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Transparent SDH/SONET over Packet
draft-manhoudt-pwe3-tsop-04

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Authors Gert Manhoudt , Stephan Roullot , Kin Yee Wong
Last updated 2014-02-03
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draft-manhoudt-pwe3-tsop-04
INTERNET-DRAFT                                               G. Manhoudt
Intended Status: Proposed Standard                             AimValley
Expires: August 7, 2014                                                 
                                                              S. Roullot
                                                          Alcatel-Lucent
                                                                        
                                                               K.Y. Wong
                                                          Alcatel-Lucent
                                                                        
                                                                H.L. Kuo
                                                        Chunghwa Telecom
                                                                        
                                                        February 3, 2014

                   Transparent SDH/SONET over Packet 
                      draft-manhoudt-pwe3-tsop-04

Abstract

   This document describes the Transparent SDH/SONET over Packet (TSoP)
   mechanism to encapsulate Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) or
   Synchronous Optical NETwork (SONET) bit-streams in a packet format,
   suitable for Pseudowire (PW) transport over a packet switched network
   (PSN).  The key property of the TSoP  method is that it transports
   the SDH/SONET client signal in its entirety through the PW, i.e., no
   use is made of any specific characteristic of the SONET/SDH signal
   format, other than its bit rate.  The TSoP transparency includes
   transporting the timing properties of the SDH/SONET client signal. 
   This ensures a maximum of transparency and a minimum of complexity,
   both in implementation and during operation.

Status of this Memo

   This Internet-Draft is submitted to IETF in full conformance with the
   provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.

   Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
   Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups.  Note that
   other groups may also distribute working documents as
   Internet-Drafts.

   Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
   and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any
   time.  It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference
   material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."

 

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   The list of current Internet-Drafts can be accessed at
   http://www.ietf.org/1id-abstracts.html

   The list of Internet-Draft Shadow Directories can be accessed at
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Copyright and License Notice

   Copyright (c) 2014 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.

 

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Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
   2.  Terminology and Conventions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
     2.1.  Conventions Used in This Document  . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
     2.2.  Acronyms and Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
   3.  Emulated STM-N Services  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
     3.1.  PSN-bound Direction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  9
     3.2.  CE-bound Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  9
   4.  TSoP Encapsulation Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
     4.1.  TSoP Packet Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
     4.2.  PSN/PW Headers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
       4.2.1  Transport over an MPLS(-TP) PSN . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
     4.3.  TSoP Encapsulation Headers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
       4.3.1.  Location and Order of TSoP Encapsulation Headers . . . 12
       4.3.2.  Usage and Structure of the TSoP Control Word . . . . . 12
       4.3.3.  Usage of the RTP Header  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
   5.  TSoP Payload Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
   6.  TSoP Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
     6.1.  Common Considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
     6.2.  IWF Operation  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
       6.2.1.  PSN-Bound Direction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
       6.2.2.  CE-Bound Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
     6.3.  TSoP Defects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
     6.4.  TSoP Performance Monitoring  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
   7.  Quality of Service (QoS) Issues  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
   8.  Congestion Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
   9.  Security Considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
   10. Applicability Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
   11. IANA Considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
   12. Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
   13. References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
     13.1. Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
     13.2. Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
   Appendix A. Parameter Configuration for TSoP PW Set-up . . . . . . 29
   Appendix B. Buffer Configuration in the CE-bound IWF . . . . . . . 30
   Appendix C. Synchronization Considerations for the CE-bound IWF  . 32
     C.1. Layer 1 Synchronized PEs  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
     C.2. Synchronous CEs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
     C.3. Pleisiochronous CEs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
   Appendix D.  Effect of G-AIS Insertion on a Downstream SDH Node  . 36
   Authors' Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

 

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1.  Introduction

   This document describes the Transparent SDH/SONET over Packet (TSoP)
   method for encapsulating SDH or SONET signals with bit rates of
   51.84 Mbit/s or N * 155.52 Mbit/s (where N = 1, 4, 16 or 64) for
   Pseudowire (PW) transport over a packet switched network (PSN), using
   circuit emulation techniques.

   The selected approach for this encapsulation scheme avoids using any
   particular signal characteristics of the SDH/SONET signal, other than
   its bit rate.  This approach closely follows the SAToP method
   described in [RFC4553] for PW transport of E1, DS1, E3 or DS3 over a
   PSN.

   An alternative to the TSoP method for STM-N transport over PW is
   known as CEP (Circuit Emulation over Packet) and is described in
   [RFC4842]. The key difference between the CEP approach and the TSoP
   approach is that within CEP an incoming STM-N is terminated and
   demultiplexed to its constituent VCs (Virtual Containers).
   Subsequently, each VC is individually circuit emulated and
   encapsulated into a PW and transported over the PSN to potentially
   different destinations, where they are reassembled into (newly
   constructed) STM-N signals again.  The TSoP approach, on the other
   hand, is to encapsulate the entire STM-N in a single circuit
   emulating Pseudowire and transport it to a single destination over
   the PSN.  The essential difference between both methods is that CEP
   offers more routing flexibility and better bandwidth efficiency than
   TSoP at the cost of the loss of transparency (overhead, timing,
   scrambling) at the STM-N layer and at the cost of added complexity
   associated with the inclusion of what in essence is an SDH/SONET VC
   cross-connect function in the PEs.

   Within the context of this document, there is no difference between
   SONET [GR-253] signals, often denoted as OC-M, and SDH [G.707]
   signals, usually denoted as STM-N. For ease of reading, this document
   will only refer to STM-N, but any statement about an STM-N signal
   should be understood to apply equally to the equivalent OC-M signal,
   unless it is specifically mentioned otherwise.  The equivalency can
   be described by the following relations between N and M: If N = 0
   then M = 1 and if N >= 1 then M = 3 * N.

   The TSoP solution presented in this document conforms to the PWE3
   architecture described in [RFC3985] and satisfies the relevant
   general requirements put forward in [RFC3916].

   As with all PWs, TSoP PWs may be manually configured or set up using
   a suitably expanded version of the PWE3 control protocol [RFC4447].

 

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2.  Terminology and Conventions

2.1.  Conventions Used in This Document

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and
   "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in
   [RFC2119].

2.2.  Acronyms and Terms

   The following acronyms used in this document are defined in [RFC3985]
   and [RFC4197]:

   AC       Attachment Circuit
   CE       Customer Edge
   PE       Provider Edge
   PREP     Pre-Processing
   PSN      Packet Switched Network
   PW       Pseudowire
   SDH      Synchronous Digital Hierarchy
   SONET    Synchronous Optical Network

   In addition, the following specific terms are used in this document:

   G-AIS    Generic Alarm Indication Signal - A specific bit pattern
            that replaces the normal STM-N signal in the case of certain
            failure scenarios.  The G-AIS pattern [G.709] is constructed
            by continuously repeating the 2047 bit pseudo random bit
            sequence based on the generating polynomial 1 + x^9 + x^11
            according to [O.150].

   IWF      Interworking Function - A functional block that segments and
            encapsulates a constant bit-rate signal into PW packets and
            that in the reverse direction decapsulates PW packets and
            reconstitutes the constant bit-rate signal.

   LOF      Loss Of Frame - A condition of an STM-N signal in which the
            frame pattern cannot be detected.  Criteria for raising and
            clearing a LOF condition can be found in [G.783].

   LOPS     Loss of Packet State - A defect that indicates that the PE
            at the receiving end of a TSoP carrying PW experiences an
            interruption in the stream of received TSoP packets.  See
            [RFC5604]

   LOS      Loss Of Signal - A condition of the STM-N attachment circuit
            in which the incoming signal has an insufficient energy
 

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            level for reliable reception.  Criteria for raising and
            clearing a LOS condition can be found in [G.783].

   NIM      Non-Intrusive Monitor - A circuit that monitors a signal in
            a certain direction of transmission, without changing the
            binary content of it.  A NIM can be used for Fault
            Management and Performance Monitoring purposes

   PDV      Packet Delay Variation - A (statistical) measure that
            describes the distribution of the variation in transit times
            of packets in a certain flow between two reference points in
            the network.  See [G.8260]

   SF       Signal Fail - A control signal, that exists internally in a
            system, to convey the failed state of an incoming signal,
            from a server layer process to the adjacent client layer
            process.  See [G.783]

3.  Emulated STM-N Services

   A TSoP emulated STM-N service over a Pseudowire makes use of a
   bi-directional point-to-point connection over the PSN between two
   TSoP-IWF blocks, located in the PE nodes that terminate the PW that
   interconnects them, as shown in figure 1.  The TSoP-IWF blocks each
   consist of two half-functions, a PSN-bound IWF and a CE-bound IWF,
   one for each direction of transmission.  As the name implies, the
   PSN-bound part of the TSoP-IWF performs the conversion of an STM-N
   bitstream to a packet flow, suitable for transport over the PSN and
   the CE-bound part of the TSoP-IWF performs the inverse operation.

 

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       |<------------------ Emulated Service ----------------->|
       |                                                       |
       |      |<-------------- Pseudowire ------------->|      |
       |  AC  |                                         |  AC  |
       |<---->|           |<----- PSN ----->|           |<---->|
       |      |           |                 |           |      |
       |      .    PE1    .                 .    PE2    .      |
       .      +-----------+                 +-----------+      .
   +---+      |           |                 |           |      +---+    
   |   |----->| PSN-bound |====> . . . ====>| CE-bound  |----->|   |    
   | C |      |    IWF    |                 |   IWF     |      | C |
   | E |      | _   _   _ |                 | _   _   _ |      | E |
   |   |      |           |                 |           |      |   |
   | 1 |      |           |                 |           |      | 2 |
   |   |<-----| CE-bound  |<==== . . . <====| PSN-bound |<-----|   |
   +---+  |   |   IWF     |                 |    IWF    |   |  +---+
          |   +-----------+                 +-----------+   |       
          |     TSoP-IWF                       TSoP-IWF     |
        native                                           native
        STM-N                                             STM-N

       Figure 1.  Overview of STM-N emulated service architecture

   The following list provides the STM-N services, as specified in
   [G.707] and [GR-253], that can be supported by a TSoP PW:

      1. STM-0 or OC-1 (51.84 Mbit/s)
      2. STM-1 or OC-3 (155.52 Mbit/s)
      3. STM-4 or OC-12 (622.08 Mbit/s)
      4. STM-16 or OC-48 (2488.32 Mbit/s)
      5. STM-64 or OC-192 (9953.28 Mbit/s)

   The TSoP protocol used for emulation of STM-N services does not
   depend on the method in which the STM-N is delivered to the PE.  For
   example, an STM-1 attachment circuit is treated in the same way
   regardless of whether it is a copper [G.703] or a fiber optic [G.957]
   link.

   Also, in case the STM-N is carried in an OTN signal [G.709], the
   functionality in the TSoP-IWF operates in the same way, but a PWE3
   Preprocessing (PREP) functional block will be present between the AC
   and the PE to perform the OTN (de)multiplexing functions.

   The TSoP-IWF function in figure 1 is further broken down in
   functional blocks in figure 2.  These individual functional blocks
   are described in the next two sections.

 

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     AC                         TSoP-IWF                           PSN
   ------>|<------------------------------------------------->|<--------

          +---------------------------------------------------+         
          |                 +-------+                         |         
          |  +-------+  SF  | PSN-  |  CE-side_               |         
          |  |       |----->| bound |  defect     +--------+  |         
   STM-N  |  | STM-N |   +->| NIM   |------------>|        |  |         
   =========>|  Rx   |   |  +-------+             |        |  |         
          |  |       |===0=======================>| PSN-   |  |   Packet
          |  +-------+      +--------+            | bound  |===========>
          |                 | Subst. |            | IWF    |  |         
          |                 | Signal |===========>|        |  |         
          |                 | Gen.   |        +-->|        |  |         
          |                 +--------+        |   +--------+  |         
          |                                   |               |         
          | PSN-bound direction               |               |
   - - - -|- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -|- - - - - - - -|- - - - -
          | CE-bound direction                |               |         
          |                                   |               |         
          |                 +--------+        | PSN-side_     |         
          |                 | G-AIS  |        | defect        |         
          |                 | Gen.   |====+   |               |         
          |                 +--------+    |   |               |         
          |                               |   |   +--------+  |         
          |                 +--------+    |   +---|        |  |         
          |  +-------+      |        |<===+       |        |  |         
          |  |       |      | STM-N/ |  No_Packet | CE-    |  |         
   <=========| STM-N |<=====| G-AIS  |<-----------| bound  |<===========
   STM-N  |  |  Tx   |      | Switch |            | IWF    |  |   Packet
          |  |       |  +-->|        |<========0==|        |  |         
          |  +-------+  |   +--------+         |  |        |  |         
          |             |      +----------+    |  +--------+  |         
          |             |      | optional |    |              |         
          |             +------| CE-bound |<---+              |         
          |                    |   NIM    |                   |         
          |                    +----------+                   |         
          +---------------------------------------------------+         

                Figure 2.  TSoP functional block diagram

 

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3.1.  PSN-bound Direction

   In the PSN-bound direction the STM-N signal is received from the CE
   via an AC by the STM-N Rx function.  This function recovers the
   optical or electrical signal and converts it to a suitable internal
   format.  In addition, it detects the LOS condition and it asserts the
   SF signal whenever this is the case.  The STM-N Rx block is
   equivalent to the OSn_TT_Sk & OSn/RSn_A_Sk (in the case of an optical
   STM-N) or the ESn_TT_Sk & ESn/RSn_A_Sk (in the case of an electrical
   STM-N interface) function pairs defined in [G.783].

   The PSN-bound IWF segments the STM-N ingress bitstream, which it
   receives from the STM-N Rx function, in blocks of equal length.  Each
   block of bits is supplied with the appropriate TSoP Encapsulation
   Headers and then delivered to the PSN Multiplexing layer to add the
   required headers for transport over the PSN.

   The PSN-bound NIM function controls the state of the CE-side_defect
   signal.  It will assert this signal in case the SF signal is asserted
   or in case another defect is detected in the incoming STM-N signal. 
   The inclusion of other defects than LOS in the CE-side_defect signal
   is OPTIONAL. 

   When the CE-side_defect signal is asserted, the PSN-bound IWF will
   set the corresponding flag (L-bit) in the overhead of the affected
   packets.  Packets in which the L-bit is set MUST have a substitution
   payload (created by the Substitution Signal Generator function) of
   the same length as the regular TSoP payload.  This substitution
   payload is RECOMMENDED to be the G-AIS pattern or a fixed "all ones"
   pattern.

   Lastly, when the PSN-side_defect state is asserted, the PSN-bound IWF
   will set the corresponding flag (R-bit) in the overhead of all
   packets that are transmitted while this signal is in the asserted
   state.

3.2.  CE-bound Direction

   In the CE-bound direction, the CE-bound IWF receives the PW packets
   from the PSN and strips off the PSN, PW, and TSoP encapsulation
   headers and writes the payload data in a buffer.  The output data
   stream towards the CE is created by playing out this buffer with a
   suitable clock signal.  The thus reconstructed STM-N signal is
   forwarded to the STM-N/G-AIS Switch function.

   The No_Packet signal is asserted by the CE-bound IWF in case the
   internal packet buffer empties due to lack of input packets from the
   PSN or in case a packet is missing or invalid.
 

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   The PSN-side_defect signal is asserted by the CE-bound IWF in case
   the LOPS condition is detected by the CE-bound IWF (see section
   6.2.2).  The state of this signal controls the value of the R-bit in
   the overhead of the packets returned towards the far-end TSoP-IWF.

   The G-AIS Generator generates a G-AIS signal at the nominal frequency
   of the recovered STM-N signal, +/- 20 ppm.

   The STM-N/G-AIS Switch normally takes its input from the CE-bound IWF
   and forwards the recovered STM-N signal towards the STM-N Tx
   function, but during the time that the No_Packet signal is asserted,
   it will select the G-AIS Generator as its active input and forward a
   G-AIS signal towards the STM-N Tx function.

   The CE-bound NIM function is an OPTIONAL function that can be used to
   detect additional defects in the recovered CE-bound STM-N signal. 
   The presence of such defects (e.g. STM-N LOF) MAY be used as an
   additional reason for the STM-N/G-AIS Switch function to select the
   G-AIS signal as its active input.

   Lastly, the STM-N Tx function converts the internal signal that is
   output by the STM-N/G-AIS Switch block into a regular STM-N signal
   towards the CE via the AC.  The STM-N Tx block is equivalent to the
   OSn_TT_So & OSn/RSn_A_So (in the case of an optical STM-N) or the
   ESn_TT_So & ESn/RSn_A_So (in the case of an electrical STM-N
   interface) function pairs defined in [G.783].

 

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4.  TSoP Encapsulation Layer

4.1.  TSoP Packet Format

   The general format of TSoP packets during transport over the PSN is
   shown in Figure 3.

    0                   1                   2                   3   
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
   |                             ...                               |
   |                        PSN/PW Headers                         |
   |                             ...                               |
   +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
   |                             ...                               |
   |                  TSoP Encapsulation Headers                   |
   |                             ...                               |
   +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
   |                                                               |
   |                             ...                               |
   |                                                               |
   |                      TSoP Payload Field                       |
   |                                                               |
   |                             ...                               |
   |                                                               |
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

                 Figure 3.  Generic TSoP Packet Format

4.2.  PSN/PW Headers

   A TSoP PW can be transported over different types of PSNs based on
   different switching technology.  Below the transmission over MPLS is
   described, but other methods are not precluded.  The selected method
   will determine the format of the PSN/PW Headers part and influence
   the order of the fields in the TSoP Encapsulation Headers part.

4.2.1  Transport over an MPLS(-TP) PSN

   In case a TSoP PW is forwarded over an MPLS(-TP) PSN, a standard
   "bottom of stack" PW label as shown in figure 4 is prepended before
   the TSoP Encapsulation Headers.  Subsequently, one or more MPLS(-TP)
   labels need to be pushed according to the standard MPLS transport
   methods outlined in [RFC3031] and [RFC3032].

 

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    0                   1                   2                   3   
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
   |                 Label                 | TC  |S|     TTL       |
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

                      Figure 4.  PW Label (S = 1)

4.3.  TSoP Encapsulation Headers

4.3.1.  Location and Order of TSoP Encapsulation Headers

   The TSoP Encapsulation Headers MUST contain the TSoP Control Word
   (figure 6) and MUST contain a Minimum length RTP Header [RFC3550]
   (figure 7).  The TSoP Encapsulation Headers must immediately follow
   the PSN/PW header, as shown in figure 5. 

    0                   1                   2                   3   
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
   |                             ...                               |
   |                       PSN/PW Headers                          |
   |                             ...                               |
   +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
   |                      TSoP Control Word                        |
   +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
   |                                                               |
   +--                                                           --+
   |           Minimum length RTP Header (see [RFC3550])           |
   +--                                                           --+
   |                                                               |
   +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
   |                             ...                               |
   |                     STM-N data (Payload)                      |
   |                             ...                               |
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

                 Figure 5.  General TSoP Packet Format

4.3.2.  Usage and Structure of the TSoP Control Word

   The purpose of the TSoP control word is to allow:

   1. Detection of packet loss or misordering
   2. Differentiation between PSN and attachment circuit problems as a
      cause for outage of the emulated service
   3. Signaling of faults detected at the PW egress to the PW ingress

 

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   The structure of the TSoP Control Word is in accordance with the
   general PW Control Word format specified in [RFC4385].  The TSoP CW
   format is shown in Figure 6 below.  This TSoP Control Word MUST be
   present in each TSoP PW packet.

    0                   1                   2                   3   
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
   |0 0 0 0|L|R|RSV|FRG|   LEN     |       Sequence number         |
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

             Figure 6.  Structure of the TSoP Control Word

   The use of Bits 0 to 3 is described in [RFC4385].  These bits MUST be
   set to zero unless they are being used to indicate the start of an
   Associated Channel Header (ACH).  An ACH is needed if the state of
   the TSoP PW is being monitored using Virtual Circuit Connectivity
   Verification [RFC5085] or in case OAM functionality according to
   [RFC6371] is added.

   L (bit 4) - If this bit is set, it indicates that the STM-N data
       ingressing in the PSN-bound IWF is currently experiencing a fault
       condition.  Once set, if the fault is rectified, the L-bit MUST
       be cleared.  For each frame that is transmitted with L-bit = 1,
       the PSN-bound IWF MUST insert such an amount of substitution data
       in the TSoP payload field that the TSoP frame length, as it is
       during normal operation, is maintained.  The CE-bound IWF MUST
       play out an amount of G-AIS data corresponding to the original
       TSoP Payload Field for each received packet with the L-bit set.

       Note: This document does not prescribe exactly which STM-N fault
       conditions are to be treated as invalidating the payload carried
       in the TSoP packets.  An example of such a fault condition would
       be LOS.

   R (bit 5) - If this bit is set by the PSN-bound IWF, it indicates
       that its local CE-bound IWF is in the LOPS state, i.e., it has
       lost a preconfigured number of consecutive packets.  The R-bit
       MUST be cleared by the PSN-bound IWF once its local CE-bound IWF
       has exited the LOPS state, i.e., has received a preconfigured
       number of consecutive packets.  See also section 6.2.2.

   RSV (bits 6 to 7) - This field MUST be set to 0 by the PSN-bound IWF
       and MUST be ignored by the CE-bound IWF.  RSV is reserved.

   FRG (bits 8 to 9) - This field MUST be set to 0 by the PSN-bound IWF
       and MUST be ignored by the CE-bound IWF.  FRG is fragmentation;
       see [RFC4623].
 

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   LEN (bits 10 to 15) - This field MAY be used to carry the length of
       the TSoP packet (defined as the length of the TSoP Encapsulation
       Header + TSoP Payload Field) if it is less than 64 octets, and
       MUST be set to zero otherwise.  When the LEN field is set to 0,
       the preconfigured size of the TSoP packet payload MUST be assumed
       to be as described in Section 5, and if the actual packet size is
       inconsistent with this length, the packet MUST be considered
       malformed.

   Sequence number (bits 16 to 31) - This field is used to enable the
       common PW sequencing function as well as detection of lost
       packets.  It MUST be generated in accordance with the rules
       defined in Section 5.1 of [RFC3550] for the RTP sequence number:

          o Its space is a 16-bit unsigned circular space
          o Its initial value SHOULD be random (unpredictable).

       It MUST be incremented with each TSoP data packet sent in the
       specific PW.

4.3.3.  Usage of the RTP Header

   A minimum length RTP Header as specified in [RFC3550] MUST be
   included in the TSoP Encapsulation Header.  The reason for mandating
   the insertion of an RTP Header by the PSN-bound IWF is that it is
   expected that in most cases the CE-bound IWF will need to use the
   contained timestamps to be able to recover a clock signal of
   sufficient quality.  By avoiding to make the presence of RTP Headers
   subject to configuration, the design of the CE-bound IWF can be
   simplified and another potential source of errors during
   commissioning is eliminated.

   The RTP Header fields in the list below (see also figure 7) MUST have
   the following specific values:

      V (version) = 2
      P (padding) = 0
      X (header extension) = 0
      CC (CSRC count) = 0
      M (marker) = 0

 

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    0                   1                   2                   3   
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
   | V |P|X|   CC  |M|     PT      |       Sequence number         |
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
   |                           Timestamp                           |
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
   |                              SSRC                             |
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

              Figure 7.  Structure of the RTP Header field

   The PT (payload type) field is used as follows:

   1. One PT value SHOULD be allocated from the range of dynamic values
      (see [RTP-TYPE]) for each direction of the PW.  The same PT value
      MAY be reused for both directions of the PW and also reused
      between different PWs.
   2. The PSN-bound IWF MUST set the PT field in the RTP header to the
      allocated value.
   3. The CE-bound IWF MAY use the received value to detect malformed
      packets.

   The sequence number MUST be the same as the sequence number in the
   TSoP control word.

   The RTP timestamps are used for carrying timing information over the
   network.  Their values MUST be generated in accordance with the rules
   established in [RFC3550].

   A TSoP implementation MUST support RTP timestamping at the PW ingress
   with a nominal clock frequency of 25 MHz.  This is also the default
   value.  Other clock frequencies MAY be supported to generate the RTP
   Timestamps.  Selection of the applicable clock frequency is done
   during commissioning of the PW that carries the emulated STM-N
   service.  

   The SSRC (synchronization source) value in the RTP header MAY be used
   for detection of misconnections, i.e., incorrect interconnection of
   attachment circuits.  In case this option is not used, this field
   should contain an all zero pattern.

   The usage of the options associated with the RTP Header (the
   timestamping clock frequency, selected PT and SSRC values) MUST be
   aligned between the two TSoP IWFs during Pseudowire commissioning.

 

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5.  TSoP Payload Field

   In order to facilitate handling of packet loss in the PSN, all
   packets belonging to a given TSoP PW are REQUIRED to carry a fixed
   number of octets in its TSoP Payload Field.  

   The TSoP Payload Field length MUST be defined during PW
   commissioning, MUST be the same for both directions of the PW, and
   MUST remain unchanged for the lifetime of the PW.

   All TSoP implementations MUST be capable of supporting the following
   TSoP Payload Field length:

      o  STM-N (for N = 0, 1, 4, 16 and 64) - 810 octets

   Notes:

      1. Whatever the selected payload size, TSoP does not assume
         alignment to any underlying structure imposed by STM-N framing
         (octet, frame, or multiframe alignment).  The STM-N signal
         remains scrambled through the TSoP encapsulation and
         decapsulation processes.

      2. With a payload size of 810 octets, the STM-N emulated service
         over the PSN will have a nominal packet rate of 8000 packets/s
         when N = 0 and a nominal packet rate of 24000 * N packets/s for
         N >= 1.

   TSoP uses the following ordering for packetization of the STM-N data:

      o  The order of the payload octets corresponds to their order on
         the attachment circuit.

      o  Consecutive bits coming from the attachment circuit fill each
         payload octet starting from most significant bit to least
         significant.

6.  TSoP Operation

6.1.  Common Considerations

   Edge-to-edge emulation of an STM-N service using TSoP is only
   possible when the two PW attachment circuits are of the same type,
   i.e., both are STM-N with equal N.

 

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6.2.  IWF Operation

6.2.1.  PSN-Bound Direction

   Once the PW is commissioned, the PSN-bound TSoP IWF operates as
   follows:

   The ingressing STM-N bit-stream is segmented, such that each segment
   contains the configured number of payload octets per packet.  This
   forms the TSoP Payload Field.  The STM-N bit-stream MUST NOT be
   descrambled before segmentation and packetization for PW transport.

   Subsequently, the TSoP Encapsulation Headers are prepended according
   to the rules in section 4.3.

   Lastly, the PSN/PW Headers are added to the packetized service data,
   and, depending on the applicable layer 1 technology, additional
   overhead is added.  The resulting packets are transmitted over the
   PSN.

6.2.2.  CE-Bound Direction

   Once the PW is commissioned, the CE-bound TSoP IWF operates as
   follows:

   Each time a valid TSoP packet is received from the PSN, its sequence
   number is checked to determine its relative position in the stream of
   received packets.  Packets that are received out-of-order MAY be
   reordered.  Next, the data in the fixed length TSoP payload field of
   each packet is written into a (jitter) buffer in the order indicated
   by its sequence number.  In case data is missing due to a lost packet
   or a packet that could not be re-ordered, an equivalent amount of
   dummy data (G-AIS pattern) is substituted. 

   Subsequently, the STM-N stream towards the CE is reconstructed by
   playing out the buffer content with a clock that is reconstructed to
   have the same average frequency as the STM-N clock at the PW ingress.
   In addition, this clock signal must have such properties that the
   following requirements can be met:

      o  A reconstructed SDH-type STM-N signal delivered to an
         Attachment Circuit MUST meet [G.825] and [G.823] jitter and
         wander requirements (for synchronization interfaces), or,

      o  A reconstructed SONET-type OC-M signal delivered to an
         Attachment Circuit MUST meet [GR-253] jitter and wander
         requirements.

 

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   The size of the buffer in the CE-bound TSoP IWF SHOULD be
   configurable to allow accommodation to the PSN specific packet delay
   variation (see appendix B).

   The CE-bound TSoP IWF MUST use the sequence number in either the TSoP
   Control Word or in the RTP header for detection of lost and
   misordered packets.  The use of the sequence number in the TSoP
   Control Word for this purpose is RECOMMENDED.

   The CE-bound TSoP IWF MAY reorder misordered packets.  Misordered
   packets that can not be reordered MUST be discarded and treated the
   same way as lost packets.

   The payload of received TSoP packets marked with the L-bit set MUST
   be replaced by the equivalent number of bits from the G-AIS pattern. 
   Likewise, the payload of each lost or malformed (see section 6.3)
   TSoP packet MUST be replaced with the equivalent number of bits from
   the G-AIS pattern.

   Before a TSoP PW has been commissioned and after a TSoP PW has been
   decommissioned, the IWF MUST play out the G-AIS pattern to its STM-N
   attachment circuit.

   Once a TSoP PW has been commissioned, the CE-bound IWF begins to
   receive TSoP packets and to store their payload in the buffer, but
   continues to play out the G-AIS pattern to its STM-N attachment
   circuit.  This intermediate state persists until a preconfigured
   degree of filling (for example half of the CE-bound IWF buffer) has
   been reached by writing consecutive TSoP packets or until a
   preconfigured intermediate state timer (started when the TSoP
   commissioning is complete) expires.  See appendix B for
   considerations regarding the configuration of the initial degree of
   filling of this buffer.

   Each time an STM-N signal is replaced by a G-AIS signal at the same
   nominal bitrate, this signal may start at an arbitrary point in its
   repeating 2047-bit sequence.  Once the starting point is selected,
   the G-AIS signal is sent uninterrupted until the condition that
   invoked it has been removed.  The frequency of the clock that is used
   to generate this G-AIS signal MUST have an accuracy that is better
   than +/- 20 ppm relative to the nominal STM-N frequency.  Appendix D
   describes the effect of G-AIS insertion on downstream SDH equipment.

   Once the preconfigured amount of the STM-N data has been received,
   the CE-bound TSoP IWF enters its normal operational state where it
   continues to receive TSoP packets and to store their payload in the
   buffer while playing out the contents of the jitter buffer in
   accordance with the required clock.  In this state, the CE-bound IWF
 

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   performs clock recovery, MAY monitor PW defects, and MAY collect PW
   performance monitoring data.

   The CE-bound IWF enters the LOPS defect state in case it detects the
   loss of a preconfigured number of consecutive packets or if the
   intermediate state timer expires before the required amount of STM-N
   data has been received.  While in this state, the local PSN-bound
   TSoP IWF SHOULD mark every packet it transmits with the R-bit set. 
   The CE-bound IWF leaves the LOPS defect state and transits to the
   normal state once a preconfigured number of consecutive valid TSoP
   packets have been received (successfully reordered packets contribute
   to the count of consecutive packets).

   The RTP timestamps inserted in each TSoP packet at the PW ingress
   allow operation in differential mode, provided that both PW ingress
   and PW egress IWFs have a local clock that is traceable to a common
   timing source.

   The use of adaptive mode clocking mode, i.e., recovering the STM-N
   clock in the CE-bound IWF by essentially averaging the arrival times
   of the TSoP packets from the PSN without using RTP information, is
   not recommended for TSoP-based circuit emulation.  Appendix C
   provides some considerations regarding the implementation and
   configuration of the CE-bound IWF.

6.3.  TSoP Defects

   In addition to the LOPS state defined above, the CE-bound TSoP IWF
   MAY detect the following defects:

      o  Stray packets
      o  Malformed packets
      o  Excessive packet loss rate
      o  Buffer overrun
      o  Buffer underrun
      o  Remote packet loss

   Corresponding to each defect is a defect state of the IWF, a
   detection criterion that triggers transition from the normal
   operation state to the appropriate defect state, and an alarm that
   MAY be reported to the management system and thereafter cleared. 
   Alarms are only reported when the defect state persists for a
   preconfigured amount of time (typically 2.5 seconds) and MUST be
   cleared after the corresponding defect is undetected for a second
   preconfigured amount of time (typically 10 seconds).  The trigger and
   release times for the various alarms may be independent.

   Stray packets MAY be detected by the PSN and PW demultiplexing
 

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   layers.  The SSRC field in the RTP header MAY be used for this
   purpose as well.  Stray packets MUST be discarded by the CE-bound
   IWF, and their detection MUST NOT affect mechanisms for detection of
   packet loss.

   Malformed packets are detected by mismatch between the expected
   packet size and the actual packet size inferred from the PSN and PW
   demultiplexing layers (taking the value of the L-bit into account). 
   Differences between the received PT value and the PT value allocated
   for this direction of the PW MAY also be used for this purpose. 
   Malformed, in-order packets MUST be discarded by the CE-bound IWF and
   replacement data generated as with lost packets.

   Excessive packet loss rate is detected by computing the average
   packet loss rate over a configurable amount of time and comparing it
   with preconfigured raise and clear thresholds.

   Buffer overrun is detected in normal operational state when the
   (jitter) buffer of the CE-bound IWF cannot accommodate newly arrived
   TSoP packets.

   Buffer underrun can detected in normal operational state when the
   (jitter) buffer of the CE-bound IWF has insufficient data to maintain
   playing out the STM-N signal towards the CE at the recovered clock
   rate.  In this situation G-AIS MUST be substituted until the buffer
   fill has reached its preconfigured degree of filling again.

   Remote packet loss is indicated by reception of packets with their
   R-bit set.

6.4.  TSoP Performance Monitoring

   Performance monitoring (PM) parameters are routinely collected for
   STM-N services and provide an important maintenance mechanism in SDH
   networks.  However, STM-N level PM data provides the information over
   the performance of the end-to-end STM-N connection, which may extend
   well beyond the part in which it is carried over a TSoP Pseudowire.

   It may be important to be able to measure the performance of a TSoP
   Pseudowire section, which forms a part of the STM-N end-to-end
   connection, in isolation.  For that reason a set of packet level
   counters are specified that can be used to assess the performance of
   the TSoP Pseudowire section.  Collection of the TSoP PW performance
   monitoring data is OPTIONAL and, if implemented, is only performed
   after the CE-bound IWF has exited its intermediate state. 

   The following counters are defined:

 

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      ENCAP_TXTOTAL_PKTS (counter size: 32 bits) - The total number of
         TSoP packets that is transmitted towards the PSN by the
         PSN-bound IWF function.  This includes packets with the L-bit
         set.

      DECAP_RXTOTAL_PKTS (counter size: 32 bits) - The total number of
         TSoP packets that is received from the PSN by the CE-bound IWF
         function.  This includes malformed packets, out-of-order
         packets and packets with the L-bit set.

      DECAP_REORDERED_PKTS (counter size: 32 bits) - The number of out-
         of-order TSoP packets that is received from the PSN by the
         CE-bound IWF, based on the received sequence numbers, for which
         the ordering could be corrected by the CE-bound IWF.

      DECAP_MISSING_PKTS (counter size: 32 bits) - The number of TSoP
         packets that did not arrive at the CE-bound IWF from the PSN,
         based on the received sequence numbers.

      DECAP_MALFORMED_PKTS (counter size: 32 bits) - The number of TSoP
         packets that is received from the PSN by the CE-bound IWF
         function which contains one of the following RTP related
         errors: TSoP Payload Field length mismatch, PT-value mismatch
         (if checked) and/or SSRC mismatch (if checked).

      DECAP_OUTOFORDER_PKTS (counter size: 32 bits) - The number of out-
         of-order TSoP packets that is received from the PSN by the
         CE-bound IWF, based on the received sequence numbers, for which
         the ordering could not be corrected by the CE-bound IWF.

      DECAP_OVERRUN_BITS (counter size: 64 bits) - The number of bits of
         TSoP Payload that is received from the PSN but dropped by the
         CE-bound IWF due to the fact that the (jitter) buffer has
         insufficient capacity available to store the complete TSoP
         Payload Field content.

      DECAP_UNDERRUN_BITS (counter size: 64 bits) - The number of bits
         that is not played out towards the CE by the CE-bound IWF
         because the (jitter) buffer is empty at the moment they need to
         be played out.

      DECAP_PLAYEDOUT_PKTS (counter size: 32 bits) - The number of
         packets that has been successfully played out towards the CE by
         the CE-bound IWF containing valid STM-N payload, including the
         packets that have been received with the L-bit set, containing
         substituted data.  Packets which are lost in transmission over
         the PSN or packets which are (partially) discarded by the
         CE-bound IWF due to some error condition are not counted. 
 

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   Note that packets with the L-bit set are considered normal data from
   the perspective of TSoP Pseudowire Performance Monitoring, since in
   such cases the location of the fault is in the STM-N path, before it
   ingresses the PSN-bound IWF, so outside the scope of the TSoP PW.

7.  Quality of Service (QoS) Issues

   TSoP SHOULD employ existing QoS capabilities of the underlying PSN.

   If the PSN providing connectivity between PE devices is
   Diffserv-enabled and provides a PDB [RFC3086] that guarantees low
   jitter and low loss, the TSoP PW SHOULD use this PDB in compliance
   with the admission and allocation rules the PSN has put in place for
   that PDB (e.g., marking packets as directed by the PSN).

   If the PSN is Intserv-enabled, then GS (Guaranteed Service) [RFC2212]
   with the appropriate bandwidth reservation SHOULD be used in order to
   provide a bandwidth guarantee equal or greater than that of the
   encapsulated STM-N traffic.

8.  Congestion Control 

   As explained in [RFC3985], the PSN carrying the PW may be subject to
   congestion.  TSoP PWs represent inelastic constant bit-rate flows and
   cannot respond to congestion in a TCP-friendly manner prescribed by
   [RFC2914], although the percentage of total bandwidth they consume
   remains constant.

   Unless appropriate precautions are taken, undiminished demand of
   bandwidth by TSoP PWs can contribute to network congestion that may
   impact network control protocols.

   Whenever possible, TSoP PWs SHOULD be carried across traffic-
   engineered PSNs that provide either bandwidth reservation and
   admission control or forwarding prioritization and boundary traffic
   conditioning mechanisms.  IntServ-enabled domains supporting
   Guaranteed Service (GS) [RFC2212] and DiffServ-enabled domains
   [RFC2475] supporting Expedited Forwarding (EF) [RFC3246] provide
   examples of such PSNs.  Such mechanisms will negate, to some degree,
   the effect of the TSoP PWs on the neighboring streams.

   If TSoP PWs run over a PSN providing best-effort service, they SHOULD
   monitor packet loss in order to detect "severe congestion".  If such
   a condition is detected, a TSoP PW SHOULD shut down bi-directionally
   for some period of time as described in Section 6.5 of [RFC3985].

   Note that:
 

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   1. The TSoP IWF can inherently provide packet loss measurement since
      the expected rate of arrival of TSoP packets is fixed and known

   2. The results of the TSoP packet loss measurement may not be a
      reliable indication of presence or absence of severe congestion if
      the PSN provides enhanced delivery.  For example:

      a) If TSoP traffic takes precedence over non-TSoP traffic, severe
         congestion can develop without significant TSoP packet loss.

      b) If non-TSoP traffic takes precedence over TSoP traffic, TSoP
         may experience substantial packet loss due to a short-term
         burst of high-priority traffic.

   3. The availability objectives for the digital paths that are
      supported by an STM-N signal (see [G.827]) MUST be taken into
      account when deciding on temporary shutdown of TSoP PWs.

   This specification does not define the exact criteria for detecting
   "severe congestion" using the TSoP packet loss rate or the specific
   methods for bi-directional shutdown the TSoP PWs (when such severe
   congestion has been detected) and their subsequent re-start after a
   suitable delay.  This is left for further study.  However, the
   following considerations may be used as guidelines for implementing
   the TSoP severe congestion shutdown mechanism:

   1. If the TSoP PW has been set up using either PWE3 control protocol
      [RFC4447], the regular PW teardown procedures of these protocols
      SHOULD be used.

   2. If one of the TSoP PW end points stops transmission of packets for
      a sufficiently long period, its peer (observing 100% packet loss)
      will necessarily detect "severe congestion" and also stop
      transmission, thus achieving bi-directional PW shutdown.

9.  Security Considerations

   TSoP does not enhance or detract from the security performance of the
   underlying PSN; rather, it relies upon the PSN mechanisms for
   encryption, integrity, and authentication whenever required.

   TSoP PWs share susceptibility to a number of Pseudowire layer attacks
   and will use whatever mechanisms for confidentiality, integrity, and
   authentication are developed for general PWs.  These methods are
   beyond the scope of this document.

 

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   Although TSoP PWs MUST employ an RTP header to achieve an explicit
   transfer of timing information, SRTP (see [RFC3711]) mechanisms are
   NOT RECOMMENDED as a substitute for PW layer security.

   Misconnection detection capabilities of TSoP increase its resilience
   to misconfiguration.

   Random initialization of sequence numbers, in both the control word
   and the optional RTP header, makes known plaintext attacks on
   encrypted TSoP PWs more difficult.  Encryption of PWs is beyond the
   scope of this document.

10. Applicability Statements

   TSoP is an encapsulation layer intended for carrying SDH STM-N
   circuits over the PSN in a structure-agnostic and fully transparent
   fashion.

   TSoP fully complies with the principle of minimal intervention,
   minimizing overhead and computational power required for
   encapsulation.

   TSoP provides sequencing and synchronization functions needed for
   emulation of STM-N bit-streams, including detection of lost or
   misordered packets and perform the appropriate compensation.
   Furthermore, explicit timing information is provided by the presence
   of an RTP timestamp in each TSoP packet.

   STM-N bit-streams carried over TSoP PWs may experience delays
   exceeding those typical of native SDH networks.  These delays include
   the TSoP packetization delay, edge-to-edge delay of the underlying
   PSN, and the delay added by the jitter buffer.  It is recommended to
   estimate both delay and delay variation prior to setup of a TSoP PW. 
   See appendix B for more information on jitter buffer configuration.

   TSoP carries STM-N streams over PSN in their entirety, including any
   control plane data contained within the data.  Consequently, the
   emulated STM-N services are sensitive to the PSN packet loss. 
   Appropriate generation of replacement data can be used to prevent LOF
   defects and declaration of severely errored seconds (SES) due to
   occasional packet loss.  Other effects of packet loss on this
   interface (e.g., errored blocks) cannot be prevented.  See appendix D
   for more information.

   TSoP provides for effective fault isolation by forwarding the local
   attachment circuit failure indications to the remote attachment
   circuit.

 

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   TSoP provides for a carrier independent ability to detect
   misconnections and malformed packets via the PT and SSRC fields in
   the RTP Header.  This feature increases resilience of the emulated
   service to misconfiguration.

   Being a constant bit rate (CBR) service, TSoP cannot provide TCP
   friendly behavior under network congestion.

   Faithfulness of a TSoP PW may be increased by exploiting QoS features
   of the underlying PSN.

   TSoP does not provide any mechanisms for protection against PSN
   outages, and hence its resilience to such outages is limited. 
   However, lost packet replacement and packet reordering mechanisms
   increase resilience of the emulated service to fast PSN rerouting
   events.

   A key requirement for TSoP to achieve transparent transport of the
   timing information of an STM-N signal, is that the recovered STM-N
   signal meets all relevant SDH and SONET jitter/wander requirements
   (see section 6.2.2).  It will depend on the synchronization situation
   of the PSN whether or not a given CE-bound TSoP implementation can
   meet this requirement.  In appendix C a number of network
   synchronization situations are listed, in which it is possible to
   meet this requirement with a reasonable CE-bound IWF design.  In
   other network synchronization scenarios, the application of TSoP is
   not generically recommended.

11. IANA Considerations

   IANA is requested to assign a new MPLS Pseudowire (PW) type for the
   following TSoP encapsulated services:

         PW type      Description           Reference
         --------     ----------------      ----------
         0x0020       STM-0 or OC-1         RFC XXXX
         0x0021       STM-1 or OC-3         RFC XXXX
         0x0022       STM-4 or OC-12        RFC XXXX
         0x0023       STM-16 or OC-48       RFC XXXX
         0x0024       STM-64 or OC-192      RFC XXXX

   The above value is suggested as the next available value and has been
   reserved for this purpose by IANA.

   RFC Editor: Please replace RFC XXXX above with the RFC number of this
   document and remove this note.

 

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12. Acknowledgements

   The authors of this document are much indebted to the authors of
   [RFC4553]. This latter RFC has been used as a template and example
   for the current document.  Moreover, many paragraphs and sentences
   have been copied from this RFC without alteration or with only slight
   modification into the current document.

   Furthermore, we thank Zhu Hao, Jeff Towne, Willem van den Bosch,
   Peter Roberts and Matthew Bocci for their valuable feedback.

 

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13. References

13.1. Normative References

   [G.707]    ITU-T Recommendation G.707/Y.1322 (01/2007) - Network node
              interface for the synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH)

   [G.783]    ITU-T Recommendation G.783 (03/2006) - Characteristics of
              synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) equipment functional
              blocks

   [O.150]    ITU-T Recommendation O.150 (05/1996) - General
              requirements for instrumentation for performance
              measurement on digital transmission equipment

   [G.823]    ITU-T Recommendation G.823 (03/2000) - The control of
              jitter and wander within digital networks which are based
              on the 2048 kbit/s hierarchy

   [G.825]    ITU-T Recommendation G.825 (03/2000) - The control of
              jitter and wander within digital networks which are based
              on the synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH)

   [GR-253]   Telcordia GR-253-CORE - Synchronous Optical Network
              (SONET) Transport Systems: Common Generic Criteria, Issue
              5, October 2009

13.2. Informative References

   [G.703]    ITU-T Recommendation G.703 (11/2001) - Physical/electrical
              characteristics of hierarchical digital interfaces

   [G.709]    ITU-T Recommendation G.709/Y.1331 (12/2009) - Interfaces
              for the Optical Transport Network (OTN)

   [G.781]    ITU-T Recommendation G.781 (09/2008) - Synchronization
              layer functions

   [G.811]    ITU-T Recommendation G.811 (09/1997) - Timing
              characteristics of primary reference clocks

   [G.827]    ITU-T Recommendation G.827 (09/2003) - Availability
              performance parameters and objectives for end-to-end
              international constant bit-rate digital paths

   [G.828]    ITU-T Recommendation G.828 (03/2000) - Error performance
              parameters and objectives for international, constant bit
              rate synchronous digital paths
 

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   [G.957]    ITU-T Recommendation G.957 (06/1999) - Optical interfaces
              for equipments and systems relating to the synchronous
              digital hierarchy

   [G.8260]   ITU-T Recommendation G.8260 (02/2012) - Definitions and
              terminology for synchronization in packet networks 

   [G.8262]   ITU-T Recommendation G.8262/Y.1362 (07/2010) - Timing
              characteristics of a synchronous Ethernet equipment slave
              clock

   [G.8263]   ITU-T Recommendation G.8263/Y.1363 (02/2012) - Timing
              characteristics of packet-based equipment clocks 

   [RTP-TYPE] RTP PARAMETERS, <http://www.iana.org/assignments/rtp-
              parameters>

 

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Appendix A. Parameter Configuration for TSoP PW Set-up

   The following parameters of the TSoP IWF MUST be agreed upon between
   the peer IWFs during the PW setup.  Such an agreement can be reached
   via manual configuration or via one of the PW set-up protocols:

   1. Type of attachment circuit, i.e., the value of N of the STM-N
      signal, which corresponds to a bit rate as mentioned in section 3.

   2. Payload size, i.e., the (constant) number of octets that is
      transmitted in the TSoP Payload Field of each TSoP packet.  The
      default value is 810 octets.

   3. Timestamping clock frequency: 25 MHz (default) or an alternative
      value.

   4. The configurability of the following parameters (see
      section 6.2.2) governing the behavior of the CE-bound IWF buffer
      is optional:

      a) The maximum amount of payload data that may be stored in the
         CE-bound IWF payload buffer

      b) The desired degree of filling of the CE-bound IWF buffer in
         steady state (see appendix B)

      c) The "intermediate state" timer, i.e., the maximum amount of
         time that the CE-bound IWF waits before it starts to play out
         data towards the CE

   5. The content of the following RTP header fields must be provided by
      the user:

      a) The 7-bit RTP Payload Type (PT) value; any value can be
         assigned to be used with TSoP PWs.  Default is an all zero
         pattern.

      b) The 32-bit Synchronization Source (SSRC) value.  Default is an
         all zero pattern.

   6. The number of TSoP packets that must be missed consecutively
      before the CE-bound IWF enters the LOPS defect state (default: 10)
      and the number of TSoP packets that must be received consecutively
      to clear the LOPS defect state (default: 2).  See section 4.3.2
      and [RFC5604]

 

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   7. To support the optional excessive packet loss event by the
      CE-bound IWF, the following parameters must be configured:  

      a) The length of the observation period for detecting excessive
         packet loss.  Default value is 10 s.

      b) The minimum number of lost packets that is to be detected in
         the observation interval before an excessive packet loss alarm
         is raised.  Default value is 30% of the expected packets.

      c) The maximum number of lost packets that is to be detected in
         the observation interval to clear an excessive packet loss
         alarm.  Default value is 1% of the expected packets.

Appendix B. Buffer Configuration in the CE-bound IWF

   The buffer in the CE-bound IWF (often called the "jitter buffer") is
   used to compensate the differences in transit time that each bit of
   the STM-N signal experiences between the moment it ingresses the
   PSN-bound IWF and the moment it ingresses the CE-bound IWF.  There
   are two mechanisms that cause the transit times of individual bits to
   be different:

   1. The packetization delay (Tpkt(n)) in the PSN-bound IWF: After
      arrival in the PSN-bound IWF, STM-N bit #n has to wait until
      sufficient bits have been received to fill the complete Payload
      Field of a TSoP packet.  Clearly if two STM-N bits end up in the
      same TSoP packet, the bit that arrives earlier has to wait longer
      than the bit that arrives later.  The (variable part of the)
      packetization delay, Tpkt(n), varies between zero and the time
      between the transmission of two subsequent TSoP packets.

   2. The packet delay variation (Tpdv(n)), i.e. the difference in
      transit time that the TSoP packet containing bit #n experiences
      relative to some reference (minimum) transit time, due to the
      presence of non-empty shapers and queues (or any other cause for
      variable delay) on its path through the PSN.

 

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                  ----- direction of transmission ----->

   +------+    +-------------+               +-------------+    +------+
   | Clk1 |    |     Clk2    |               |    Clk3     |    | Clk4 |
   |------|    |-------------|               |-------------|    |------|
   |      |    |             |               |             |    |      |
   |      |    | +---------+ |  +---------+  | +---------+ |    |      |
   | SDH1 |----|-| Tpkt(n) |=|==| Tpdv(n) |==|=| Tjbf(n) |-|----| SDH2 |
   |      |    | +---------+ |  +---------+  | +---------+ |    |      |
   |      |    |packetization|    packet     |   jitter    |    |      |
   |      |    |    delay    |     delay     |    buffer   |    |      |
   +------+    +-------------+   variation   +-------------+    +------+
     CE1             PE1                           PE2             CE2  

          |----|             |===============|             |----|       
            AC1                     PSN                     AC2         
          (STM-N)                                         (STM-N)       

                   +-----------------------------------+
                   |  Clk1 is the system clock of CE1  |
                   |  Clk2 is the system clock of PE1  |
                   |  Clk3 is the system clock of PE2  |
                   |  Clk4 is the system clock of CE2  |
                   +-----------------------------------+

         Figure 8.  Delay components in a uni-directional TSoP 
                     Pseudowire (from PE1 to PE2).

   Figure 8 schematically shows three contributors to the over-all
   transit delay of STM-N bits between ingressing PE1 and egressing PE2:
   The paketization delay in PE1 and the packet delay variation over the
   PSN, as mentioned above, which cause delay differences between the
   bits and the jitter buffer delay in PE2, Tjbf(n), which is intended
   to equalize these differences.

   When the CE-bound IWF in PE2 starts up, it writes the bits in the
   TSoP Payload Field of incoming packets into the jitter buffer until a
   preconfigured degree of filling is reached.  From this moment onward,
   bits are played out from this buffer under control of an STM-N clock
   (derived from Clk3) that is locally synthesized in PE2.  A necessary
   condition to avoid overflow or underflow of the jitter buffer is that
   this clock must have the same average frequency as the clock in PE1
   (derived from Clk2) that governs the encapsulation process.

   The dwelling time of an individual bit in the jitter buffer, Tjbf(n),
   is determined by the actual delay time that this bit experienced in
   transiting through PE1 and the PSN.  Bits traveling fast reside long
   in the jitter buffer, while slow bits reside only a short while in
 

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   the buffer, such that the total time is equal for all bits.

   For a given bit #n, this behavior can be expressed by the relation
   Tpkt(n) + Tpdv(n) + Tjbf(n) = constant (within the allowed jitter and
   wander limits of an STM-N signal).  Since especially Tpdv(n) can vary
   significantly, the initial degree of filling of the jitter buffer,
   Tjbf(0), should be configured large enough to allow lowering the
   buffer fill when at a later time bits arrive that happen to be
   slower.  This compensating effect of the jitter buffer fill on the
   overall transit time requires the frequency of Clk3, and so the
   frequency of the outgoing STM-N signal, to change slow compared to
   the PDV variations.

   Note that the Tjbf(n) term adds to the total delay that an STM-N bit
   experiences crossing the TSoP PW section.  For this reason the
   initial degree of filling of the jitter buffer should not be
   configured larger than necessary, i.e. it is a compromise between the
   delay permitted by the application and the probability of buffer
   underrun due to large PDV excursions.  Depending on the requirements
   for a particular STM-N client signal, a small probability of buffer
   underrun may be acceptable in order to meet the delay specifications.
   See appendix D for a description of the effects of jitter buffer
   underrun on CE2.

   Apart from the initial fill level of the jitter buffer, its total
   size can also be configurable (see section 6.2.2).  The fill level
   increases when a number of faster packets arrives and the buffer
   needs sufficient "headroom" to avoid overflow under such conditions. 
   However, it is not necessary to reserve more "headroom" than is
   needed to accommodate the fastest packets, corresponding to the
   minimum delay of the PW.

Appendix C. Synchronization Considerations for the CE-bound IWF

   In section 6.2.2 the requirements for reconstruction of the STM-N
   client signal from the incoming TSoP packets in the CE-bound IWF
   function are given, without reference to the quality of the CE-bound
   IWF system clock or the method of STM-N clock recovery.  This is done
   on purpose, to avoid as much as possible restrictions on the
   implementation, as these factors depend on the (network)
   synchronization situation.  This appendix provides information on
   this dependency.

   Figure 9 shows the reference network that is used to analyze the
   dependency of the CE-bound IWF requirements on the synchronization
   situation in the network.  Since network synchronization operates
   uni-directional, only the corresponding direction of transmission is
   depicted.  The return path will never be used at the same time as a
 

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   synchronization reference signal: If Ref4 is derived from AC2, the
   S1-byte of the returning STM-N will contain the message "Don't Use
   for Synchronization".

                  ----- direction of transmission ----->

                        Ref2                   Ref3                     
                          |                     |                       
     Ref1                 |                     |                 Ref4  
      |                   V                     V                   |   
      |              +--------+             +--------+              |   
      V              |  Clk2  |             |  Clk3  |              V   
   +------+          |--------|             |--------|          +------+
   | Clk1 |          | STM-N /|             | TSoP  /|          | Clk4 |
   |------|          |      / |             | -PW  / |          |------|
   |      |          |     /  |             |     /  |          |      |
   | SDH1 |--------->|    /   |============>|    /   |--------->| SDH2 |
   |      |  STM-N   |   /    |    TSoP     |   /    |   STM-N  |      |
   |      |          |  /     |   Packets   |  /     |          |      |
   +------+          | / TSoP |             | /      |          +------+
     CE1             |/   -PW |             |/ STM-N |             CE2  
          |          +--------+             +--------+          |       
          |             PE1                     PE2             |       
          |          |        |             |        |          |       
          |-- AC1 -->|        |==== PSN ===>|        |-- AC2 -->|       
          |          |                               |          |       
          |          |--------- Pseudowire --------->|          |       
   Up-    |                                                     |  Down-
   stream |------------- STM-N (multiplex) section ------------>| stream

           +---------------------------------------------------+
           |  Clk1 is the system clock of CE1, locked to Ref1  |
           |  Clk2 is the system clock of PE1, locked to Ref2  |
           |  Clk3 is the system clock of PE2, locked to Ref3  |
           |  Clk4 is the system clock of CE2, locked to Ref4  |
           +---------------------------------------------------+

           Figure 9.  Reference network for analysis of TSoP 
                      synchronization requirements

   The intention of the requirements in section 6.2.2 is to ascertain
   that the reconstruction of the STM-N client signal in PE2 is
   sufficiently faithful that not only its binary content is recovered
   but also its timing properties are maintained.  This latter aspect
   implies that the recovered STM-N signal can still be used as a
 

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   synchronization reference signal in the downstream STM-N network as
   is required per [G.825] and [GR-253] and that normal processing rules
   (see [G.781]) can be applied to the S1-byte.

   The requirements regarding maintaining STM-N timing properties of the
   reconstructed STM-N are based on two rules:

   1. The reconstructed STM-N signal at the TSoP PW egress must have the
      same average frequency as the STM-N signal at the TSoP PW ingress.

      Since all TSoP packets carry the same number of payload bits and a
      sequence numbering mechanism is applied to the TSoP packets, the
      TSoP decapsulation function can regenerate an STM-N signal that
      has, averaged over time, the same number of bits, as long as the
      jitter buffer does not overrun or underrun.

   2. The jitter and wander properties of the recovered STM-N signal
      must meet the applicable SDH/SONET standards. 

      The sub-sections below provide the synchronization situations in
      the network in which this requirement can be met with a reasonable
      design of the CE-bound IWF.  The implication is that for other
      network synchronization situations such is, in general, not
      possible.

   The considerations in this appendix are applicable during "normal"
   operation.  As soon as the input STM-N signal to PE1 is lost or the
   TSoP PW itself is failing, PE2 forwards a G-AIS signal towards CE2 at
   a frequency that may deviate 20 ppm from the nominal value.  A
   sustained G-AIS pattern will cause a Loss of Frame condition in CE2,
   which will consequently stop reading the contained S1 information and
   look for an alternative synchronization reference signal or revert to
   hold-over mode.

C.1. Layer 1 Synchronized PEs

   The PEs that terminate the TSoP PW operate synchronously in case Ref2
   and Ref3 are traceable over the physical layer to the same clock.

   In such cases the timing characteristics of the STM-N signal can be
   transferred over the PW by applying differential mode, i.e. use the
   RTP timestamps in the CE-bound IWF to determine the rate at which the
   STM-N bits need to be played out.  This will ensure that the average
   frequency is maintained over the PW section.

   To satisfy the STM-N wander requirements, Clk3 must filter the phase
   noise on Ref3 down to the levels specified in [G.825] or [GR-253]. 
   In case the phase noise on Ref3 stays below the network limit
 

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   specified for Synchronous Ethernet [G.8262], it is sufficient that
   Clk3 meets the jitter transfer specifications of [G.8262] to achieve
   this goal.

C.2. Synchronous CEs

   The CEs that terminate the STM-N multiplex section operate
   synchronously in case Ref1 and Ref4 are traceable over the physical
   layer to the same clock. 

   In such cases, Ref2 can be derived from Clk1, via AC1 and Ref3 can be
   derived from Clk4 via AC2.  The timing characteristics of the STM-N
   signal can be transferred over the PW by applying differential mode,
   i.e. use the RTP timestamps in the CE-bound IWF to determine the rate
   at which the STM-N bits need to be played out.  This will ensure that
   the average frequency is maintained over the PW section.

   To satisfy the STM-N wander requirements, Clk3 must filter the phase
   noise on Ref3 down to the levels specified in [G.825] or [GR-253]. 
   In case the phase noise on Ref3 stays below the network limit
   specified for STM-N [G.825], it is sufficient if Clk3 meets the
   jitter transfer specifications of [G.813] to achieve this goal.

C.3. Pleisiochronous CEs

   In case Clk1 and Clk4 are both traceable to different [G.811] type
   clocks, the STM-N link operates pleisiochronously, i.e. the long term
   frequency difference between both clocks is less than 2E-11.

   In such cases, Ref2 can be derived from Clk1, via AC1 and Ref3 can be
   derived from Clk4 via AC2.  Again, differential mode clock recovery
   is assumed in the CE-bound IWF.  The very small frequency difference
   will cause a re-center action of the jitter buffer in PE2, each time
   it overflows or underflows.  The time interval between such events
   depends on the depth of the buffer and the actual frequency
   difference between Ref1 and Ref4.  

   As an example, if the frequency difference is 2E-11 (this represents
   the worst case) and if an overflow or underflow event shifts the
   buffer fill by 125 microseconds, a re-center event happens once every
   72 days.  In the downstream SDH node, a re-center event causes
   1 errored second (ES) in all VC paths that are carried over this STM-
   N signal (see appendix D).  A level of one ES per 72 days is
   negligible compared to the ES limits formulated in [G.828] for
   VC-paths.

 

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Appendix D.  Effect of G-AIS Insertion on a Downstream SDH Node

   There are a number of network events that force the CE-bound IWF to
   replace the content of the Payload Field of a TSoP packet by the same
   number of bits from the local G-AIS pattern generator (see figure 2).
    This is the case when:

   a) A TSoP packet is lost, or,

   b) A TSoP packet arrives out-of-order and its position can't be
      restored, or,

   c) A TSoP packet arrives with its L-bit set.

   In case the STM-N payload of K consecutive TSoP packets is replaced
   by G-AIS, the effect is that parity violations are detected in the
   downstream SDH Node (CE) for a period T = K / (N * 8000) seconds.  As
   long as K is small, this will typically lead to counting 1 Errored
   Second (ES) event (or occasionally 2 in case the event straddles two
   adjacent 1 second monitoring periods) for the STM-N signal itself and
   all contained VC-path layers.  As long the number of ES that is
   induced in a given VC-path by the effects above, remains small
   compared to the applicable limit defined in [G.828], this effect of
   G-AIS substitution can be tolerated.

   A second consequence of G-AIS substitution is that the G-AIS bits may
   overwrite the STM-N alignment word (A1 and A2 bytes) in the recovered
   STM-N signal.  This A1-A2 alignment word repeats every 0.125 ms.  The
   length of the period T determines the number of framing patterns that
   is affected by the inserted G-AIS bits.

   Each time an STM-N framing word is changed by G-AIS bits overwriting
   it, this will cause a framing anomaly in the downstream SDH Node. 
   Such anomalies have no effect on the STM-N framer as long as a next
   A1-A2 word is correct and is still in its expected location.  Only in
   case the G-AIS streak lasts for a 3 ms or longer period, these
   persistent anomalies will cause a LOF defect (see [G.783]) to be
   raised and consequently the declaration of a Severely Errored Second
   (SES).  Note that the limits for SES events are much stricter than
   for ES event (see [G.828]).  On the other hand, the probability of
   losing 3 ms worth of TSoP packets (e.g. 72 consecutive TSoP packets
   for STM-1/OC-3) is much lower than losing one or a few packets in a
   row.

   In case the jitter buffer is re-centered, for instance due to a
   buffer overrun or underrun, the position of the A1-A2 framing pattern
   will in general shift once by an amount of time that is not an
   integral multiple of 0.125 ms.  Also such an event will not cause a
 

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   LOF defect in the downstream STM-N node, because an STM-N framer that
   conforms to [G.783] must be able to detect the out-of-frame condition
   within 0.625 ms and find the new frame position within 0.250 ms, so
   the entire operation is completed well within 3 ms (the minimum time
   to declare a LOF defect).

   Note that in case of buffer underrun, G-AIS is transmitted while the
   CE-bound IWF waits for the buffer to reach its configured initial
   fill level.  This waiting time has to be added to the STM-N out-of-
   frame detection time and frame recovery time mentioned above, to
   assess the overall impact on the downstream SDH node.  This implies
   that if the initial fill level is configured somewhat larger than
   2 ms (actually, 3 - 0.625 - 0.250 = 2.125 ms), an underrun event can
   trigger a LOF defect and consequently a SES event in the downstream
   SDH network.  So while a larger jitter buffer diminishes the
   probability of an underrun event, the consequences of such an event
   are more severe once this ~2 ms threshold is crossed.  This must be
   weighed carefully.

 

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Authors' Addresses

   Gert Manhoudt
   AimValley B.V.
   Utrechtseweg 38
   1213 TV Hilversum
   The Netherlands
   E-mail: gmanhoudt@aimvalley.nl

   Stephan Roullot
   Alcatel-Lucent Centre de Villarceaux
   Route de Villejust
   91620 Nozay
   France
   E-mail: stephan.roullot@alcatel-lucent.com

   Kin Yee Wong
   Alcatel-Lucent
   600 March Road
   Kanata, Ontario, K2K 2E6
   Canada
   E-mail: kin-yee.wong@alcatel-lucent.com

   Kuo, Huei-Long
   Chunghwa Telecom Co. Ltd.
   No.21-3, Sec. 1, Xinyi Rd.
   Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei City 100
   Taiwan
   E-mail: hlkuo@cht.com.tw

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