Network Working Group                                         Kexin Tang
Internet-Draft                                              Zhihong Wang
Intended status: Informational                               Yuanlin Bao
Expires: April 28, 2011                                     Xuerong Wang
                                                                 Gang Lu
                                                         ZTE Corporation
                                                            Oct 25, 2010


                              Stateful PCE
                   draft-tang-pce-stateful-pce-01.txt

Abstract

   A PCE can be either stateful or stateless.  The information carried
   in stateful PCE are more detailed than that of stateless PCE.  With
   the state capability of PCEs, the PCCs may make advanced and informed
   choices about the PCEs to use.  This draft focus on stateful PCE,
   describes the applicability of stateful PCE and gives the IGP and
   PCEP extensions to support stateful PCE.

Status of this Memo

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

   Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
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   This Internet-Draft will expire on April 28, 2011.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2010 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
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   (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



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   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.  Conventions used in this document . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
   2.  Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
   3.  Applicability of stateful PCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
     3.1.  stateful PCE in support of GCO  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
     3.2.  stateful PCE in support of resources restoration  . . . . . 4
   4.  Requirements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
   5.  PCE Discovery and PCEP Extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
     5.1.  PCED Extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
     5.2.  PCEP Extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
   6.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
   7.  IANA Consideration  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
   8.  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
   Authors' Addresses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8





























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1.  Introduction

   As defined in section 6.8 of RFC4655 [RFC4655], a PCE can be either
   stateful or stateless.  For stateful PCE, there is a strict
   synchronization between the PCE and not only the network states (in
   term of topology and resource information), but also the set of
   computed paths and reserved resources in use in the network.  So
   stateful PCE has more network information, and it can be used to do
   some complicated work, such as supporting GCO as well as resources
   restoration.

   Since the information carried in stateful PCEs are more detailed than
   that of stateless PCEs, having knowledge of the state capability of
   PCEs, the PCC may make advanced and informed choices about which PCE
   to use.  However, the existing PCE discovery ([RFC5088], [RFC5089])
   and PCEP don't support stateful PCE, and the PCC have no knowledge of
   the state of PCE.  So, this document focus on stateful PCE, describes
   the applicability of stateful PCE and gives the IGP and PCEP
   extensions to support stateful PCE.

1.1.  Conventions used in this document

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


2.  Terminology

   o  PCC: Path Computation Client.  A client application requesting a
      path computation to be performed by the Path Computation Element.

   o  PCE: Path Computation Element.  An entity that is capable of
      computing a network path or route based on a network graph, and of
      applying computational constraints during the computation.

   o  PCED: PCE Discovery.

   o  PCEP: Path Computation Element communication Protocol.

   o  TED: Traffic Engineering Database, which contains the topology and
      resource information of the domain.  The TED may be fed by
      Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP) extensions or potentially by other
      means.

   o  GCO: Global Concurrent Optimization.  A concurrent path
      computation application where a set of TE paths are computed
      concurrently in order to optimize network resources.  A GCO path



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      computation is able to simultaneously consider the entire topology
      of the network and the complete set of existing TE LSPs, and their
      respective constraints, and look to optimize or reoptimize the
      entire network to satisfy all constraints for all TE LSPs.  A GCO
      path computation can also provide an optimal way to migrate from
      an existing set of TE LSPs to a reoptimized set (Morphing
      Problem).


3.  Applicability of stateful PCE

   As mentioned in the preceding part of this document, stateful PCE
   utilizes information from the TED as well as information about
   existing paths (for example, TE LSPs) in the network.  Since stateful
   PCE has more network information, it can be used to solve the problem
   of resources conflict.  Typical use cases of stateful PCE are listed
   in this section.

3.1.  stateful PCE in support of GCO

   As mentioned in RFC5557 [RFC5557], when computing or reoptimizing the
   routes of a set of Traffic Engineering Label Switched Paths (TE LSPs)
   through a network, it may be advantageous to perform bulk path
   computations in order to avoid blocking problems and to achieve more
   optimal network-wide solutions.  Such bulk optimization is termed
   Global Concurrent Optimization (GCO).  A GCO is able to
   simultaneously consider the entire topology of the network and the
   complete set of existing TE LSPs, and their respective constraints,
   and look to optimize or reoptimize the entire network to satisfy all
   constraints for all TE LSPs.

   Since stateful PCE realized not only network states (in term of
   topology and resource information), but also the set of computed
   paths and reserved resources in use in the network, it can help a GCO
   realize the entire topology of the network and complete set of
   existing TE LSPs, so as to make a GCO to achieve the optimal network,
   particularly when there are several LSP needed to build, if a
   stateful PCE have computed a end-to-end path successfully, and hold
   the resources needed by this path, as a stateful PCE, therefore it
   could realize the newly path and reserved resources, so it can inform
   other PCEs involved in the GCO not to consider the same resources it
   just hold for the path, so stateful PCE can avoid unnecessary retries
   in GCO, so as to make a GCO sufficiently.

3.2.  stateful PCE in support of resources restoration

   Another important scenario for using the state of PCEs is that in
   resources restoration.  A serious situation of network failure as



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   fiber cutting may rise to a huge number of resources restoration
   requests in a short time from the PCC.

   In the restoration, if a stateful PCE have computed a LSP in its own
   domain successfully, and hold the resources needed by this LSP, as a
   stateful PCE, therefore it could realize the newly path and reserved
   resources, so it can inform other PCEs involved in the end-to-end
   path computation not to consider the same resources it just hold for
   the LSP, so stateful PCE can avoid unnecessary retries in resources
   restoration.

   And if a stateful PCE failed to compute an end-to-end LSP, it will
   informed the newly path states to other stateful PCE, and release the
   resources it just hold, so the other stateful PCE can use the
   resources.


4.  Requirements

   As mentioned before, stateful PCE synchronized with not only the
   network states (in term of topology and resource information), but
   also the set of computed paths and reserved resources in use in the
   network.  So the PCC need to tell stateful PCE the path state
   (created or deleted).  However, having no knowledge of the state of
   PCEs, the PCC have no idea of which PCE to send the path state.  In
   this situation, there are two possibilities for the PCC: send the
   path state to all the PCEs whatever the state of them, or not send to
   any of the PCE, and every stateful PCE query the path state
   information when needed.  In the former case, there would be lots of
   unnecessary operation; and in the second case, it would increasing
   the complexity of the realization of the control plane and PCE.
   Therefore there are requirement of having knowledge of the state of
   PCEs for PCC.  Knowing the state of PCEs, the PCC only send the path
   state information to stateful PCEs.

   [RFC5088] defines extensions to OSPFv2 [RFC2328] and OSPFv3 [RFC2740]
   to allow a PCE in an OSPF routing domain to advertise some
   information useful to a PCC for PCE selection.  It defines a new TLV
   (named the PCE Discovery TLV (PCED TLV)) to be carried within the
   OSPF Router Information LSA ([RFC4970]).  The type 5 sub-TLV of PCED
   TLV, which named PCE-CAP-FLAGS sub-TLV, used to indicate PCE
   capabilities.  It contains eight capabilities, but not includes the
   state capability of a PCE.  So the PCE in an OSPF routing domain
   cannot advertise its state capability information to a PCC for PCE
   selection.






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5.  PCE Discovery and PCEP Extensions

   This section provides protocol extensions for support of stateful
   PCE.  Protocol extensions discussed in this section including PCED
   and PCEP.

5.1.  PCED Extensions

   To support stateful PCE, PCC SHOULD know a PCE is stateful or not.
   Therefore, the PCE discovery message SHOULD indicates whether the PCE
   advertises this message is a stateful PCE.  Since PCE-CAP-FLAGS Sub-
   TLV ([RFC5088] for OSPF, [RFC5089] for IS-IS) contains PCE Capability
   Flags, this document defines a new flag, Stateful PCE Capability
   Flag, as follows (need to be assigned by IANA):

     Bit        Capabilities

     9          Stateful PCE

5.2.  PCEP Extensions

   A PCC that wishes to inform a successful end-to-end path computation
   and end-to-end path connection may send an unsolicited notification
   to the PCE involved in the end-to-end path computation.  New
   Notification-type and Notification-value are currently defined as
   follows (need to be assigned by IANA):

   o  Notification-type=3: end-to-end path computation result

      *  Notification-value=1: end-to-end path computation successful.
         When an end-to-end path is successfully computed, the PCC
         SHOULD send a notification message with Notification-type=3 and
         Notification-value=1 to all the PCE which involved in the end-
         to-end path computation.

      *  Notification-value=2: end-to-end path computation failure.
         When an end-to-end path is unsuccessfully computed, the PCC
         SHOULD send a notification message with Notification-type=3 and
         Notification-value=2 to all the PCE which involved in the end-
         to-end path computation.

   o  Notification-type=4: end-to-end connection result

      *  Notification-value=1: end-to-end path connection is success.
         When an end-to-end path is successfully connected, the PCC
         SHOULD send a NOTIFICATION message with Notification-type=4 and
         Notification-value=1 to all the PCE which involved in the end-
         to-end path computation.



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      *  Notification-value=2: end-to-end path connection failure.  When
         an end-to-end path is unsuccessfully connected, the PCC SHOULD
         send a notification message with Notification-type=4 and
         Notification-value=2 to all the PCE which involved in the end-
         to-end path connection.


6.  Security Considerations

   The extensions of this draft is baed on PCEP and OSPF, only some
   optional protocol elements are added which will not change the
   security of existing network.


7.  IANA Consideration

   TBD.


8.  Normative References

   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.

   [RFC2328]  Moy, J., "OSPF Version 2", STD 54, RFC 2328, April 1998.

   [RFC2740]  Coltun, R., Ferguson, D., and J. Moy, "OSPF for IPv6",
              RFC 2740, December 1999.

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

   [RFC4970]  Lindem, A., Shen, N., Vasseur, JP., Aggarwal, R., and S.
              Shaffer, "Extensions to OSPF for Advertising Optional
              Router Capabilities", RFC 4970, July 2007.

   [RFC5088]  Le Roux, JL., Vasseur, JP., Ikejiri, Y., and R. Zhang,
              "OSPF Protocol Extensions for Path Computation Element
              (PCE) Discovery", RFC 5088, January 2008.

   [RFC5089]  Le Roux, JL., Vasseur, JP., Ikejiri, Y., and R. Zhang,
              "IS-IS Protocol Extensions for Path Computation Element
              (PCE) Discovery", RFC 5089, January 2008.

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



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Authors' Addresses

   Kexin Tang
   ZTE Corporation
   No.68 ZiJingHua Road,Yuhuatai District
   Nanjing, Jiangsu  210012
   P.R.China

   Phone: +86-025-52871745
   Email: tang.kexin@zte.com.cn
   URI:   http://www.zte.com.cn/


   Zhihong Wang
   ZTE Corporation
   12F, ZTE Plaza, No.19 East Huayuan Road,Haidian District
   Beijing  100191
   P.R.China

   Phone: +86-010-59932453
   Email: wang.zhihong@zte.com.cn
   URI:   http://www.zte.com.cn/


   Yuanlin Bao
   ZTE Corporation
   5F, R&D Building 3, ZTE Industrial Park, XiLi LiuXian Road,
   Nanshan District, Shenzhen  518055
   P.R.China

   Phone: +86-755-26773731
   Email: bao.yuanlin@zte.com.cn
   URI:   http://www.zte.com.cn/


   Xuerong Wang
   ZTE Corporation
   R&D Building 3, ZTE Industrial Zone, Liuxian Road,Nanshan District
   Shenzhen  518055
   P.R.China

   Phone: +86-755-26773926
   Email: wang.xuerong@zte.com.cn
   URI:   http://www.zte.com.cn/







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   Gang Lu
   ZTE Corporation
   2/F, ZTE Plaza, North Huashiyuan Road, East Lake Zone
   Wuhan  430223
   P.R.China

   Phone: +86-027-51811033
   Email: lu.gang2@zte.com.cn
   URI:   http://www.zte.com.cn/










































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