Interface .  13
             2.4.7.  Interface Switching Capabilities and Labels . .  14
             2.4.8.  Other Issues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  14
       2.5.  Bandwidth Encoding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  15
   3.  Examples of Interface Switching Capability Descriptor . . . .  15
       3.1.  STM-16 POS Interface on a LSR . . . . . . . . . . . . .  15
       3.2.  GigE Packet Interface on a LSR. . . . . . . . . . . . .  15
       3.3.  STM-64 SDH Interface on a Digital Cross Connect with
             Standard SDH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  15
       3.4.  STM-64 SDH Interface on a Digital Cross Connect with
             Two Types of SDH Multiplexing Hierarchy Supported . . .  16
       3.5.  Interface on an Opaque OXC (SDH Framed) with Support
             for One Lambda per Port/Interface . . . . . . . . . . .  16
       3.6.  Interface on a Transparent OXC (PXC) with External
             DWDM that understands SDH framing . . . . . . . . . . .  17
       3.7.  Interface on a Transparent OXC (PXC) with External
             DWDM That Is Transparent to Bit-Rate and Framing. . . .  17
       3.8.  Interface on a PXC with No External DWDM. . . . . . . .  18
       3.9.  Interface on a OXC with Internal DWDM That Understands
             SDH Framing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  18
       3.10. Interface on a OXC with Internal DWDM That Is
             Transparent to Bit-Rate and Framing . . . . . . . . . .  19
   4.  Example of Interfaces That Support Multiple Switching
       Capabilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  20
       4.1.  Interface on a PXC+TDM Device with External DWDM. . . .  20
       4.2.  Interface on an Opaque OXC+TDM Device with External
             DWDM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  21
       4.3.  Interface on a PXC+LSR Device with External DWDM. . . .  21
       4.4.  Interface on a TDM+LSR Device . . . . . . . . . . . . .  21
   5.  Acknowledgements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  22
   6.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  22
   7.  References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  23
       7.1.  Normative References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  23
       7.2.  Informative References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  24
   8.  Contributors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  24

1.  Introduction

   This document specifies routing extensions in support of carrying
   link state information for Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching
   (GMPLS).  This document enhances the routing extensions [ISIS-TE],
   [OSPF-TE] required to support MPLS Traffic Engineering (TE).

   Traditionally, a TE link is advertised as an adjunct to a "regular"
   link, i.e., a routing adjacency is brought up on the link, and when
   the link is up, both the properties of the link are used for Shortest
   Path First (SPF) computations (basically, the SPF metric) and the TE
   properties of the link are then advertised.

   GMPLS challenges this notion in three ways.  First, links that are
   not capable of sending and receiving on a packet-by-packet basis may
   yet have TE properties; however, a routing adjacency cannot be
   brought up on such links.  Second, a Label Switched Path can be
   advertised as a point-to-point TE link (see [LSP-HIER]); thus, an
   advertised TE link may be between a pair of nodes that don't have a
   routing adjacency with each other.  Finally, a number of links may be
   advertised as a single TE link (perhaps for improved scalability), so
   again, there is no longer a one-to-one association of a regular
   routing adjacency and a TE link.

   Thus we have a more general notion of a TE link.  A TE link is a
   "logical" link that has TE properties.  The link is logical in a
   sense that it represents a way to group/map the information about
   certain physical resources (and their properties) into the
   information that is used by Constrained SPF for the purpose of path
   computation, and by GMPLS signaling.  This grouping/mapping must be
   done consistently at both ends of the link.  LMP [LMP] could be used
   to check/verify this consistency.

   Depending on the nature of resources that form a particular TE link,
   for the purpose of GMPLS signaling, in some cases the combination of
   <TE link identifier, label> is sufficient to unambiguously identify
   the appropriate resource used by an LSP.  In other cases, the
   combination of <TE link identifier, label> is not sufficient; such
   cases are handled by using the link bundling construct [LINK-BUNDLE]
   that allows to identify the resource by <TE link identifier,
   Component link identifier, label>.

   Some of the properties of a TE link may be configured on the
   advertising Label Switching Router (LSR), others which may be
   obtained from other LSRs by means of some protocol, and yet others
   which may be deduced from the component(s) of the TE link.

   A TE link between a pair of LSRs doesn't imply the existence of a
   routing adjacency (e.g., an IGP adjacency) between these LSRs.  As we
   mentioned above, in certain cases a TE link between a pair of LSRs
   could be advertised even if there is no routing adjacency at all
   between the LSRs (e.g., when the TE link is a Forwarding Adjacency
   (see [LSP-HIER])).

   A TE link must have some means by which the advertising LSR can know
   of its liveness (this means may be routing hellos, but is not limited
   to routing hellos).  When an LSR knows that a TE link is up, and can
   determine the TE link's TE properties, the LSR may then advertise
   that link to its (regular) neighbors.

   In this document, we call the interfaces over which regular routing
   adjacencies are established "control channels".

   [ISIS-TE] and [OSPF-TE] define the canonical TE properties, and say
   how to associate TE properties to regular (packet-switched) links.
   This document extends the set of TE properties, and also says how to
   associate TE properties with non-packet-switched links such as links
   between Optical Cross-Connects (OXCs).  [LSP-HIER] says how to
   associate TE properties with links formed by Label Switched Paths.

   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 BCP 14, RFC 2119
   [RFC2119].

1.1.  Requirements for Layer-Specific TE Attributes

   In generalizing TE links to include traditional transport facilities,
   there are additional factors that influence what information is
   needed about the TE link.  These arise from existing transport layer
   architecture (e.g., ITU-T Recommendations G.805 and G.806) and
   associated layer services.  Some of these factors are:

   1. The need for LSPs at a specific adaptation, not just a particular
      bandwidth.  Clients of optical networks obtain connection services
      for specific adaptations, for example, a VC-3 circuit.  This not
      only implies a particular bandwidth, but how the payload is
      structured.  Thus the VC-3 client would not be satisfied with any
      LSP that offered other than 48.384 Mbit/s and with the expected
      structure.  The corollary is that path computation should be able
      to find a route that would give a connection at a specific
      adaptation.

   2. Distinguishing variable adaptation.  A resource between two OXCs
      (specifically a G.805 trail) can sometimes support different
      adaptations at the same time.  An example of this is described in
      section 2.4.8.  In this situation, the fact that two adaptations
      are supported on the same trail is important because the two
      layers are dependent, and it is important to be able to reflect
      this layer relationship in routing, especially in view of the
      relative lack of flexibility of transport layers compared to
      packet layers.

   3. Inheritable attributes.  When a whole multiplexing hierarchy is
      supported by a TE link, a lower layer attribute may be applicable
      to the upper layers.  Protection attributes are a good example of
      this.  If an OC-192 link is 1+1 protected (a duplicate OC-192
      exists for protection), then an STS-3c within that OC-192 (a
      higher layer) would inherit the same protection property.

   4. Extensibility of layers.  In addition to the existing defined
      transport layers, new layers and adaptation relationships could
      come into existence in the future.

   5. Heterogeneous networks whose OXCs do not all support the same set
      of layers.  In a GMPLS network, not all transport layer network
      elements are expected to support the same layers.  For example,
      there may be switches capable of only VC-11, VC-12, and VC-3, and
      there may be others that can only support VC-3 and VC-4.  Even
      though a network element cannot support a specific layer, it
      should be able to know if a network element elsewhere in the
      network can support an adaptation that would enable that
      unsupported layer to be used.  For example, a VC-11 switch could
      use a VC-3 capable switch if it knew that a VC-11 path could be
      constructed over a VC-3 link connection.

   From the factors presented above, development of layer specific GMPLS
   routing documents should use the following principles for TE-link
   attributes.

   1. Separation of attributes.  The attributes in a given layer are
      separated from attributes in another layer.

   2. Support of inter-layer attributes (e.g., adaptation
      relationships).  Between a client and server layer, a general
      mechanism for describing the layer relationship exists.  For
      example, "4 client links of type X can be supported by this server
      layer link".  Another example is being able to identify when two
      layers share a common server layer.

   3. Support for inheritable attributes.  Attributes which can be
      inherited should be identified.

   4. Layer extensibility.  Attributes should be represented in routing
      such that future layers can be accommodated.  This is much like
      the notion of the generalized label.

   5. Explicit attribute scope.  For example, it should be clear whether
      a given attribute applies to a set of links at the same layer.

   The present document captures general attributes that apply to a
   single layer network, but doesn't capture inter-layer relationships
   of attributes.  This work is left to a future document.

1.2.  Excluding Data Traffic from Control Channels

   The control channels between nodes in a GMPLS network, such as OXCs,
   SDH cross-connects and/or routers, are generally meant for control
   and administrative traffic.  These control channels are advertised
   into routing as normal links as mentioned in the previous section;
   this allows the routing of (for example) RSVP messages and telnet
   sessions.  However, if routers on the edge of the optical domain
   attempt to forward data traffic over these channels, the channel
   capacity will quickly be exhausted.

   In order to keep these control channels from being advertised into
   the user data plane a variety of techniques can be used.

   If one assumes that data traffic is sent to BGP destinations, and
   control traffic to IGP destinations, then one can exclude data
   traffic from the control plane by restricting BGP nexthop resolution.
   (It is assumed that OXCs are not BGP speakers.)  Suppose that a
   router R is attempting to install a route to a BGP destination D.  R
   looks up the BGP nexthop for D in its IGP's routing table.  Say R
   finds that the path to the nexthop is over interface I.  R then
   checks if it has an entry in its Link State database associated with
   the interface I.  If it does, and the link is not packet-switch
   capable (see [LSP-HIER]), R installs a discard route for destination
   D.  Otherwise, R installs (as usual) a route for destination D with
   nexthop I.  Note that R need only do this check if it has packet-
   switch incapable links; if all of its links are packet-switch
   capable, then clearly this check is redundant.

   In other instances it may be desirable to keep the whole address
   space of a GMPLS routing plane disjoint from the endpoint addresses
   in another portion of the GMPLS network.  For example, the addresses
   of a carrier network where the carrier uses GMPLS but does not wish
   to expose the internals of the addressing or topology.  In such a
   network the control channels are never advertised into the end data
   network.  In this instance, independent mechanisms are used to
   advertise the data addresses over the carrier network.

   Other techniques for excluding data traffic from control channels may
   also be needed.

2.  GMPLS Routing Enhancements

   In this section we define the enhancements to the TE properties of
   GMPLS TE links.  Encoding of this information in IS-IS is specified
   in [GMPLS-ISIS].  Encoding of this information in OSPF is specified
   in [GMPLS-OSPF].

2.1.  Support for Unnumbered Links

   An unnumbered link has to be a point-to-point link.  An LSR at each
   end of an unnumbered link assigns an identifier to that link.  This
   identifier is a non-zero 32-bit number that is unique within the
   scope of the LSR that assigns it.

   Consider an (unnumbered) link between LSRs A and B.  LSR A chooses an
   idenfitier for that link.  So does LSR B.  From A's perspective we
   refer to the identifier that A assigned to the link as the "link
   local identifier" (or just "local identifier"), and to the identifier
   that B assigned to the link as the "link remote identifier" (or just
   "remote identifier").  Likewise, from B's perspective the identifier
   that B assigned to the link is the local identifier, and the
   identifier that A assigned to the link is the remote identifier.

   Support for unnumbered links in routing includes carrying information
   about the identifiers of that link.  Specifically, when an LSR
   advertises an unnumbered TE link, the advertisement carries both the
   local and the remote identifiers of the link.  If the LSR doesn't
   know the remote identifier of that link, the LSR should use a value
   of 0 as the remote identifier.

2.2.  Link Protection Type

   The Link Protection Type represents the protection capability that
   exists for a link.  It is desirable to carry this information so that
   it may be used by the path computation algorithm to set up LSPs with
   appropriate protection characteristics.  This information is
   organized in a hierarchy where typically the minimum acceptable
   protection is specified at path instantiation and a path selection
   technique is used to find a path that satisfies at least the minimum
   acceptable protection.  Protection schemes are presented in order
   from lowest to highest protection.

   This document defines the following protection capabilities:

   Extra Traffic
      If the link is of type Extra Traffic, it means that the link is
      protecting another link or links.  The LSPs on a link of this type
      will be lost if any of the links it is protecting fail.

   Unprotected
      If the link is of type Unprotected, it means that there is no
      other link protecting this link.  The LSPs on a link of this type
      will be lost if the link fails.

   Shared
      If the link is of type Shared, it means that there are one or more
      disjoint links of type Extra Traffic that are protecting this
      link.  These Extra Traffic links are shared between one or more
      links of type Shared.

   Dedicated 1:1
      If the link is of type Dedicated 1:1, it means that there is one
      dedicated disjoint link of type Extra Traffic that is protecting
      this link.

   Dedicated 1+1
      If the link is of type Dedicated 1+1, it means that a dedicated
      disjoint link is protecting this link.  However, the protecting
      link is not advertised in the link state database and is therefore
      not available for the routing of LSPs.

   Enhanced
      If the link is of type Enhanced, it means that a protection scheme
      that is more reliable than Dedicated 1+1, e.g., 4 fiber
      BLSR/MS-SPRING, is being used to protect this link.

      The Link Protection Type is optional, and if a Link State
      Advertisement doesn't carry this information, then the Link
      Protection Type is unknown.

2.3.  Shared Risk Link Group Information

   A set of links may constitute a 'shared risk link group' (SRLG) if
   they share a resource whose failure may affect all links in the set.
   For example, two fibers in the same conduit would be in the same
   SRLG.  A link may belong to multiple SRLGs.  Thus the SRLG
   Information describes a list of SRLGs that the link belongs to.  An
   SRLG is identified by a 32 bit number that is unique within an IGP
   domain.  The SRLG Information is an unordered list of SRLGs that the
   link belongs to.

   The SRLG of a LSP is the union of the SRLGs of the links in the LSP.
   The SRLG of a bundled link is the union of the SRLGs of all the
   component links.

   If an LSR is required to have multiple diversely routed LSPs to
   another LSR, the path computation should attempt to route the paths
   so that they do not have any links in common, and such that the path
   SRLGs are disjoint.

   The SRLG Information may start with a configured value, in which case
   it does not change over time, unless reconfigured.

   The SRLG Information is optional and if a Link State Advertisement
   doesn't carry the SRLG Information, then it means that SRLG of that
   link is unknown.

2.4.  Interface Switching Capability Descriptor

   In the context of this document we say that a link is connected to a
   node by an interface.  In the context of GMPLS interfaces may have
   different switching capabilities.  For example an interface that
   connects a given link to a node may not be able to switch individual
   packets, but it may be able to switch channels within an SDH payload.
   Interfaces at each end of a link need not have the same switching
   capabilities.  Interfaces on the same node need not have the same
   switching capabilities.

   The Interface Switching Capability Descriptor describes switching
   capability of an interface.  For bi-directional links, the switching
   capabilities of an interface are defined to be the same in either
   direction.  I.e., for data entering the node through that interface
   and for data leaving the node through that interface.

   A Link State Advertisement of a link carries the Interface Switching
   Capability Descriptor(s) only of the near end (the end incumbent on
   the LSR originating the advertisement).

   An LSR performing path computation uses the Link State Database to
   determine whether a link is unidirectional or bidirectional.

   For a bidirectional link the LSR uses its Link State Database to
   determine the Interface Switching Capability Descriptor(s) of the
   far-end of the link, as bidirectional links with different Interface
   Switching Capabilities at its two ends are allowed.

   For a unidirectional link it is assumed that the Interface Switching
   Capability Descriptor at the far-end of the link is the same as at
   the near-end.  Thus, an unidirectional link is required to have the
   same interface switching capabilities at both ends.  This seems a
   reasonable assumption given that unidirectional links arise only with
   packet forwarding adjacencies and for these both ends belong to the
   same level of the PSC hierarchy.

   This document defines the following Interface Switching Capabilities:

         Packet-Switch Capable-1         (PSC-1)
         Packet-Switch Capable-2         (PSC-2)
         Packet-Switch Capable-3         (PSC-3)
         Packet-Switch Capable-4         (PSC-4)
         Layer-2 Switch Capable          (L2SC)
         Time-Division-Multiplex Capable (TDM)
         Lambda-Switch Capable           (LSC)
         Fiber-Switch Capable            (FSC)

   If there is no Interface Switching Capability Descriptor for an
   interface, the interface is assumed to be packet-switch capable
   (PSC-1).

   Interface Switching Capability Descriptors present a new constraint
   for LSP path computation.

   Irrespective of a particular Interface Switching Capability, the
   Interface Switching Capability Descriptor always includes information
   about the encoding supported by an interface.  The defined encodings
   are the same as LSP Encoding as defined in [GMPLS-SIG].

   An interface may have more than one Interface Switching Capability
   Descriptor.  This is used to handle interfaces that support multiple
   switching capabilities, for interfaces that have Max LSP Bandwidth
   values that differ by priority level, and for interfaces that support
   discrete bandwidths.

   Depending on a particular Interface Switching Capability, the
   Interface Switching Capability Descriptor may include additional
   information, as specified below.

2.4.1.  Layer-2 Switch Capable

   If an interface is of type L2SC, it means that the node receiving
   data over this interface can switch the received frames based on the
   layer 2 address.  For example, an interface associated with a link
   terminating on an ATM switch would be considered L2SC.

2.4.2.  Packet-Switch Capable

   If an interface is of type PSC-1 through PSC-4, it means that the
   node receiving data over this interface can switch the received data
   on a packet-by-packet basis, based on the label carried in the "shim"
   header [RFC3032].  The various levels of PSC establish a hierarchy of
   LSPs tunneled within LSPs.

   For Packet-Switch Capable interfaces the additional information
   includes Maximum LSP Bandwidth, Minimum LSP Bandwidth, and interface
   MTU.

   For a simple (unbundled) link, the Maximum LSP Bandwidth at priority
   p is defined to be the smaller of the unreserved bandwidth at
   priority p and a "Maximum LSP Size" parameter which is locally
   configured on the link, and whose default value is equal to the Max
   Link Bandwidth.  Maximum LSP Bandwidth for a bundled link is defined
   in [LINK-BUNDLE].

   The Maximum LSP Bandwidth takes the place of the Maximum Link
   Bandwidth ([ISIS-TE], [OSPF-TE]).  However, while Maximum Link
   Bandwidth is a single fixed value (usually simply the link capacity),
   Maximum LSP Bandwidth is carried per priority, and may vary as LSPs
   are set up and torn down.

   Although Maximum Link Bandwidth is to be deprecated, for backward
   compatibility, one MAY set the Maximum Link Bandwidth to the Maximum
   LSP Bandwidth at priority 7.

   The Minimum LSP Bandwidth specifies the minimum bandwidth an LSP
   could reserve.

   Typical values for the Minimum LSP Bandwidth and for the Maximum LSP
   Bandwidth are enumerated in [GMPLS-SIG].

   On a PSC interface that supports Standard SDH encoding, an LSP at
   priority p could reserve any bandwidth allowed by the branch of the
   SDH hierarchy, with the leaf and the root of the branch being defined
   by the Minimum LSP Bandwidth and the Maximum LSP Bandwidth at
   priority p.

   On a PSC interface that supports Arbitrary SDH encoding, an LSP at
   priority p could reserve any bandwidth between the Minimum LSP
   Bandwidth and the Maximum LSP Bandwidth at priority p, provided that
   the bandwidth reserved by the LSP is a multiple of the Minimum LSP
   Bandwidth.

   The Interface MTU is the maximum size of a packet that can be
   transmitted on this interface without being fragmented.

2.4.3.  Time-Division Multiplex Capable

   If an interface is of type TDM, it means that the node receiving data
   over this interface can multiplex or demultiplex channels within an
   SDH payload.

   For Time-Division Multiplex Capable interfaces the additional
   information includes Maximum LSP Bandwidth, the information on
   whether the interface supports Standard or Arbitrary SDH, and Minimum
   LSP Bandwidth.

   For a simple (unbundled) link the Maximum LSP Bandwidth at priority p
   is defined as the maximum bandwidth an LSP at priority p could
   reserve.  Maximum LSP Bandwidth for a bundled link is defined in
   [LINK-BUNDLE].

   The Minimum LSP Bandwidth specifies the minimum bandwidth an LSP
   could reserve.

   Typical values for the Minimum LSP Bandwidth and for the Maximum LSP
   Bandwidth are enumerated in [GMPLS-SIG].

   On an interface having Standard SDH multiplexing, an LSP at priority
   p could reserve any bandwidth allowed by the branch of the SDH
   hierarchy, with the leaf and the root of the branch being defined by
   the Minimum LSP Bandwidth and the Maximum LSP Bandwidth at priority
   p.

   On an interface having Arbitrary SDH multiplexing, an LSP at priority
   p could reserve any bandwidth between the Minimum LSP Bandwidth and
   the Maximum LSP Bandwidth at priority p, provided that the bandwidth
   reserved by the LSP is a multiple of the Minimum LSP Bandwidth.

   Interface Switching Capability Descriptor for the interfaces that
   support sub VC-3 may include additional information.  The nature and
   the encoding of such information is outside the scope of this
   document.

   A way to handle the case where an interface supports multiple
   branches of the SDH multiplexing hierarchy, multiple Interface
   Switching Capability Descriptors would be advertised, one per branch.
   For example, if an interface supports VC-11 and VC-12 (which are not
   part of same branch of SDH multiplexing tree), then it could
   advertise two descriptors, one for each one.

2.4.4.  Lambda-Switch Capable

   If an interface is of type LSC, it means that the node receiving data
   over this interface can recognize and switch individual lambdas
   within the interface.  An interface that allows only one lambda per
   interface, and switches just that lambda is of type LSC.

   The additional information includes Reservable Bandwidth per
   priority, which specifies the bandwidth of an LSP that could be
   supported by the interface at a given priority number.

   A way to handle the case of multiple data rates or multiple encodings
   within a single TE Link, multiple Interface Switching Capability
   Descriptors would be advertised, one per supported data rate and
   encoding combination.  For example, an LSC interface could support
   the establishment of LSC LSPs at both STM-16 and STM-64 data rates.

2.4.5.  Fiber-Switch Capable

   If an interface is of type FSC, it means that the node receiving data
   over this interface can switch the entire contents to another
   interface (without distinguishing lambdas, channels or packets).
   I.e., an interface of type FSC switches at the granularity of an
   entire interface, and can not extract individual lambdas within the
   interface.  An interface of type FSC can not restrict itself to just
   one lambda.

2.4.6.  Multiple Switching Capabilities per Interface

   An interface that connects a link to an LSR may support not one, but
   several Interface Switching Capabilities.  For example, consider a
   fiber link carrying a set of lambdas that terminates on an LSR
   interface that could either cross-connect one of these lambdas to
   some other outgoing optical channel, or could terminate the lambda,
   and extract (demultiplex) data from that lambda using TDM, and then
   cross-connect these TDM channels to some outgoing TDM channels.  To
   support this a Link State Advertisement may carry a list of Interface
   Switching Capabilities Descriptors.

2.4.7.  Interface Switching Capabilities and Labels

   Depicting a TE link as a tuple that contains Interface Switching
   Capabilities at both ends of the link, some examples links may be:

      [PSC, PSC] - a link between two packet LSRs
      [TDM, TDM] - a link between two Digital Cross Connects
      [LSC, LSC] - a link between two OXCs
      [PSC, TDM] - a link between a packet LSR and Digital Cross Connect
      [PSC, LSC] - a link between a packet LSR and an OXC
      [TDM, LSC] - a link between a Digital Cross Connect and an OXC

   Both ends of a given TE link has to use the same way of carrying
   label information over that link.  Carrying label information on a
   given TE link depends on the Interface Switching Capability at both
   ends of the link, and is determined as follows:

      [PSC, PSC] - label is carried in the "shim" header [RFC3032]
      [TDM, TDM] - label represents a TDM time slot [GMPLS-SONET-SDH]
      [LSC, LSC] - label represents a lambda
      [FSC, FSC] - label represents a port on an OXC
      [PSC, TDM] - label represents a TDM time slot [GMPLS-SONET-SDH]
      [PSC, LSC] - label represents a lambda
      [PSC, FSC] - label represents a port
      [TDM, LSC] - label represents a lambda
      [TDM, FSC] - label represents a port
      [LSC, FSC] - label represents a port

2.4.8.  Other Issues

   It is possible that Interface Switching Capability Descriptor will
   change over time, reflecting the allocation/deallocation of LSPs.
   For example, assume that VC-3, VC-4, VC-4-4c, VC-4-16c and VC-4-64c
   LSPs can be established on a STM-64 interface whose Encoding Type is
   SDH.  Thus, initially in the Interface Switching Capability
   Descriptor the Minimum LSP Bandwidth is set to VC-3, and Maximum LSP
   Bandwidth is set to STM-64 for all priorities.  As soon as an LSP of
   VC-3 size at priority 1 is established on the interface, it is no
   longer capable of VC-4-64c for all but LSPs at priority 0.
   Therefore, the node advertises a modified Interface Switching
   Capability Descriptor indicating that the Maximum LSP Bandwidth is no
   longer STM-64, but STM-16 for all but priority 0 (at priority 0 the
   Maximum LSP Bandwidth is still STM-64).  If subsequently there is
   another VC-3 LSP, there is no change in the Interface Switching
   Capability Descriptor.  The Descriptor remains the same until the
   node can no longer establish a VC-4-16c LSP over the interface (which
   means that at this point more than 144 time slots are taken by LSPs
   on the interface).  Once this happened, the Descriptor is modified
   again, and the modified Descriptor is advertised to other nodes.

2.5.  Bandwidth Encoding

   Encoding in IEEE floating point format [IEEE] of the discrete values
   that could be used to identify Unreserved bandwidth, Maximum LSP
   bandwidth and Minimum LSP bandwidth is described in Section 3.1.2 of
   [GMPLS-SIG].

3.  Examples of Interface Switching Capability Descriptor

3.1.  STM-16 POS Interface on a LSR

      Interface Switching Capability Descriptor:
         Interface Switching Capability = PSC-1
         Encoding = SDH
         Max LSP Bandwidth[p] = 2.5 Gbps, for all p

   If multiple links with such interfaces at both ends were to be
   advertised as one TE link, link bundling techniques should be used.

3.2.  GigE Packet Interface on a LSR

      Interface Switching Capability Descriptor:
         Interface Switching Capability = PSC-1
         Encoding = Ethernet 802.3
         Max LSP Bandwidth[p] = 1.0 Gbps, for all p

   If multiple links with such interfaces at both ends were to be
   advertised as one TE link, link bundling techniques should be used.

3.3.  STM-64 SDH Interface on a Digital Cross Connect with Standard SDH

   Consider a branch of SDH multiplexing tree : VC-3, VC-4, VC-4-4c,
   VC-4-16c, VC-4-64c.  If it is possible to establish all these
   connections on a STM-64 interface, the Interface Switching Capability
   Descriptor of that interface can be advertised as follows:

      Interface Switching Capability Descriptor:
         Interface Switching Capability = TDM [Standard SDH]
         Encoding = SDH
         Min LSP Bandwidth = VC-3
         Max LSP Bandwidth[p] = STM-64, for all p

   If multiple links with such interfaces at both ends were to be
   advertised as one TE link, link bundling techniques should be used.

3.4.  STM-64 SDH Interface on a Digital Cross Connect with Two Types of
      SDH Multiplexing Hierarchy Supported

      Interface Switching Capability Descriptor 1:
         Interface Switching Capability = TDM [Standard SDH]
         Encoding = SDH
         Min LSP Bandwidth = VC-3
         Max LSP Bandwidth[p] = STM-64, for all p

      Interface Switching Capability Descriptor 2:
         Interface Switching Capability = TDM [Arbitrary SDH]
         Encoding = SDH
         Min LSP Bandwidth = VC-4
         Max LSP Bandwidth[p] = STM-64, for all p

   If multiple links with such interfaces at both ends were to be
   advertised as one TE link, link bundling techniques should be used.

3.5.  Interface on an Opaque OXC (SDH Framed) with Support for One
      Lambda per Port/Interface

   An "opaque OXC" is considered operationally an OXC, as the whole
   lambda (carrying the SDH line) is switched transparently without
   further multiplexing/demultiplexing, and either none of the SDH
   overhead bytes, or at least the important ones are not changed.

   An interface on an opaque OXC handles a single wavelength, and cannot
   switch multiple wavelengths as a whole.  Thus, an interface on an
   opaque OXC is always LSC, and not FSC, irrespective of whether there
   is DWDM external to it.

   Note that if there is external DWDM, then the framing understood by
   the DWDM must be same as that understood by the OXC.

   A TE link is a group of one or more interfaces on an OXC.  All
   interfaces on a given OXC are required to have identifiers unique to
   that OXC, and these identifiers are used as labels (see 3.2.1.1 of
   [GMPLS-SIG]).

   The following is an example of an interface switching capability
   descriptor on an SDH framed opaque OXC:

      Interface Switching Capability Descriptor:
         Interface Switching Capability = LSC
         Encoding = SDH
         Reservable Bandwidth = Determined by SDH Framer (say STM-64)

3.6.  Interface on a Transparent OXC (PXC) with External DWDM That
      Understands SDH Framing

   This example assumes that DWDM and PXC are connected in such a way
   that each interface (port) on the PXC handles just a single
   wavelength.  Thus, even if in principle an interface on the PXC could
   switch multiple wavelengths as a whole, in this particular case an
   interface on the PXC is considered LSC, and not FSC.

                     _______
                    |       |
               /|___|       |
              | |___|  PXC  |
      ========| |___|       |
              | |___|       |
               \|   |_______|
             DWDM
         (SDH framed)

   A TE link is a group of one or more interfaces on the PXC.  All
   interfaces on a given PXC are required to have identifiers unique to
   that PXC, and these identifiers are used as labels (see 3.2.1.1 of
   [GMPLS-SIG]).

   The following is an example of an interface switching capability
   descriptor on a transparent OXC (PXC) with external DWDM that
   understands SDH framing:

      Interface Switching Capability Descriptor:
         Interface Switching Capability = LSC
         Encoding = SDH (comes from DWDM)
         Reservable Bandwidth = Determined by DWDM (say STM-64)

3.7.  Interface on a Transparent OXC (PXC) with External DWDM That Is
      Transparent to Bit-Rate and Framing

   This example assumes that DWDM and PXC are connected in such a way
   that each interface (port) on the PXC handles just a single
   wavelength.  Thus, even if in principle an interface on the PXC could
   switch multiple wavelengths as a whole, in this particular case an
   interface on the PXC is considered LSC, and not FSC.

                        _______
                       |       |
                  /|___|       |
                 | |___|  PXC  |
         ========| |___|       |
                 | |___|       |
                  \|   |_______|
                DWDM (transparent to bit-rate and framing)

   A TE link is a group of one or more interfaces on the PXC.  All
   interfaces on a given PXC are required to have identifiers unique to
   that PXC, and these identifiers are used as labels (see 3.2.1.1 of
   [GMPLS-SIG]).

   The following is an example of an interface switching capability
   descriptor on a transparent OXC (PXC) with external DWDM that is
   transparent to bit-rate and framing:

      Interface Switching Capability Descriptor:
         Interface Switching Capability = LSC
         Encoding = Lambda (photonic)
         Reservable Bandwidth = Determined by optical technology limits

3.8.  Interface on a PXC with No External DWDM

   The absence of DWDM in between two PXCs, implies that an interface is
   not limited to one wavelength.  Thus, the interface is advertised as
   FSC.

   A TE link is a group of one or more interfaces on the PXC.  All
   interfaces on a given PXC are required to have identifiers unique to
   that PXC, and these identifiers are used as port labels (see 3.2.1.1
   of [GMPLS-SIG]).

      Interface Switching Capability Descriptor:
         Interface Switching Capability = FSC
         Encoding = Lambda (photonic)
         Reservable Bandwidth = Determined by optical technology limits

   Note that this example assumes that the PXC does not restrict each
   port to carry only one wavelength.

3.9.  Interface on a OXC with Internal DWDM That Understands SDH Framing

   This example assumes that DWDM and OXC are connected in such a way
   that each interface on the OXC handles multiple wavelengths
   individually.  In this case an interface on the OXC is considered
   LSC, and not FSC.

                  _______
                 |       |
               /||       ||\
              | ||  OXC  || |
      ========| ||       || |====
              | ||       || |
               \||_______||/
             DWDM
         (SDH framed)

   A TE link is a group of one or more of the interfaces on the OXC.
   All lambdas associated with a particular interface are required to
   have identifiers unique to that interface, and these identifiers are
   used as labels (see 3.2.1.1 of [GMPLS-SIG]).

   The following is an example of an interface switching capability
   descriptor on an OXC with internal DWDM that understands SDH framing
   and supports discrete bandwidths:

      Interface Switching Capability Descriptor:
         Interface Switching Capability = LSC
         Encoding = SDH (comes from DWDM)
         Max LSP Bandwidth = Determined by DWDM (say STM-16)

         Interface Switching Capability = LSC
         Encoding = SDH (comes from DWDM)
         Max LSP Bandwidth = Determined by DWDM (say STM-64)

3.10.  Interface on a OXC with Internal DWDM That Is Transparent to
       Bit-Rate and Framing

   This example assumes that DWDM and OXC are connected in such a way
   that each interface on the OXC handles multiple wavelengths
   individually.  In this case an interface on the OXC is considered
   LSC, and not FSC.

                         _______
                        |       |
                      /||       ||\
                     | ||  OXC  || |
             ========| ||       || |====
                     | ||       || |
                      \||_______||/
                    DWDM (transparent to bit-rate and framing)

   A TE link is a group of one or more of the interfaces on the OXC.
   All lambdas associated with a particular interface are required to
   have identifiers unique to that interface, and these identifiers are
   used as labels (see 3.2.1.1 of [GMPLS-SIG]).

   The following is an example of an interface switching capability
   descriptor on an OXC with internal DWDM that is transparent to bit-
   rate and framing:

      Interface Switching Capability Descriptor:
         Interface Switching Capability = LSC
         Encoding = Lambda (photonic)
         Max LSP Bandwidth = Determined by optical technology limits

4.  Example of Interfaces That Support Multiple Switching Capabilities

   There can be many combinations possible, some are described below.

4.1.  Interface on a PXC+TDM Device with External DWDM

   As discussed earlier, the presence of the external DWDM limits that
   only one wavelength be on a port of the PXC.  On such a port, the
   attached PXC+TDM device can do one of the following.  The wavelength
   may be cross-connected by the PXC element to other out-bound optical
   channel, or the wavelength may be terminated as an SDH interface and
   SDH channels switched.

   From a GMPLS perspective the PXC+TDM functionality is treated as a
   single interface.  The interface is described using two Interface
   descriptors, one for the LSC and another for the TDM, with
   appropriate parameters.  For example,

      Interface Switching Capability Descriptor:
         Interface Switching Capability = LSC
         Encoding = SDH (comes from WDM)
         Reservable Bandwidth = STM-64

      and

      Interface Switching Capability Descriptor:
         Interface Switching Capability = TDM [Standard SDH]
         Encoding = SDH
         Min LSP Bandwidth = VC-3
         Max LSP Bandwidth[p] = STM-64, for all p

4.2.  Interface on an Opaque OXC+TDM Device with External DWDM

   An interface on an "opaque OXC+TDM" device would also be advertised
   as LSC+TDM much the same way as the previous case.

4.3.  Interface on a PXC+LSR Device with External DWDM

   As discussed earlier, the presence of the external DWDM limits that
   only one wavelength be on a port of the PXC.  On such a port, the
   attached PXC+LSR device can do one of the following.  The wavelength
   may be cross-connected by the PXC element to other out-bound optical
   channel, or the wavelength may be terminated as a Packet interface
   and packets switched.

   From a GMPLS perspective the PXC+LSR functionality is treated as a
   single interface.  The interface is described using two Interface
   descriptors, one for the LSC and another for the PSC, with
   appropriate parameters.  For example,

      Interface Switching Capability Descriptor:
         Interface Switching Capability = LSC
         Encoding = SDH (comes from WDM)
         Reservable Bandwidth = STM-64

      and

      Interface Switching Capability Descriptor:
         Interface Switching Capability = PSC-1
         Encoding = SDH
         Max LSP Bandwidth[p] = 10 Gbps, for all p

4.4.  Interface on a TDM+LSR Device

   On a TDM+LSR device that offers a channelized SDH interface the
   following may be possible:

   -  A subset of the SDH channels may be uncommitted.  That is, they
      are not currently in use and hence are available for allocation.

   -  A second subset of channels may already be committed for transit
      purposes.  That is, they are already cross-connected by the SDH
      cross connect function to other out-bound channels and thus are
      not immediately available for allocation.

   -  Another subset of channels could be in use as terminal channels.
      That is, they are already allocated by terminate on a packet
      interface and packets switched.

   From a GMPLS perspective the TDM+PSC functionality is treated as a
   single interface.  The interface is described using two Interface
   descriptors, one for the TDM and another for the PSC, with
   appropriate parameters.  For example,

      Interface Switching Capability Descriptor:
         Interface Switching Capability = TDM [Standard SDH]
         Encoding = SDH
         Min LSP Bandwidth = VC-3
         Max LSP Bandwidth[p] = STM-64, for all p

      and

      Interface Switching Capability Descriptor:
         Interface Switching Capability = PSC-1
         Encoding = SDH
         Max LSP Bandwidth[p] = 10 Gbps, for all p

5.  Acknowledgements

   The authors would like to thank Suresh Katukam, Jonathan Lang, Zhi-
   Wei Lin, and Quaizar Vohra for their comments and contributions to
   the document.  Thanks too to Stephen Shew for the text regarding
   "Representing TE Link Capabilities".

6.  Security Considerations

   There are a number of security concerns in implementing the
   extensions proposed here, particularly since these extensions will
   potentially be used to control the underlying transport
   infrastructure.  It is vital that there be secure and/or
   authenticated means of transferring this information among the
   entities that require its use.

   While this document proposes extensions, it does not state how these
   extensions are implemented in routing protocols such as OSPF or
   IS-IS.  The documents that do state how routing protocols implement
   these extensions [GMPLS-OSPF, GMPLS-ISIS] must also state how the
   information is to be secured.

7.  References

7.1.  Normative References

   [GMPLS-OSPF]      Kompella, K., Ed. and Y. Rekhter, Ed., "OSPF
                     Extensions in Support of Generalized Multi-Protocol
                     Label Switching (GMPLS)", RFC 4203, October 2005.

   [GMPLS-SIG]       Berger, L., "Generalized Multi-Protocol Label
                     Switching (GMPLS) Signaling Functional
                     Description", RFC 3471, January 2003.

   [GMPLS-SONET-SDH] Mannie, E. and D. Papadimitriou, "Generalized
                     Multi-Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS) Extensions
                     for Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) and
                     Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) Control", RFC
                     3946, October 2004.

   [IEEE]            IEEE, "IEEE Standard for Binary Floating-Point
                     Arithmetic", Standard 754-1985, 1985 (ISBN 1-5593-
                     7653-8).

   [LINK-BUNDLE]     Kompella, K., Rekhter, Y., and L. Berger, "Link
                     Bundling in MPLS Traffic Engineering (TE)", RFC
                     4201, October 2005.

   [LMP]             Lang, J., Ed., "Link Management Protocol (LMP)",
                     RFC 4204, October 2005.

   [LSP-HIER]        Kompella, K. and Y. Rekhter, "Label Switched Paths
                     (LSP) Hierarchy with Generalized Multi-Protocol
                     Label Switching (GMPLS) Traffic Engineering (TE))",
                     RFC 4206, October 2005.

   [OSPF-TE]         Katz, D., Kompella, K., and D. Yeung, "Traffic
                     Engineering (TE) Extensions to OSPF Version 2", RFC
                     3630, September 2003.

   [RFC2119]         Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
                     Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.

   [RFC3032]         Rosen, E., Tappan, D., Fedorkow, G., Rekhter, Y.,
                     Farinacci, D., Li, T., and A. Conta, "MPLS Label
                     Stack Encoding", RFC 3032, January 2001.

7.2.  Informative References

   [GMPLS-ISIS]      Kompella, K., Ed. and Y. Rekhter, Ed.,
                     "Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS)
                     Extensions in Support of Generalized Multi-Protocol
                     Label Switching (GMPLS)", RFC 4205, October 2005.

   [ISIS-TE]         Smit, H. and T. Li, "Intermediate System to
                     Intermediate System (IS-IS) Extensions for Traffic
                     Engineering (TE)", RFC 3784, June 2004.

8.  Contributors

   Ayan Banerjee
   Calient Networks
   5853 Rue Ferrari
   San Jose, CA 95138

   Phone: +1.408.972.3645
   EMail: abanerjee@calient.net


   John Drake
   Calient Networks
   5853 Rue Ferrari
   San Jose, CA 95138

   Phone: (408) 972-3720
   EMail: jdrake@calient.net


   Greg Bernstein
   Ciena Corporation
   10480 Ridgeview Court
   Cupertino, CA 94014

   Phone: (408) 366-4713
   EMail: greg@ciena.com


   Don Fedyk
   Nortel Networks Corp.
   600 Technology Park Drive
   Billerica, MA 01821

   Phone: +1-978-288-4506
   EMail: dwfedyk@nortelnetworks.com
   Eric Mannie
   Libre Exaministe

   EMail: eric_mannie@hotmail.com


   Debanjan Saha
   Tellium Optical Systems
   2 Crescent Place
   P.O. Box 901
   Ocean Port, NJ 07757

   Phone: (732) 923-4264
   EMail: dsaha@tellium.com


   Vishal Sharma
   Metanoia, Inc.
   335 Elan Village Lane, Unit 203
   San Jose, CA 95134-2539

   Phone: +1 408-943-1794
   EMail: v.sharma@ieee.org


   Debashis Basak
   AcceLight Networks,
   70 Abele Rd, Bldg 1200
   Bridgeville PA 15017

   EMail: dbasak@accelight.com


   Lou Berger
   Movaz Networks, Inc.
   7926 Jones Branch Drive
   Suite 615
   McLean VA, 22102

   EMail: lberger@movaz.com

Authors' Addresses

   Kireeti Kompella
   Juniper Networks, Inc.
   1194 N. Mathilda Ave
   Sunnyvale, CA 94089

   EMail: kireeti@juniper.net


   Yakov Rekhter
   Juniper Networks, Inc.
   1194 N. Mathilda Ave
   Sunnyvale, CA 94089

   EMail: yakov@juniper.net

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