Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)                       I. Nishioka
Request for Comments: 6007                                     NEC Corp.
Category: Informational                                          D. King
ISSN: 2070-1721                                       Old Dog Consulting
                                                         September 2010


          Use of the Synchronization VECtor (SVEC) List for
               Synchronized Dependent Path Computations

Abstract

  A Path Computation Element (PCE) may be required to perform dependent
  path computations.  Dependent path computations are requests that
  need to be synchronized in order to meet specific objectives.  An
  example of a dependent request would be a PCE computing a set of
  services that are required to be diverse (disjointed) from each
  other.  When a PCE computes sets of dependent path computation
  requests concurrently, use of the Synchronization VECtor (SVEC) list
  is required for association among the sets of dependent path
  computation requests.  The SVEC object is optional and carried within
  the Path Computation Element Communication Protocol (PCEP) PCRequest
  (PCReq) message.

  This document does not specify the PCEP SVEC object or procedure.
  This informational document clarifies the use of the SVEC list for
  synchronized path computations when computing dependent requests.
  The document also describes a number of usage scenarios for SVEC
  lists within single-domain and multi-domain environments.

Status of This Memo

  This document is not an Internet Standards Track specification; it is
  published for informational purposes.

  This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force
  (IETF).  It represents the consensus of the IETF community.  It has
  received public review and has been approved for publication by the
  Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG).  Not all documents
  approved by the IESG are a candidate for any level of Internet
  Standard; see Section 2 of RFC 5741.

  Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
  and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
  http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6007.






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Copyright Notice

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  document authors.  All rights reserved.

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  Contributions published or made publicly available before November
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  Without obtaining an adequate license from the person(s) controlling
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  it for publication as an RFC or to translate it into languages other
  than English.

























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Table of Contents

  1. Introduction ....................................................3
     1.1. SVEC Object ................................................4
     1.2. Application of SVEC Lists ..................................5
  2. Terminology .....................................................6
  3. SVEC Association Scenarios ......................................7
     3.1. Synchronized Computation for Diverse Path Requests .........7
     3.2. Synchronized Computation for Point-to-Multipoint
          Path Requests ..............................................8
  4. SVEC Association ................................................9
     4.1. SVEC List ..................................................9
     4.2. Associated SVECs ...........................................9
     4.3. Non-Associated SVECs ......................................10
  5. Processing of SVEC List ........................................10
     5.1. Single-PCE, Single-Domain Environments ....................10
     5.2. Multi-PCE, Single-Domain Environments .....................11
     5.3. Multi-PCE, Multi-Domain Environments ......................11
  6. End-to-End Diverse Path Computation ............................13
     6.1. Disjoint VSPT .............................................13
     6.2. Disjoint VSPT Encoding ....................................14
     6.3. Path Computation Procedure ................................15
  7. Manageability Considerations ...................................15
     7.1. Control of Function and Policy ............................15
     7.2. Information and Data Models (MIB Modules) .................15
     7.3. Liveness Detection and Monitoring .........................15
     7.4. Verifying Correct Operation ...............................15
     7.5. Requirements on Other Protocols and Functional
          Components ................................................16
     7.6. Impact on Network Operation ...............................16
  8. Security Considerations ........................................16
  9. References .....................................................16
     9.1. Normative References ......................................16
     9.2. Informative References ....................................17
  10. Acknowledgements ..............................................18

1.  Introduction

  [RFC5440] describes the specifications for the Path Computation
  Element Communication Protocol (PCEP).  PCEP specifies the
  communication between a Path Computation Client (PCC) and a Path
  Computation Element (PCE), or between two PCEs based on the PCE
  architecture [RFC4655].  PCEP interactions include path computation
  requests and path computation replies.

  The PCE may be required to compute independent and dependent path
  requests.  Path computation requests are said to be independent if
  they are not related to each other and therefore not required to be



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  synchronized.  Conversely, a set of dependent path computation
  requests is such that their computations cannot be performed
  independently of each other, and the requests must be synchronized.
  The Synchronization VECtor (SVEC) with a list of the path computation
  request identifiers carried within the request message allows the PCC
  or PCE to specify a list of multiple path computation requests that
  must be synchronized.  Section 1.1 ("SVEC Object") describes the SVEC
  object.  Section 1.2 ("Application of SVEC Lists") describes the
  application of SVEC lists in certain scenarios.

  This informational document clarifies the handling of dependent and
  synchronized path computation requests, using the SVEC list, based on
  the PCE architecture [RFC4655] and PCEP [RFC5440].  The document also
  describes a number of usage scenarios for SVEC lists within single-
  domain and multi-domain environments.  This document is not intended
  to specify the procedure when using SVEC lists for dependent and
  synchronized path computation requests.

1.1.  SVEC Object

  When a PCC or PCE sends path computation requests to a PCE, a PCEP
  Path Computation Request (PCReq) message may carry multiple requests,
  each of which has a unique path computation request identifier.  The
  SVEC with a list of the path computation request identifiers carried
  within the request message allows the PCC or PCE to specify a list of
  multiple path computation requests that must be synchronized, and
  also allows the specification of any dependency relationships between
  the paths.  The path computation requests listed in the SVEC must be
  handled in a specific relation to each other (i.e., synchronized).

  [RFC5440] defines two synchronous path computation modes for
  dependent or independent path computation requests specified by the
  dependency flags (i.e., Node, Link, or Shared Risk Link Group (SRLG)
  diverse flags) in the SVEC:

  o  A set of independent and synchronized path computation requests.

  o  A set of dependent and synchronized path computation requests.

  See [RFC5440] for more details on dependent, independent, and
  synchronous path computation.

  These computation modes are exclusive to each other in a single SVEC.
  If one of the dependency flags in a SVEC is set, it indicates that a
  set of synchronous path computation requests has a dependency and
  does not allow any other path computation requests.  In order to be
  synchronized with other path computation requests with a dependency,
  it is necessary to associate them.



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  The aim of the SVEC object carried within a PCReq message is to
  request the synchronization of M path computation requests.  Each
  path computation request is uniquely identified by the Request-ID-
  number carried within the respective Request Parameters (RP) object.
  The SVEC object also contains a set of flags that specify the
  synchronization type.  The SVEC object is defined in Section 7.13
  ("SVEC Object") of [RFC5440].

1.2.  Application of SVEC Lists

  It is important for the PCE, when performing path computations, to
  synchronize any path computation requests with a dependency.  For
  example, consider two protected end-to-end services:

  o  It would be beneficial for each back-up path to be disjointed so
     they do not share the same links and nodes as the working path.

  o  Two diverse path computation requests would be needed to compute
     the working and disjointed protected paths.

  If the diverse path requests are computed sequentially, fulfillment
  of the initial diverse path computation without consideration of the
  second diverse path computation and disjoint constraint may result in
  the PCE either providing sub-optimal path disjoint results for the
  protected path or failing to meet the end-to-end disjoint requirement
  altogether.

  Additionally, SVEC can be applied to end-to-end diverse path
  computations that traverse multiple domains.  [RFC5441] describes two
  approaches, synchronous (i.e., simultaneous) and 2-step approaches,
  for end-to-end diverse path computation across a chain of domains.
  The path computation procedure is specified for the 2-step approaches
  in [RFC5521], but no guidelines are provided for the synchronous
  approach described in this document.

  The following scenarios are specifically described within this
  document:

  o  Single-domain, single-PCE, dependent and synchronized path
     computation request.

  o  Single-domain, multi-PCE, dependent and synchronized path request.

  o  Multi-domain, dependent and synchronized path computation request,
     including end-to-end diverse path computation.






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  The association among multiple SVECs for multiple sets of
  synchronized dependent path computations is also described in this
  document, as well as the disjoint Virtual Shortest Path Tree (VSPT)
  encoding rule for end-to-end diverse path computation across domains.
  Path computation algorithms for these path computation scenarios are
  out of the scope of this document.

  The clarifications and use cases in this document are applicable to
  the Global Concurrent Optimization (GCO) path computation mechanism
  specified in [RFC5557].  The GCO application provides the capability
  to optimize a set of services within the network, in order to
  maximize efficient use of network resources.  A single objective
  function (OF) or a set of OFs can be applied to a GCO.  To compute a
  set of such traffic-engineered paths for the GCO application, PCEP
  supports the synchronous and dependent path computation requests
  required in [RFC4657].

  The SVEC association and the disjoint VSPT described in this document
  do not require any extension to PCEP messages and object formats,
  when computing a GCO for multiple or end-to-end diverse paths.  In
  addition, the use of multiple SVECs is not restricted to only SRLG,
  node, and link diversity currently defined in the SVEC object
  [RFC5440], but is also available for other dependent path computation
  requests.

  The SVEC association and disjoint VSPT are available to both single-
  PCE path computation and multi-PCE path computation.

2.  Terminology

  This document uses PCE terminology defined in [RFC4655], [RFC4875],
  and [RFC5440].

  Associated SVECs: A group of multiple SVECs (Synchronization
     VECtors), defined in this document, to indicate a set of
     synchronized or concurrent path computations.

  Disjoint VSPT: A set of VSPTs, defined in this document, to indicate
     a set of virtual diverse path trees.

  GCO (Global Concurrent Optimization): A concurrent path computation
     application, defined in [RFC5557], where a set of traffic
     engineered (TE) paths is computed concurrently in order to
     efficiently utilize network resources.







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  Synchronized: Describes a set of path computation requests that the
     PCE associates and that the PCE does not compute independently of
     each other.

  VSPT: Virtual Shortest Path Tree, defined in [RFC5441].

3.  SVEC Association Scenarios

  This section clarifies several path computation scenarios in which
  SVEC association can be applied.  Also, any combination of scenarios
  described in this section could be applicable.

3.1.  Synchronized Computation for Diverse Path Requests

  A PCE may compute two or more point-to-point diverse paths
  concurrently, in order to increase the probability of meeting primary
  and secondary path diversity (or disjointness) objectives and network
  resource optimization objectives.

  Two scenarios can be considered for the SVEC association of point-to-
  point diverse paths.

  o  Two or more end-to-end diverse paths

  When concurrent path computation of two or more end-to-end diverse
  paths is requested, SVEC association is needed among diverse path
  requests.  Note here that each diverse path request consists of
  primary, secondary, and tertiary (and beyond) path requests, in which
  all path requests are grouped with one SVEC association.

  Consider two end-to-end services that are to be kept separate by
  using diverse paths.  The path computation requests would need to be
  associated so that diversity could be assured.  Consider further that
  each of these services requires a backup path that can protect
  against any failure in the primary path.  These backup paths must be
  computed using requests that are associated with the primary paths,
  giving rise to a set of four associated requests.

  o  End-to-end primary path and its segmented secondary paths

  When concurrent path computation for segment recovery paths, as shown
  in Figure 1, is requested, SVEC association is needed between a
  primary path and several segmented secondary paths.








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                  <------------ primary ----------->

                   A------B------C---D------E------F

                     \          /     \           /

                       P---Q---R        X---Y---Z

                  <--secondary1-->   <--secondary2-->

                    Figure 1.  Segment Recovery Paths

  In this scenario, we assume that the primary path may be pre-computed
  and used for specifying the segment for secondary paths.  Otherwise,
  the segment for secondary path requests is specified in advance, by
  using Exclude Route Object (XRO) and/or Include Route Object (IRO)
  constraints in the primary request.

3.2.  Synchronized Computation for Point-to-Multipoint Path Requests

  For point-to-multipoint path requests, SVEC association can be
  applied.

  o  Two or more point-to-multipoint paths

     If a point-to-multipoint path computation request is represented
     as a set of point-to-point paths [RFC6006], two or more point-to-
     multipoint path computation requests can be associated for
     concurrent path computation, in order to optimize network
     resources.

  o  Point-to-multipoint paths and their secondary paths

     When concurrent path computation of a point-to-multipoint path and
     its point-to-point secondary paths [RFC4875], or a point-to-
     multipoint path and its point-to-multipoint secondary paths is
     requested, SVEC association is needed among these requests.  In
     this scenario, we use the same assumption as the "end-to-end
     primary path and its segmented secondary paths" scenario in
     Section 3.1.











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4.  SVEC Association

  This section describes the associations among SVECs in a SVEC list.

4.1.  SVEC List

  PCEP provides the capability to carry one or more SVEC objects in a
  PCReq message, and this set of SVEC objects within the PCReq message
  is termed a SVEC list.  Each SVEC object in the SVEC list contains a
  distinct group of path computation requests.  When requesting
  association among such distinct groups, associated SVECs described in
  this document are used.

4.2.  Associated SVECs

  "Associated SVECs" means that there are relationships among multiple
  SVECs in a SVEC list.  Note that there is no automatic association in
  [RFC5440] between the members of one SVEC and the members of another
  SVEC in the same SVEC list.  The associated SVEC is introduced to
  associate these SVECs, especially for correlating among SVECs with
  dependency flags.

  Request identifiers in the SVEC objects are used to indicate the
  association among SVEC objects.  If the same request-IDs exist in
  SVEC objects, this indicates these SVEC objects are associated.  When
  associating among SVEC objects, at least one request identifier must
  be shared between associated SVECs.  The SVEC objects can be
  associated regardless of the dependency flags in each SVEC object,
  but it is recommended to use a single SVEC if the dependency flags
  are not set in all SVEC objects.  Similarly, when associating among
  SVEC objects with dependency flags, it is recommended to construct
  them using a minimum set of associated SVECs, thus avoiding complex
  relational associations.

  Below is an example of associated SVECs.  In this example, the first
  SVEC is associated with the other SVECs, and all of the path
  computation requests contained in the associated SVECs (i.e.,
  Request-IDs #1, #2, #3, #4, #X, #Y, and #Z) must be synchronized.

     <SVEC-list>

         <SVEC> without dependency flags

          Request-ID #1, Request-ID #3, Request-ID #X

         <SVEC> with one or more dependency flags

          Request-ID #1, Request-ID #2



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         <SVEC> with one or more dependency flags

          Request-ID #3, Request-ID #4

         <SVEC> without dependency flag

          Request-ID #X, Request-ID #Y, Request-ID #Z

4.3.  Non-Associated SVECs

  "Non-associated SVECs" means that there are no relationships among
  SVECs.  If none of the SVEC objects in the SVEC list on a PCReq
  message contains a common request-ID, there is no association between
  the SVECs and so no association between the requests in one SVEC and
  the requests in another SVEC.

  Below is an example of non-associated SVECs that do not contain any
  common request-IDs.

     <SVEC-list>

         <SVEC> with one or more dependency flags

          Request-ID #1, Request-ID #2

         <SVEC> with one or more dependency flags

          Request-ID #3, Request-ID #4

         <SVEC> without dependency flags

          Request-ID #X, Request-ID #Y, Request-ID #Z

5.  Processing of SVEC List

5.1.  Single-PCE, Single-Domain Environments

  In this environment, there is a single PCE within the domain.

  When a PCE receives PCReq messages with more than one SVEC object in
  the SVEC list, PCEP has to first check the request-IDs in all SVEC
  objects in order to identify any associations among them.

  If there are no matching request-IDs in the different SVEC objects,
  these SVEC objects are not associated, and then each set of path
  computation requests in the non-associated SVEC objects has to be
  computed separately.




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  If there are matching request-IDs in the different SVEC objects,
  these SVEC objects are associated, and then all path computation
  requests in the associated SVEC objects are treated in a synchronous
  manner for GCO application.

  If a PCE that is unable to handle the associated SVEC finds the
  common request-IDs in multiple SVEC objects, the PCE should cancel
  the path computation request and respond to the PCC with the PCErr
  message Error-Type="Capability not supported".

  In the case that M path computation requests are sent across multiple
  PCReq messages, the PCE may start a SyncTimer as recommended in
  Section 7.13.3 ("Handling of the SVEC Object") of [RFC5440].  In this
  case, the associated SVECs should also be handled as described in
  [RFC5440], i.e., after receiving the entire set of M path computation
  requests associated by SVECs, the computation should start at one.
  If the SyncTimer has expired or the subsequent PCReq messages are
  malformed, the PCE should cancel the path computation request and
  respond to the PCC with the relevant PCErr message.

5.2.  Multi-PCE, Single-Domain Environments

  There are multiple PCEs in a domain, to which PCCs can communicate
  directly, and PCCs can choose an appropriate PCE for load-balanced
  path computation requests.  In this environment, it is possible that
  dependent path computation requests are sent to different PCEs.

  However, if a PCC sends path computation requests to a PCE, and then
  sends a further path computation request to a different PCE using the
  SVEC list to show that the further request is dependent on the first
  requests, there is no method for the PCE to correlate the dependent
  requests sent to different PCEs.  No SVEC object correlation function
  between the PCEs is specified in [RFC5440].  No mechanism exists to
  resolve this problem, and the issue is open for future study.
  Therefore, a PCC must not send dependent path computation requests
  associated by SVECs to different PCEs.

5.3.  Multi-PCE, Multi-Domain Environments

  In this environment, there are multiple domains in which PCEs are
  located in each domain, and end-to-end dependent paths (i.e., diverse
  paths) are computed using multiple PCEs.  Note that we assume a chain
  of PCEs is predetermined and the Backward-Recursive PCE-Based
  Computation (BRPC) procedure [RFC5441] is in use.

  The SVECs can be applied to end-to-end diverse path computations that
  traverse multiple domains.  [RFC5441] describes two approaches,
  synchronous (i.e., simultaneous) and 2-step approaches, for



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  end-to-end diverse path computation across a chain of domains.  In
  the 2-step approaches described in [RFC5521], it is not necessary to
  use the associated SVECs if any of the dependency flags in a SVEC
  object are not set.  On the other hand, the simultaneous approach may
  require the associated SVEC because at least one of the dependency
  flags is required to be set in a SVEC object.  Thus, a use case of
  the simultaneous approach is described in this environment.

  When a chain of PCEs located in separate domains is used for
  simultaneous path computations, additional path computation
  processing is required, as described in Section 6 of this document.

  If the PCReq message contains multiple associated SVEC objects and
  these SVEC objects contain path computation requests that will be
  sent to the next PCE along the path computation chain, the following
  procedures are applied.

  When a chain of PCEs is a unique sequence for all of the path
  computation requests in a PCReq message, it is not necessary to
  reconstruct associations among SVEC objects.  Thus, the PCReq message
  is passed to the tail-end PCE.  When a PCReq message contains more
  than one SVEC object with the dependency flag set, the contained
  SVECs may then be associated.  PCEs receiving the associated SVECs
  must maintain their association and must consider their relationship
  when performing path computations after receiving a corresponding
  PCReply (PCRep) message.

  When a chain of PCEs is different, it is required that intermediate
  PCEs receiving such PCReq messages may reconstruct associations among
  SVEC objects, and then send PCReq messages to corresponding PCEs
  located in neighboring domains.  If the associated SVECs are
  reconstructed at the intermediate PCE, the PCE must not start its
  path computation until all PCRep messages have been received from all
  neighbor PCEs.  However, a complex PCE implementation is required for
  SVEC reconstruction, and waiting mechanisms must be implemented.
  Therefore, it is not recommended to associate path computation
  requests with different PCE chains.  This is an open issue and is
  currently being discussed in [H-PCE], which proposes a hierarchical
  PCE architecture.












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6.  End-to-End Diverse Path Computation

  In this section, the synchronous approach is provided to compute
  primary and secondary paths simultaneously.

6.1.  Disjoint VSPT

  The BRPC procedure constructs a VSPT to inform the enquiring PCE of
  potential paths to the destination node.

  In the end-to-end diverse path computation, diversity (or
  disjointness) information among the potential paths must be preserved
  in the VSPT to ensure an end-to-end disjoint path.  In order to
  preserve diversity (or disjointness) information, disjoint VSPTs are
  sent in the PCEP PCRep message.  The PCReq containing a SVEC object
  with the appropriate diverse flag set would signal that the PCE
  should compute a disjoint VSPT.

  A definition of the disjoint VSPT is a collection of VSPTs, in which
  each VSPT contains a potential set of primary and secondary paths.

  Figure 2 shows an example network.  Here, transit nodes in domains
  are not depicted, and PCE1 and PCE2 may be located in border nodes.
  In this network, there are three VSPTs for the potential set of
  diverse paths, shown in Figure 3, when the primary path and secondary
  path are requested from S1 to D1.  These VSPTs consist of a disjoint
  VSPT, which is indicated in a PCRep to PCE1.  When receiving the
  disjoint VSPT, PCE1 recognizes the disjoint request and disjoint VSPT
  information.  PCE1 will then continue to process the request and
  compute the diverse path using the BRPC procedure [RFC5441].
  Encoding for the disjoint VSPT is described in Section 6.2.

             Domain1          Domain2

          +----------+     +----------+

          |   PCE1   |     |   PCE2   |    S1: Source node

          |         BN1---BN4         |    D1: Destination node

          | S1      BN2---BN5      D1 |    BN1-BN6: Border nodes

          |         BN3---BN6         |

          +----------+     +----------+

         Figure 2.  Example Network for Diverse Path Computation




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              VSPT1:            VSPT2:              VSPT3:

                D1                D1                  D1

               / \               / \                 / \

            BN4   BN5         BN4   BN6           BN5   BN6

               Figure 3.  Disjoint VSPTs from PCE2 to PCE1

6.2.  Disjoint VSPT Encoding

  Encoding for the disjoint VSPT follows the definition of PCEP message
  encoding in [RFC5440].

  The PCEP PCRep message returns a disjoint VSPT as <path list> for
  each RP object (Request Parameter object).  The order of <path> in
  <path list> among <responses> implies a set of primary Explicit Route
  Objects (EROs) and secondary EROs.

  A PCE sending a PCRep with a disjoint VSPT can reply with a partial
  disjoint VSPT based on its network operation policy, but the order of
  <path> in <path list> must be aligned correctly.

  If confidentiality is required between domains, the path key
  mechanism defined in [RFC5520] is used for a disjoint VSPT.

  Below are the details of the disjoint VSPT encoding (in Figure 3),
  when a primary path and a secondary path are requested from S1 to D1.

     o  Request ID #1 (Primary)

        - ERO1 BN4(TE route ID)- ...-D1(TE-Router ID)  [for VSPT1]

        - ERO2 BN4(TE route ID)- ...-D1(TE-Router ID)  [for VSPT2]

        - ERO3 BN5(TE route ID)- ...-D1(TE-Router ID)  [for VSPT3]

     o  Request ID #2 (Secondary)

        - ERO4 BN5(TE route ID)- ...-D1(TE-Router ID)  [for VSPT1]

        - ERO5 BN6(TE route ID)- ...-D1(TE-Router ID)  [for VSPT2]

        - ERO6 BN6(TE route ID)- ...-D1(TE-Router ID)  [for VSPT3]






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6.3.  Path Computation Procedure

  For end-to-end diverse path computation, the same mode of operation
  as that of the BRPC procedure can be applied (i.e., Step 1 to Step n
  in Section 4.2 of [RFC5441]).  A question that must be considered is
  how to recognize disjoint VSPTs.

  The recognition of disjoint VSPTs is achieved by the PCE sending a
  PCReq to its neighbor PCE, which maintains the path computation
  request (PCReq) information.  If the PCReq has one or more SVEC
  object(s) with the appropriate dependency flags, the received PCRep
  will contain the disjoint VSPT.  If not, the received VSPT is a
  normal VSPT based on the shortest path computation.

  Note that the PCE will apply a suitable algorithm for computing
  requests with disjoint VSPTs.  The selection and application of the
  appropriate algorithm is out of scope in this document.

7.  Manageability Considerations

  This section describes manageability considerations specified in
  [PCE-MNG-REQS].

7.1.  Control of Function and Policy

  In addition to [RFC5440], PCEP implementations should allow the PCC
  to be responsible for mapping the requested paths to computation
  requests.  The PCC should construct the SVECs to identify and
  associate SVEC relationships.

7.2.  Information and Data Models (MIB Modules)

  There are currently no additional parameters for MIB modules.  There
  would be value in a MIB module that details the SVEC association.
  This work is currently out of scope of this document.

7.3.  Liveness Detection and Monitoring

  The associated SVEC in this document allows PCEs to compute optimal
  sets of diverse paths.  This type of path computation may require
  more time to obtain its results.  Therefore, it is recommended for
  PCEP to support the PCE monitoring mechanism specified in [RFC5886].

7.4.  Verifying Correct Operation

  [RFC5440] provides a sufficient description for this document.  There
  are no additional considerations.




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7.5.  Requirements on Other Protocols and Functional Components

  This document does not require any other protocol and functional
  components.

7.6.  Impact on Network Operation

  [RFC5440] provides descriptions for the mechanisms discussed in this
  document.  There is value in considering that large associated SVECs
  will require greater PCE resources, compared to non-associated SVECs.
  Additionally, the sending of large associated SVECs within multiple
  PCReq messages will require more network resources.  Solving these
  specific issues is out of scope of this document.

8.  Security Considerations

  This document describes the usage of the SVEC list, and does not have
  any extensions for PCEP.  The security of the procedures described in
  this document depends on PCEP [RFC5440].  However, a PCE that
  supports associated SVECs may be open to Denial-of-Service (DoS)
  attacks from a rogue PCC.  A PCE may be made to queue large numbers
  of requests waiting for other requests that will never arrive.
  Additionally, a PCE might be made to compute exceedingly complex
  associated SVEC computations.  These DoS attacks may be mitigated
  with the use of practical SVEC list limits, as well as:

  o  Applying provisioning to PCEs, e.g., for a given number of
     simultaneous services (recommended).

  o  Using a priority-based multi-queuing mechanism in which path
     computation requests with a smaller SVEC list are prioritized for
     path computation processing.

  o  Specifying which PCCs may request large SVEC associations through
     PCE access policy control.

9.  References

9.1.  Normative References

  [RFC4655]      Farrel, A., Vasseur, J.-P., and J. Ash, "A Path
                 Computation Element (PCE)-Based Architecture",
                 RFC 4655, August 2006.

  [RFC4657]      Ash, J., Ed., and J. Le Roux, Ed., "Path Computation
                 Element (PCE) Communication Protocol Generic
                 Requirements", RFC 4657, September 2006.




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  [RFC4875]      Aggarwal, R., Ed., Papadimitriou, D., Ed., and S.
                 Yasukawa, Ed., "Extensions to Resource Reservation
                 Protocol - Traffic Engineering (RSVP-TE) for Point-to-
                 Multipoint TE Label Switched Paths (LSPs)", RFC 4875,
                 May 2007.

  [RFC5440]      Vasseur, JP., Ed., and JL. Le Roux, Ed., "Path
                 Computation Element (PCE) Communication Protocol
                 (PCEP)", RFC 5440, March 2009.

  [RFC5441]      Vasseur, JP., Ed., Zhang, R., Bitar, N., and JL. Le
                 Roux, "A Backward-Recursive PCE-Based Computation
                 (BRPC) Procedure to Compute Shortest Constrained
                 Inter-Domain Traffic Engineering Label Switched
                 Paths", RFC 5441, April 2009.

  [RFC5520]      Bradford, R., Ed., Vasseur, JP., and A. Farrel,
                 "Preserving Topology Confidentiality in Inter-Domain
                 Path Computation Using a Path-Key-Based Mechanism",
                 RFC 5520, April 2009.

  [RFC5521]      Oki, E., Takeda, T., and A. Farrel, "Extensions to the
                 Path Computation Element Communication Protocol (PCEP)
                 for Route Exclusions", RFC 5521, April 2009.

  [RFC5557]      Lee, Y., Le Roux, JL., King, D., and E. Oki, "Path
                 Computation Element Communication Protocol (PCEP)
                 Requirements and Protocol Extensions in Support of
                 Global Concurrent Optimization", RFC 5557, July 2009.

9.2.  Informative References

  [H-PCE]        King, D., Ed., and A. Farrel, Ed., "The Application of
                 the Path Computation Element Architecture to the
                 Determination of a Sequence of Domains in MPLS &
                 GMPLS", Work in Progress, December 2009.

  [PCE-MNG-REQS] Farrel, A., "Inclusion of Manageability Sections in
                 PCE Working Group Drafts", Work in Progress, July
                 2009.

  [RFC5886]      Vasseur, JP., Ed., Le Roux, JL., and Y. Ikejiri, "A
                 Set of Monitoring Tools for Path Computation Element
                 (PCE)-Based Architecture", RFC 5886, June 2010.







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  [RFC6006]      Zhao, Q., Ed., King, D., Ed., Verhaeghe, F., Takeda,
                 T., Ali, Z., and J. Meuric, "Extensions to the Path
                 Computation Element Communication Protocol (PCEP) for
                 Point-to-Multipoint Traffic Engineering Label Switched
                 Paths", RFC 6006, September 2010.

10.  Acknowledgements

  The authors would like to thank Adrian Farrel, Julien Meuric, and
  Filippo Cugini for their valuable comments.

Authors' Addresses

  Itaru Nishioka
  NEC Corp.
  1753 Shimonumabe,
  Kawasaki, 211-8666,
  Japan

  Phone: +81 44 396 3287
  EMail: [email protected]


  Daniel King
  Old Dog Consulting
  United Kingdom

  Phone: +44 7790 775187
  EMail: [email protected]






















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