MPLS-TP

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In telecommunications, Multiprotocol Label Switching - Transport Profile (MPLS-TP) is a variant of the MPLS protocol that is used in packet switched data networks. MPLS-TP is the product of a joint Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) / International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) effort to include an MPLS Transport Profile within the IETF MPLS and PWE3 architectures to support the capabilities and functionalities of a packet transport network.

Contents

Description

MPLS-TP is designed for use as a network layer technology in transport networks. It will be a continuation of the work started by the transport network experts of the ITU-T, specifically SG15, as T-MPLS. Since 2008 the work is progressed in a cooperation between ITU-T and IETF. The required protocol extensions to MPLS being designed by the IETF based on requirements provided by service providers. It will be a connection-oriented packet-switched (CO-PS) application. It will offer a dedicated MPLS implementation by removing features that are not relevant to CO-PS applications and adding mechanisms that provide support of critical transport functionality.

MPLS-TP is to be based on the same architectural principles of layered networking that are used in longstanding transport network technologies like SDH, SONET and OTN. Service providers have already developed management processes and work procedures based on these principles.

MPLS-TP gives service providers a reliable packet-based technology that is based upon circuit-based transport networking, and thus is expected to align with current organizational processes and large-scale work procedures similar to other packet transport technologies.

MPLS-TP is a low cost L2.5 technology (if the limited profile to be specified is implemented in isolation) that provides QoS, end-to-end OA&M and protection switching.

In February 2008 the ITU-T and IETF agreed to work jointly [1] on the design of MPLS-TP. Based on this agreement IETF and ITU-T experts will jointly work out the requirements and solutions. ITU-T in turn will update the existing T-MPLS standards [2] based on the MPLS-TP related RFCs listed below.

ITU-T

The following ITU-T Recommendations exist for MPLS-TP. Some of those Recommendations are superseding the ones that applied to T-MPLS before this work was ceased.

RecommendationTitle
G.8110.1 [3] Architecture of the Multi-Protocol Label Switching transport profile layer network
G.8112 [4] Interfaces for the MPLS transport profile layer network
G.8113.1 [5] Operations, administration and maintenance mechanisms for MPLS-TP in packet transport networks
G.8113.2 [6] Operations, administration and maintenance mechanisms for MPLS-TP networks using the tools defined for MPLS
G.8121 [7] Characteristics of MPLS-TP equipment functional blocks
G.8121.1 [8] Characteristics of MPLS-TP equipment functional blocks supporting ITU-T G.8113.1/Y.1372.1 OAM mechanisms
G.8121.2 [9] Characteristics of MPLS-TP equipment functional blocks supporting ITU-T G.8113.2/Y.1372.2 OAM mechanisms
G.8131 [10] Linear protection switching for MPLS transport profile
G.8151 [11] Management aspects of the MPLS-TP network element
G.8152 [12] Protocol-neutral management information model for the MPLS-TP network element

RFC or drafts

The following IETF RFCs or drafts exist for MPLS-TP:

RFCTitleDraft
RFC  5317 Joint Working Team (JWT) Report on MPLS Architectural Considerations for a Transport Profiledraft-bryant-mpls-tp-jwt-report
RFC  5586 MPLS Generic Associated Channeldraft-ietf-mpls-tp-gach-gal
RFC  5654 MPLS-TP Requirementsdraft-ietf-mpls-tp-requirements
RFC  5718 An In-Band Data Communication Network For the MPLS Transport Profiledraft-ietf-mpls-tp-gach-dcn
RFC  5860 Requirements for Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) in MPLS Transport Networksdraft-ietf-mpls-tp-oam-requirements
RFC  5921 A Framework for MPLS in Transport Networksdraft-ietf-mpls-tp-framework
RFC  5950 Network Management Framework for MPLS-based Transport Networksdraft-ietf-mpls-tp-nm-framework
RFC  5951 Network Management Requirements for MPLS-based Transport Networksdraft-ietf-mpls-tp-nm-req
RFC  5960 MPLS Transport Profile Data Plane Architecturedraft-ietf-mpls-tp-data-plane
RFC  6215 MPLS Transport Profile User-to-Network and Network-to-Network Interfacesdraft-ietf-mpls-tp-uni-nni
RFC  6291 Guidelines for the Use of the "OAM" Acronym in the IETFdraft-ietf-opsawg-mpls-tp-oam-def
RFC  6370 MPLS-TP Identifiersdraft-ietf-mpls-tp-identifiers
RFC  6371 Operations, Administration, and Maintenance Framework for MPLS-Based Transport Networksdraft-ietf-mpls-tp-oam-framework
RFC  6372 MPLS Transport Profile (MPLS-TP) Survivability Frameworkdraft-ietf-mpls-tp-survive-fwk
RFC  6373 MPLS-TP Control Plane Frameworkdraft-ietf-ccamp-mpls-tp-cp-framework
RFC  6375 A Packet Loss and Delay Measurement Profile for MPLS-based Transport Networksdraft-ietf-mpls-tp-loss-delay-profile
RFC  6669 MPLS-TP OAM Analysisdraft-ietf-mpls-tp-oam-analysis
RFC  6426 MPLS On-demand Connectivity Verification and Route Tracingdraft-ietf-mpls-tp-on-demand-cv
RFC  6378 MPLS-TP Linear Protectiondraft-ietf-mpls-tp-linear-protection
RFC  6427 MPLS Fault Management OAMdraft-ietf-mpls-tp-fault
RFC  6428 Proactive Connectivity Verification, Continuity Check and Remote Defect indication for MPLS Transport Profiledraft-ietf-mpls-tp-cc-cv-rdi
RFC  6478 Pseudowire Status for Static Pseudowiresdraft-ietf-pwe3-static-pw-status
RFC  6435 MPLS Transport Profile lock Instruct and Loopback Functionsdraft-ietf-mpls-tp-li-lb

Solutions

The solutions for the above requirements and framework are as mentioned below and is under development: [13]

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. ↑ "ITU-T/IETF interoperability issues addressed". ITU-T Study Group 15.
  2. ↑ Meeting results concerning T-MPLS_MPLS-TP Evolution
  3. ↑ "Architecture of the Multi-Protocol Label Switching transport profile layer network". International Telecommunication Union. December 2011.
  4. ↑ "Interfaces for the MPLS transport profile layer network". International Telecommunication Union. August 2015.
  5. ↑ "Operations, administration and maintenance mechanisms for MPLS-TP in packet transport networks". International Telecommunication Union. November 2016.
  6. ↑ "Operations, administration and maintenance mechanisms for MPLS-TP networks using the tools defined for MPLS". International Telecommunication Union. August 2017.
  7. ↑ "Characteristics of MPLS-TP equipment functional blocks". International Telecommunication Union. November 2018.
  8. ↑ "Characteristics of MPLS-TP equipment functional blocks supporting ITU-T G.8113.1/Y.1372.1 OAM mechanisms". International Telecommunication Union. November 2018.
  9. ↑ "Characteristics of MPLS-TP equipment functional blocks supporting ITU-T G.8113.2/Y.1372.2 OAM mechanisms". International Telecommunication Union. November 2018.
  10. ↑ "Linear protection switching for MPLS transport profile". International Telecommunication Union. July 2014.
  11. ↑ "Management aspects of the MPLS-TP network element". International Telecommunication Union. December 2018.
  12. ↑ "Protocol-neutral management information model for the MPLS-TP network element". International Telecommunication Union. December 2018.
  13. ↑ "MPLS-TP Standard". wiki.tools.ietf.org. Archived from the original on 2009-06-01.
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