Network Working Group                                Tissa Senevirathne
Internet Draft                                                (Force10)
Document: draft-tsenevir-bgp-l2vpn-02.txt                 Loa Andersson
Category: Informational                                     (Utfors AB)





                                                               May 2002


    Auto-Discovery of VPLS Membership and Configuration Using BGP-MP


Status of this Memo


   This document is an Internet-Draft and is in full conformance with
      all provisions of Section 10 of RFC2026 [1].

   Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
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   For potential updates to the above required-text see:
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1. Abstract

   Membership and configuration discovery is a key component in Layer 2
   VPN infrastructure. This document presents use of BGP-MP extensions
   for VPLS Membership and configuration discovery. More specifically,
   this document adapts generic VPN discovery methods presented in [2]
   for VPLS Membership and Configuration discovery.








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2. 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 RFC-2119 [3].


Placement of This Memo in Sub-IP Area

   RELATED DOCUMENTS:

   WHERE DOES IT FIT IN THE PICTURE OF THE SUB-IP WORK

   PPVPN

   WHY IS IT TARGETED AT THIS WG

   PPVPN WG charter specifies explicitly to consider BGP-VPN services,
   more specifically based on RFC 2547. In addition WG charter includes
   Virtual Private LAN Services (VPLS) and VPN auto-discovery.

   JUSTIFICATION

   Layer 2 VPN services are gaining popularity in emerging metro
   services infrastructure. Ability to automatically discover
   configuration and membership information enables metro service
   providers to manage large VPLS networks easily. Absence of such
   auto-discovery leads to manual configuration of VPLS services. Such
   manual configuration is not only tedious and less flexible, but also
   increases administrative costs.



3. Introduction

   Ability to automatically discover configuration and membership
   information enables metro service providers to manage large VPLS
   networks easily. Absence of such auto-discovery leads to manual
   configuration of Layer 2 VPN services. Such manual configuration is
   not only tedious and less flexible, but also increases
   administrative costs.

    The VPN service introduced in [4] is widely used to provide Layer 3
   VPN services by service providers. As Layer 2 VPN becomes available,
   the same providers may be required to provide both Layer 2 and Layer
   3 VPN services. Ability to use the same set of control protocols to
   provide two classes of VPN not only provide flexibility but also
   allow investment protection and migration from one class to another
   or co-offering.

   In this document we define specific details required to implement
   VPLS membership and configuration discovery using methods out lined


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   in [2]. The architecture and requirements for VPLS can be found in
   [5] and [6].

   In this document we assume readers are familiar with terminology and
   concepts used in [2] [4] [5] [6].

4. VPLS Membership and Configuration discovery


   When providing VPLS services, participating PE devices are required
   to obtain key parameters such as; end-points or membership
   information and VLAN(usage) information.

   End-points or Membership information

   PE devices that participate in a given VPLS are defined by common
   membership information. A given PE device MAY support more than one
   VPLS.

   VLAN span (usage)

   VLAN span provides a sub-scope within the VPLS. VLAN may span over a
   subset of end-points.

5. BGP-MP encoding for VPLS discovery

   . Encode VPLS-ID (L2-VPN-ID) using VPN-ID extended community [2].

   . Use Extended Communities Attributes to specify the VLAN
   information applicable to given VPLS-ID.


5.1 Encoding of NLRI

5.1.1 Layer 2 VPN AFI

   [2] specifies a common AFI for auto-discovery of Layer 2 VPN. This
   AFI is common to all models of Layer 2 VPN. Actual value of the
   Layer 2 VPN AFI [TBD].

5.1.2  VPLS SAFI

   SAFI 0x[TBD] is used to denote that NLRI is related to VPLS auto-
   discovery.

5.1.3 Encoding NLRI for VPLS

   NLRI carries IP address of the PE device that is advertising the
   discovery information. VPLS auto-discovery NLRI is a 8 byte Route
   Distinguisher (RD). IP address of the PE is encoded as part of the
   NLRI.

   Route Distinguisher

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   The Route Distinguisher for VPLS is coded as follows.

   Type field -  4 bytes
   Value field û 4 bytes

   Type field
     The value of the type field indicates that it carries the IP
   address of the PE device.

     Type field = 0x0001 indicates that the RD carries IPV4 address of
   the PE device.

     All other values in Type field are reserved.

   Value field

     IP address - 4 bytes.

5.2 Encoding VLAN extended communities attribute

   A new extended community is used to carry the VLAN information. This
   attribute is transitive across the autonomous system boundary. The
   value for TYPE field for extended community attribute will be
   assigned by IANA. Assigned number subfield contain the 12 bit VLAN
   id pre-pended with required zero (0).  Filtering based on VLAN and
   VPN-ID extended community attributes allow a PE device to accept or
   reject VLAN based on local policies.


6.0 Further discussion

   When Layer 2 VPNs PE devices are connected to more than one service
   provider the AS number in the RD is used to uniquely identify the
   Layer 2 VPN membership.

7. Security Considerations

   Security issues relevant to Layer 2 VPN are discussed in [6] and
   Security issues relevant to use of 2547bis are discussed in [4].


8. References


   1  Bradner, S., "The Internet Standards Process -- Revision 3", BCP
      9, RFC 2026, October 1996.

   2  Ould-Brahim, H , et. al, Using BGP as an Auto-Discovery Mechanism
      for Network-based VPNS.




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

   4  Rosen, E., et.al., BGP/MPLS VPNs, RFC 2547, March 1999.

   5  Senevirathn, T., et.al, Requirements for Network Based Layer 2
      VPN, Work in Progress, May 2001.

   6  Senevirathne, T., et.al., A Framework for Virtual Metropolitan
   Internetworks (VMI), Work In Progress, February 2001.



9. Acknowledgments

   Increasing popularity of Layer 2 VPN services motivated us to
   publish this work. We wish to acknowledge valuable comments and
   suggestions provided by Eric Rosen and Yakov Rekhter.


10. Author's Addresses

   Tissa Senevirathne
   Force10 Networks
   1440, McCarthy Blvd, Milpitas, CA
   Phone: 408-965-5103
   Email: tsenevir@hotmail.com                                                          m

   Loa Andersson
   Utfors AB























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