Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)                      L. Fang, Ed.
Request for Comments: 6965                                         Cisco
Category: Informational                                         N. Bitar
ISSN: 2070-1721                                                  Verizon
                                                               R. Zhang
                                                         Alcatel-Lucent
                                                             M. Daikoku
                                                                   KDDI
                                                                 P. Pan
                                                               Infinera
                                                            August 2013


 MPLS Transport Profile (MPLS-TP) Applicability: Use Cases and Design

Abstract

  This document describes the applicability of the MPLS Transport
  Profile (MPLS-TP) with use case studies and network design
  considerations.  The use cases include Metro Ethernet access and
  aggregation transport, mobile backhaul, and packet optical transport.

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/rfc6965.














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Copyright Notice

  Copyright (c) 2013 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
  document authors.  All rights reserved.

  This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
  Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
  (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
  publication of this document.  Please review these documents
  carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
  to this document.  Code Components extracted from this document must
  include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of
  the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
  described in the Simplified BSD License.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction ....................................................3
     1.1. Terminology ................................................3
     1.2. Background .................................................4
  2. MPLS-TP Use Cases ...............................................6
     2.1. Metro Access and Aggregation ...............................6
     2.2. Packet Optical Transport ...................................7
     2.3. Mobile Backhaul ............................................8
          2.3.1. 2G and 3G Mobile Backhaul ...........................8
          2.3.2. 4G/LTE Mobile Backhaul ..............................9
  3. Network Design Considerations ..................................10
     3.1. The Role of MPLS-TP .......................................10
     3.2. Provisioning Mode .........................................10
     3.3. Standards Compliance ......................................10
     3.4. End-to-End MPLS OAM Consistency ...........................11
     3.5. PW Design Considerations in MPLS-TP Networks ..............11
     3.6. Proactive and On-Demand MPLS-TP OAM Tools .................12
     3.7. MPLS-TP and IP/MPLS Interworking Considerations ...........12
  4. Security Considerations ........................................13
  5. Acknowledgements ...............................................13
  6. References .....................................................13
     6.1. Normative References ......................................13
     6.2. Informative References ....................................14
  7. Contributors ...................................................15











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1.  Introduction

  This document describes the applicability of the MPLS Transport
  Profile (MPLS-TP) with use case studies and network design
  considerations.

1.1.  Terminology

     Term     Definition
     ------   -------------------------------------------------------
     2G       2nd generation of mobile telecommunications technology
     3G       3rd generation of mobile telecommunications technology
     4G       4th generation of mobile telecommunications technology
     ADSL     Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
     AIS      Alarm Indication Signal
     ATM      Asynchronous Transfer Mode
     BFD      Bidirectional Forwarding Detection
     BTS      Base Transceiver Station
     CC-V     Continuity Check and Connectivity Verification
     CDMA     Code Division Multiple Access
     E-LINE   Ethernet line; provides point-to-point connectivity
     E-LAN    Ethernet LAN; provides multipoint connectivity
     eNB      Evolved Node B
     EPC      Evolved Packet Core
     E-VLAN   Ethernet Virtual Private LAN
     EVDO     Evolution-Data Optimized
     G-ACh    Generic Associated Channel
     GAL      G-ACh Label
     GMPLS    Generalized Multiprotocol Label Switching
     GSM      Global System for Mobile Communications
     HSPA     High Speed Packet Access
     IPTV     Internet Protocol television
     L2VPN    Layer 2 Virtual Private Network
     L3VPN    Layer 3 Virtual Private Network
     LAN      Local Access Network
     LDI      Link Down Indication
     LDP      Label Distribution Protocol
     LSP      Label Switched Path
     LTE      Long Term Evolution
     MEP      Maintenance Entity Group End Point
     MIP      Maintenance Entity Group Intermediate Point
     MPLS     Multiprotocol Label Switching
     MPLS-TP  MPLS Transport Profile
     MS-PW    Multi-Segment Pseudowire
     NMS      Network Management System
     OAM      Operations, Administration, and Maintenance
     PE       Provider-Edge device
     PW       Pseudowire



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     RAN      Radio Access Network
     RDI      Remote Defect Indication
     S-PE     PW Switching Provider Edge
     S1       LTE Standardized interface between eNB and EPC
     SDH      Synchronous Digital Hierarchy
     SONET    Synchronous Optical Network
     SP       Service Provider
     SRLG     Shared Risk Link Groups
     SS-PW    Single-Segment Pseudowire
     TDM      Time-Division Multiplexing
     TFS      Time and Frequency Synchronization
     tLDP     Targeted Label Distribution Protocol
     UMTS     Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
     VPN      Virtual Private Network
     X2       LTE Standardized interface between eNBs for handover

1.2.  Background

  Traditional transport technologies include SONET/SDH, TDM, and ATM.
  There is a transition away from these transport technologies to new
  packet transport technologies.  In addition to the increasing demand
  for bandwidth, packet transport technologies offer the following key
  advantages:

  Bandwidth efficiency:

  Traditional TDM transport technologies support fixed bandwidth with
  no statistical multiplexing.  The bandwidth is reserved in the
  transport network, regardless of whether or not it is used by the
  client.  In contrast, packet technologies support statistical
  multiplexing.  This is the most important motivation for the
  transition from traditional transport technologies to packet
  transport technologies.  The proliferation of new distributed
  applications that communicate with servers over the network in a
  bursty fashion has been driving the adoption of packet transport
  techniques, since packet multiplexing of traffic from bursty sources
  provides more efficient use of bandwidth than traditional circuit-
  based TDM technologies.

  Flexible data rate connections:

  The granularity of data rate connections of traditional transport
  technologies is limited to the rigid Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy
  (PDH) hierarchy (e.g., DS1, DS3) or SONET hierarchy (e.g., OC3,
  OC12).  Packet technologies support flexible data rate connections.
  The support of finer data rate granularity is particularly important
  for today's wireline and wireless services and applications.




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  QoS support:

  Traditional transport technologies (such as TDM) provide bandwidth
  guarantees, but they are unaware of the types of traffic they carry.
  They are not packet aware and do not provide packet-level services.
  Packet transport can provide the differentiated services capability
  needed to support oversubscription and to deal with traffic
  prioritization upon congestion: issues that arise only in packet
  networks.

  The root cause for transport moving to packet transport is the shift
  of applications from TDM to packet -- for example, Voice TDM to VoIP,
  Video to Video over IP, TDM access lines to Ethernet, and TDM VPNs to
  IP VPNs and Ethernet VPNs.  In addition, network convergence and
  technology refreshes contribute to the demand for a common and
  flexible infrastructure that provides multiple services.

  As part of the MPLS family, MPLS-TP complements existing IP/MPLS
  technologies; it closes the gaps in the traditional access and
  aggregation transport to enable end-to-end packet technology
  solutions in a cost efficient, reliable, and interoperable manner.
  After several years of industry debate on which packet technology to
  use, MPLS-TP has emerged as the next generation transport technology
  of choice for many Service Providers worldwide.

  The Unified MPLS strategy -- using MPLS from core to aggregation and
  access (e.g., IP/MPLS in the core, IP/MPLS or MPLS-TP in aggregation
  and access) -- appears to be very attractive to many SPs.  It
  streamlines the operation, reduces the overall complexity, and
  improves end-to-end convergence.  It leverages the MPLS experience
  and enhances the ability to support revenue-generating services.

  MPLS-TP is a subset of MPLS functions that meet the packet transport
  requirements defined in [RFC5654].  This subset includes: MPLS data
  forwarding, pseudowire encapsulation for circuit emulation, and
  dynamic control plane using GMPLS control for LSP and tLDP for
  pseudowire (PW).  MPLS-TP also extends previous MPLS OAM functions,
  such as the BFD extension for proactive Connectivity Check and
  Connectivity Verification (CC-V) [RFC6428], Remote Defect Indication
  (RDI) [RFC6428], and LSP Ping Extension for on-demand CC-V [RFC6426].
  New tools have been defined for alarm suppression with Alarm
  Indication Signal (AIS) [RFC6427] and switch-over triggering with
  Link Down Indication (LDI) [RFC6427].  Note that since the MPLS OAM
  feature extensions defined through the process of MPLS-TP development
  are part of the MPLS family, the applicability is general to MPLS and
  not limited to MPLS-TP.





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  The requirements of MPLS-TP are provided in the MPLS-TP requirements
  document [RFC5654], and the architectural framework is defined in the
  MPLS-TP framework document [RFC5921].  This document's intent is to
  provide the use case studies and design considerations from a
  practical point of view based on Service Providers' deployments plans
  as well as actual deployments.

  The most common use cases for MPLS-TP include Metro access and
  aggregation, mobile backhaul, and packet optical transport.  MPLS-TP
  data-plane architecture, path protection mechanisms, and OAM
  functionality are used to support these deployment scenarios.

  The design considerations discussed in this document include the role
  of MPLS-TP in the network, provisioning options, standards
  compliance, end-to-end forwarding and OAM consistency, compatibility
  with existing IP/MPLS networks, and optimization vs. simplicity
  design trade-offs.

2.  MPLS-TP Use Cases

2.1.  Metro Access and Aggregation

  The use of MPLS-TP for Metro access and aggregation transport is the
  most common deployment scenario observed in the field.

  Some operators are building green-field access and aggregation
  transport infrastructure, while others are upgrading or replacing
  their existing transport infrastructure with new packet technologies.
  The existing legacy access and aggregation networks are usually based
  on TDM or ATM technologies.  Some operators are replacing these
  networks with MPLS-TP technologies, since legacy ATM/TDM aggregation
  and access are becoming inadequate to support the rapid business
  growth and too expensive to maintain.  In addition, in many cases the
  legacy devices are facing End of Sale and End of Life issues.  As
  operators must move forward with the next-generation packet
  technology, the adoption of MPLS-TP in access and aggregation becomes
  a natural choice.  The statistical multiplexing in MPLS-TP helps to
  achieve higher efficiency compared with the time-division scheme in
  the legacy technologies.  MPLS-TP OAM tools and protection mechanisms
  help to maintain high reliability of transport networks and achieve
  fast recovery.

  As most Service Providers' core networks are MPLS enabled, extending
  the MPLS technology to the aggregation and access transport networks
  with a Unified MPLS strategy is very attractive to many Service
  Providers.  Unified MPLS strategy in this document means having
  end-to-end MPLS technologies through core, aggregation, and access.
  It reduces operating expenses by streamlining the operation and



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  leveraging the operational experience already gained with MPLS
  technologies; it also improves network efficiency and reduces end-to-
  end convergence time.

  The requirements from the SPs for ATM/TDM aggregation replacement
  often include:

  -  maintaining the previous operational model, which means providing
     a similar user experience in NMS,

  -  supporting the existing access network (e.g., Ethernet, ADSL, ATM,
     TDM, etc.) and connections with the core networks, and

  -  supporting the same operational capabilities and services (L3VPN,
     L2VPN, E-LINE/E-LAN/E-VLAN, Dedicated Line, etc.).

  MPLS-TP can meet these requirements and, in general, the requirements
  defined in [RFC5654] to support a smooth transition.

2.2.  Packet Optical Transport

  Many SPs' transport networks consist of both packet and optical
  portions.  The transport operators are typically sensitive to network
  deployment cost and operational simplicity.  MPLS-TP supports both
  static provisioning through NMS and dynamic provisioning via the
  GMPLS control plane.  As such, it is viewed as a natural fit in
  transport networks where the operators can utilize the MPLS-TP LSPs
  (including the ones statically provisioned) to manage user traffic as
  "circuits" in both packet and optical networks.  Also, when the
  operators are ready, they can migrate the network to use the dynamic
  control plane for greater efficiency.

  Among other attributes, bandwidth management, protection/recovery,
  and OAM are critical in packet/optical transport networks.  In the
  context of MPLS-TP, LSPs may be associated with bandwidth allocation
  policies.  OAM is to be performed on each individual LSP.  For some
  of the performance monitoring functions, the OAM mechanisms need to
  be able to transmit and process OAM packets at very high frequency.
  An overview of the MPLS-TP OAM toolset is found in [RFC6669].

  Protection, as defined in [RFC6372], is another important element in
  transport networks.  Typically, ring and linear protection can be
  readily applied in metro networks.  However, as long-haul networks
  are sensitive to bandwidth cost and tend to have mesh-like topology,
  shared mesh protection is becoming increasingly important.






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  In some cases, SPs plan to deploy MPLS-TP from their long-haul
  optical packet transport all the way to the aggregation and access in
  their networks.

2.3.  Mobile Backhaul

  Wireless communication is one of the fastest growing areas in
  communication worldwide.  In some regions, the tremendous mobile
  growth is fueled by the lack of existing landline and cable
  infrastructure.  In other regions, the introduction of smart phones
  is quickly driving mobile data traffic to become the primary mobile
  bandwidth consumer (some SPs have already observed that more than 85%
  of total mobile traffic is data traffic).  MPLS-TP is viewed as a
  suitable technology for mobile backhaul.

2.3.1.  2G and 3G Mobile Backhaul

  MPLS-TP is commonly viewed as a very good fit for 2G/3G mobile
  backhaul.  2G (GSM/CDMA) and 3G (UMTS/HSPA/1xEVDO) mobile backhaul
  networks are still currently dominating the mobile infrastructure.

  The connectivity for 2G/3G networks is point to point (P2P).  The
  logical connections have a hub-and-spoke configuration.  Networks are
  physically constructed using a star or ring topology.  In the Radio
  Access Network (RAN), each mobile Base Transceiver Station (BTS/Node
  B) is communicating with a Base Station Controller (BSC) or Radio
  Network Controller (RNC).  These connections are often statically set
  up.

  Hierarchical or centralized architectures are often used for
  pre-aggregation and aggregation layers.  Each aggregation network
  interconnects with multiple access networks.  For example, a single
  aggregation ring could aggregate traffic for 10 access rings with a
  total of 100 base stations.

  The technology used today is largely ATM based.  Mobile providers are
  replacing the ATM RAN infrastructure with newer packet technologies.
  IP RAN networks with IP/MPLS technologies are deployed today by many
  SPs with great success.  MPLS-TP is another suitable choice for
  Mobile RAN.  The P2P connections from base station to Radio
  Controller can be set statically to mimic the operation of today's
  RAN environments; in-band OAM and deterministic path protection can
  support fast failure detection and switch-over to satisfy service
  level agreements (SLAs).  Bidirectional LSPs may help to simplify the
  provisioning process.  The deterministic nature of MPLS-TP LSP setup
  can also support packet-based synchronization to maintain predictable
  performance regarding packet delay and jitter.  The traffic-
  engineered and co-routed bidirectional properties of an MPLS-TP LSP



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  are of benefit in transporting packet-based Time and Frequency
  Synchronization (TFS) protocols, such as [TICTOC].  However, the
  choice between an external, physical-layer method or a packet-based
  TFS method is network dependent and thus is out of scope of this
  document.

2.3.2.  4G/LTE Mobile Backhaul

  One key difference between LTE and 2G/3G mobile networks is that the
  logical connection in LTE is a mesh, while in 2G/3G it is a P2P star.
  In LTE, each base station (eNB/BTS) communicates with multiple
  network controllers (e.g., Packet Data Network Gateway, Packet Data
  Network Serving Gateway, Access Service Network Gateway), and the
  radio elements communicate with one another for signal exchange and
  traffic offload to wireless or wireline infrastructures.

  IP/MPLS has a great advantage in any-to-any connectivity
  environments.  Thus, the use of mature IP or L3VPN technologies is
  particularly common in the design of an SP's LTE deployment plans.

  The extended OAM functions defined in MPLS-TP, such as in-band OAM
  and path protection mechanisms, bring additional advantages to
  support SLAs.  The dynamic control plane with GMPLS signaling is
  especially suited for the mesh environment, to support dynamic
  topology changes and network optimization.

  Some operators are using the same model as in 2G and 3G mobile
  backhaul, which uses IP/MPLS in the core and MPLS-TP with static
  provisioning (through NMS) in aggregation and access.  The reasoning
  is as follows: currently, the X2 traffic load in LTE networks may be
  a very small percentage of the total traffic.  For example, one large
  mobile operator observed that X2 traffic was less than one percent of
  the total S1 traffic.  Therefore, optimizing the X2 traffic may not
  be the design objective in this case.  The X2 traffic can be carried
  through the same static tunnels together with the S1 traffic in the
  aggregation and access networks and further forwarded across the
  IP/MPLS core.  In addition, mesh protection may be more efficient
  with regard to bandwidth utilization, but linear protection and ring
  protection are often considered simpler by some operators from the
  point of view of operation maintenance and troubleshooting, and so
  are widely deployed.  In general, using MPLS-TP with static
  provisioning for LTE backhaul is a viable option.  The design
  objective of using this approach is to keep the operation simple and
  use a common model for mobile backhaul, especially during the
  transition period.

  The TFS considerations stated in Section 2.3.1 apply to the 4G/LTE
  mobile backhaul case as well.



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3.  Network Design Considerations

3.1.  The Role of MPLS-TP

  The role of MPLS-TP is to provide a solution to help evolve
  traditional transport towards packet transport networks.  It is
  designed to support the transport characteristics and behavior
  described in [RFC5654].  The primary use of MPLS-TP is largely to
  replace legacy transport technologies, such as SONET/SDH.  MPLS-TP is
  not designed to replace the service support capabilities of IP/MPLS,
  such as L2VPN, L3VPN, IPTV, Mobile RAN, etc.

3.2.  Provisioning Mode

  MPLS-TP supports two provisioning modes:

  -  a mandatory static provisioning mode, which must be supported
     without dependency on dynamic routing or signaling; and

  -  an optional distributed dynamic control plane, which is used to
     enable dynamic service provisioning.

  The decision on which mode to use is largely dependent on the
  operational feasibility and the stage of network transition.
  Operators who are accustomed to the transport-centric operational
  model (e.g., NMS configuration without control plane) typically
  prefer the static provisioning mode.  This is the most common choice
  in current deployments.  The dynamic provisioning mode can be more
  powerful, but it is more suited to operators who are familiar with
  the operation and maintenance of IP/MPLS technologies or are ready to
  step up through training and planned transition.

  There may also be cases where operators choose to use the combination
  of both modes.  This is appropriate when parts of the network are
  provisioned in a static fashion, and other parts are controlled by
  dynamic signaling.  This combination may also be used to transition
  from static provisioning to dynamic control plane.

3.3.  Standards Compliance

  SPs generally recognize that standards compliance is important for
  lowering cost, accelerating product maturity, achieving multi-vendor
  interoperability, and meeting the expectations of their enterprise
  customers.







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  MPLS-TP is a joint work between the IETF and ITU-T.  In April 2008,
  the IETF and ITU-T jointly agreed to terminate T-MPLS and progress
  MPLS-TP as joint work [RFC5317].  The transport requirements are
  provided by the ITU-T; the protocols are developed in the IETF.

3.4.  End-to-End MPLS OAM Consistency

  End-to-end MPLS OAM consistency is highly desirable in order to
  enable Service Providers to deploy an end-to-end MPLS solution.  As
  MPLS-TP adds OAM function to the MPLS toolkit, it cannot be expected
  that a full-function end-to-end LSP with MPLS-TP OAM can be achieved
  when the LSP traverses a legacy MPLS/IP core.  Although it may be
  possible to select a subset of MPLS-TP OAM that can be gatewayed to
  the legacy MPLS/IP OAM, a better solution is achieved by tunneling
  the MPLS-TP LSP over the legacy MPLS/IP network.  In that mode of
  operation, legacy OAM may be run on the tunnel in the core, and the
  tunnel endpoints may report issues in as much detail as possible to
  the MIPs in the MPLS-TP LSP.  Note that over time it is expected that
  routers in the MPLS/IP core will be upgraded to fully support MPLS-TP
  features.  Once this has occurred, it will be possible to run
  end-to-end MPLS-TP LSPs seamlessly across the core.

3.5.  PW Design Considerations in MPLS-TP Networks

  In general, PWs in MPLS-TP work the same as in IP/MPLS networks.
  Both Single-Segment PW (SS-PW) and Multi-Segment PW (MS-PW) are
  supported.  For dynamic control plane, Targeted LDP (tLDP) is used.
  In static provisioning mode, PW status is a new PW OAM feature for
  failure notification.  In addition, both directions of a PW must be
  bound to the same transport bidirectional LSP.

  In the common network topology involving multi-tier rings, the design
  choice is between using SS-PW or MS-PW.  This is not a discussion
  unique to MPLS-TP, as it applies to PW design in general.  However,
  it is relevant here, since MPLS-TP is more sensitive to the
  operational complexities, as noted by operators.  If MS-PW is used,
  Switching PE (S-PE) must be deployed to connect the rings.  The
  advantage of this choice is that it provides domain isolation, which
  in turn facilitates troubleshooting and allows for faster PW failure
  recovery.  On the other hand, the disadvantage of using S-PE is that
  it adds more complexity.  Using SS-PW is simpler, since it does not
  require S-PEs, but it is less efficient because the paths across
  primary and secondary rings are longer.  If operational simplicity is
  a higher priority, some SPs choose SS-PW.

  Another design trade-off is whether to use PW protection in addition
  to LSP protection or rely solely on LSP protection.  When the MPLS-TP
  LSPs are protected, if the working LSP fails, the protecting LSP



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  assures that the connectivity is maintained and the PW is not
  impacted.  However, in the case of simultaneous failure of both the
  working and protecting LSPs, the attached PW would fail.  By adding
  PW protection and attaching the protecting PW to a diverse LSP not in
  the same Shared Risk Link Group (SRLG), the PW is protected even when
  the primary PW fails.  Clearly, using PW protection adds considerably
  more complexity and resource usage, and thus operators often may
  choose not to use it and consider protection against a single point
  of failure as sufficient.

3.6.  Proactive and On-Demand MPLS-TP OAM Tools

  MPLS-TP provides both proactive and on-demand OAM tools.  As a
  proactive OAM fault management tool, BFD Connectivity Check (CC) can
  be sent at regular intervals for Connectivity Check; three (or a
  configurable number) of missed CC messages can trigger the failure
  protection switch-over.  BFD sessions are configured for both working
  and protecting LSPs.

  A design decision is choosing the value of the BFD CC interval.  The
  shorter the interval, the faster the detection time is, but also the
  higher the resource utilization is.  The proper value depends on the
  application and the service needs, as well as the protection
  mechanism provided at the lower layer.

  As an on-demand OAM fault management mechanism (for example, when
  there is a fiber cut), a Link Down Indication (LDI) message [RFC6427]
  can be generated from the failure point and propagated to the
  Maintenance Entity Group End Points (MEPs) to trigger immediate
  switch-over from working to protecting path.  An Alarm Indication
  Signal (AIS) can be propagated from the Maintenance Entity Group
  Intermediate Point (MIP) to the MEPs for alarm suppression.

  In general, both proactive and on-demand OAM tools should be enabled
  to guarantee short switch-over times.

3.7.  MPLS-TP and IP/MPLS Interworking Considerations

  Since IP/MPLS is largely deployed in most SPs' networks, MPLS-TP and
  IP/MPLS interworking is inevitable if not a reality.  However,
  interworking discussion is out of the scope of this document; it is
  for further study.









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4.  Security Considerations

  Under the use case of Metro access and aggregation, in the scenario
  where some of the access equipment is placed in facilities not owned
  by the SP, the static provisioning mode of MPLS-TP is often preferred
  over the control-plane option because it eliminates the possibility
  of a control-plane attack, which may potentially impact the whole
  network.  This scenario falls into the Security Reference Model 2 as
  described in [RFC6941].

  Similar location issues apply to the mobile use cases since equipment
  is often placed in remote and outdoor environment, which can increase
  the risk of unauthorized access to the equipment.

  In general, NMS access can be a common point of attack in all MPLS-TP
  use cases, and attacks to GAL or G-ACh are unique security threats to
  MPLS-TP.  The MPLS-TP security considerations are discussed in the
  MPLS-TP security framework [RFC6941].  General security
  considerations for MPLS and GMPLS networks are addressed in "Security
  Framework for MPLS and GMPLS Networks" [RFC5920].

5.  Acknowledgements

  The authors wish to thank Adrian Farrel for his review as Routing
  Area Director and his continued support and guidance.  Adrian's
  detailed comments and suggestions were of great help for improving
  the quality of this document.  In addition, the authors would like to
  thank the following individuals: Loa Andersson for his continued
  support and guidance; Weiqiang Cheng for his helpful input on LTE
  mobile backhaul based on his knowledge and experience in real world
  deployment; Stewart Bryant for his text contribution on timing; Russ
  Housley for his improvement suggestions; Andrew Malis for his support
  and use case discussion; Pablo Frank, Lucy Yong, Huub van Helvoort,
  Tom Petch, Curtis Villamizar, and Paul Doolan for their comments and
  suggestions; and Joseph Yee and Miguel Garcia for their APPSDIR and
  Gen-ART reviews and comments, respectively.

6.  References

6.1.  Normative References

  [RFC5654]  Niven-Jenkins, B., Ed., Brungard, D., Ed., Betts, M., Ed.,
             Sprecher, N., and S. Ueno, "Requirements of an MPLS
             Transport Profile", RFC 5654, September 2009.

  [RFC5920]  Fang, L., Ed., "Security Framework for MPLS and GMPLS
             Networks", RFC 5920, July 2010.




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  [RFC5921]  Bocci, M., Ed., Bryant, S., Ed., Frost, D., Ed., Levrau,
             L., and L. Berger, "A Framework for MPLS in Transport
             Networks", RFC 5921, July 2010.

  [RFC6426]  Gray, E., Bahadur, N., Boutros, S., and R. Aggarwal, "MPLS
             On-Demand Connectivity Verification and Route Tracing",
             RFC 6426, November 2011.

  [RFC6427]  Swallow, G., Ed., Fulignoli, A., Ed., Vigoureux, M., Ed.,
             Boutros, S., and D. Ward, "MPLS Fault Management
             Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM)", RFC
             6427, November 2011.

  [RFC6428]  Allan, D., Ed., Swallow Ed., G., and J. Drake Ed.,
             "Proactive Connectivity Verification, Continuity Check,
             and Remote Defect Indication for the MPLS Transport
             Profile", RFC 6428, November 2011.

6.2. Informative References

  [RFC5317]  Bryant, S., Ed., and L. Andersson, Ed., "Joint Working
             Team (JWT) Report on MPLS Architectural Considerations for
             a Transport Profile", RFC 5317, February 2009.

  [RFC6372]  Sprecher, N., Ed., and A. Farrel, Ed., "MPLS Transport
             Profile (MPLS-TP) Survivability Framework", RFC 6372,
             September 2011.

  [RFC6669]  Sprecher, N. and L. Fang, "An Overview of the Operations,
             Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) Toolset for MPLS-
             Based Transport Networks", RFC 6669, July 2012.

  [RFC6941]  Fang, L., Ed., Niven-Jenkins, B., Ed., Mansfield, S., Ed.,
             and R. Graveman, Ed., "MPLS Transport Profile (MPLS-TP)
             Security Framework", RFC 6941, April 2013.

  [TICTOC]   Davari, S., Oren, A., Bhatia, M., Roberts, P., Montini,
             L., and L. Martini, "Transporting Timing messages over
             MPLS Networks", Work in Progress, June 2013.












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7.  Contributors

  Kam Lee Yap
  XO Communications
  13865 Sunrise Valley Drive
  Herndon, VA 20171
  United States
  EMail: [email protected]

  Dan Frost
  Cisco Systems, Inc.
  United Kingdom
  EMail: [email protected]

  Henry Yu
  TW Telecom
  10475 Park Meadow Dr.
  Littleton, CO 80124
  United States
  EMail: [email protected]

  Jian Ping Zhang
  China Telecom, Shanghai
  Room 3402, 211 Shi Ji Da Dao
  Pu Dong District, Shanghai
  China
  EMail: [email protected]

  Lei Wang
  Lime Networks
  Strandveien 30, 1366 Lysaker
  Norway
  EMail: [email protected]

  Mach (Guoyi) Chen
  Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
  No. 3 Xinxi Road
  Shangdi Information Industry Base
  Hai-Dian District, Beijing 100085
  China
  EMail: [email protected]

  Nurit Sprecher
  Nokia Siemens Networks
  3 Hanagar St. Neve Ne'eman B
  Hod Hasharon, 45241
  Israel
  EMail: [email protected]



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Authors' Addresses

  Luyuan Fang (editor)
  Cisco Systems, Inc.
  111 Wood Ave. South
  Iselin, NJ 08830
  United States
  EMail: [email protected]

  Nabil Bitar
  Verizon
  40 Sylvan Road
  Waltham, MA 02145
  United States
  EMail: [email protected]

  Raymond Zhang
  Alcatel-Lucent
  701 Middlefield Road
  Mountain View, CA 94043
  United States
  EMail: [email protected]

  Masahiro Daikoku
  KDDI Corporation
  3-11-11.Iidabashi, Chiyodaku, Tokyo
  Japan
  EMail: [email protected]

  Ping Pan
  Infinera
  United States
  EMail: [email protected]


















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