Network Working Group L. Berger, Editor
Request for Comments: 3471 Movaz Networks
Category: Standards Track January 2003
Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS)
Signaling Functional Description
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 (2003). All Rights Reserved.
Abstract
This document describes extensions to Multi-Protocol Label Switching
(MPLS) signaling required to support Generalized MPLS. Generalized
MPLS extends the MPLS control plane to encompass time-division (e.g.,
Synchronous Optical Network and Synchronous Digital Hierarchy,
SONET/SDH), wavelength (optical lambdas) and spatial switching (e.g.,
incoming port or fiber to outgoing port or fiber). This document
presents a functional description of the extensions. Protocol
specific formats and mechanisms, and technology specific details are
specified in separate documents.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction ............................................... 2
2. Overview .................................................. 3
3. Label Related Formats ..................................... 6
3.1 Generalized Label Request ............................... 6
3.2 Generalized Label ....................................... 11
3.3 Waveband Switching ...................................... 12
3.4 Suggested Label ......................................... 13
3.5 Label Set ............................................... 14
4. Bidirectional LSPs ......................................... 16
4.1 Required Information .................................... 17
4.2 Contention Resolution ................................... 17
5. Notification on Label Error ................................ 20
6. Explicit Label Control ..................................... 20
6.1 Required Information .................................... 21
Berger Standards Track [Page 1]
RFC 3471 GMPLS Signaling Functional Description
7. Protection Information ..................................... 21
7.1 Required Information .................................... 22
8. Administrative Status Information .......................... 23
8.1 Required Information .................................... 24
9. Control Channel Separation ................................. 25
9.1 Interface Identification ................................ 25
9.2 Fault Handling .......................................... 27
10. Acknowledgments ............................................ 27
11. Security Considerations .................................... 28
12. IANA Considerations ........................................ 28
13. Intellectual Property Considerations ....................... 29
14. References ................................................. 29
14.1 Normative References ................................... 29
14.2 Informative References ................................. 30
15. Contributors ............................................... 31
16. Editor's Address ........................................... 33
17. Full Copyright Statement ................................... 34
1. Introduction
The Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) architecture [RFC3031] has
been defined to support the forwarding of data based on a label. In
this architecture, Label Switching Routers (LSRs) were assumed to
have a forwarding plane that is capable of (a) recognizing either
packet or cell boundaries, and (b) being able to process either
packet headers (for LSRs capable of recognizing packet boundaries) or
cell headers (for LSRs capable of recognizing cell boundaries).
The original architecture has recently been extended to include LSRs
whose forwarding plane recognizes neither packet, nor cell
boundaries, and therefore, can't forward data based on the
information carried in either packet or cell headers. Specifically,
such LSRs include devices where the forwarding decision is based on
time slots, wavelengths, or physical ports.
Given the above, LSRs, or more precisely interfaces on LSRs, can be
subdivided into the following classes:
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