A Packet Loss and Delay Measurement Profile for MPLS-Based Transport Networks
RFC 6375

Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)                     D. Frost, Ed.
Request for Comments: 6375                                S. Bryant, Ed.
Category: Informational                                    Cisco Systems
ISSN: 2070-1721                                           September 2011

              A Packet Loss and Delay Measurement Profile
                   for MPLS-Based Transport Networks

Abstract

   Procedures and protocol mechanisms to enable efficient and accurate
   measurement of packet loss, delay, and throughput in MPLS networks
   are defined in RFC 6374.

   The MPLS Transport Profile (MPLS-TP) is the set of MPLS protocol
   functions applicable to the construction and operation of packet-
   switched transport networks.

   This document describes a profile of the general MPLS loss, delay,
   and throughput measurement techniques that suffices to meet the
   specific requirements of MPLS-TP.

   This document is a product of a joint Internet Engineering Task Force
   (IETF) / International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication
   Standardization Sector (ITU-T) effort to include an MPLS Transport
   Profile within the IETF MPLS and Pseudowire Emulation Edge-to-Edge
   (PWE3) architectures to support the capabilities and functionalities
   of a packet transport network as defined by the ITU-T.

Status of This Memo

   This document is not an Internet Standards Track specification; it is
   published for informational purposes.

   This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force
   (IETF).  It represents the consensus of the IETF community.  It has
   received public review and has been approved for publication by the
   Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG).  Not all documents
   approved by the IESG are a candidate for any level of Internet
   Standard; see Section 2 of RFC 5741.

   Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
   and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
   http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6375.

Frost & Bryant                Informational                     [Page 1]
RFC 6375           MPLS-TP Loss and Delay Measurement     September 2011

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2011 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.

1.  Introduction

   Procedures for the measurement of packet loss, delay, and throughput
   in MPLS networks are defined in [RFC6374].  This document describes a
   profile, i.e., a simplified subset, of these procedures that suffices
   to meet the specific requirements of MPLS-based transport networks
   [RFC5921] as defined in [RFC5860].  This profile is presented for the
   convenience of implementors who are concerned exclusively with the
   transport network context.

   The use of the profile specified in this document is purely optional.
   Implementors wishing to provide enhanced functionality that is within
   the scope of [RFC6374] but outside the scope of this profile may do
   so, whether or not the implementation is restricted to the transport
   network context.

   The assumption of this profile is that the devices involved in a
   measurement operation are configured for measurement by a means
   external to the measurement protocols themselves, for example, via a
   Network Management System (NMS) or separate configuration protocol.
   The manageability considerations in [RFC6374] apply, and further
   information on MPLS-TP network management can be found in [RFC5950].

   This document is a product of a joint Internet Engineering Task Force
   (IETF) / International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication
   Standardization Sector (ITU-T) effort to include an MPLS Transport
   Profile within the IETF MPLS and Pseudowire Emulation Edge-to-Edge
   (PWE3) architectures to support the capabilities and functionalities
   of a packet transport network as defined by the ITU-T.

Frost & Bryant                Informational                     [Page 2]
RFC 6375           MPLS-TP Loss and Delay Measurement     September 2011

2.  MPLS-TP Measurement Considerations

   The measurement considerations discussed in Section 2.9 of [RFC6374]
   apply also in the context of MPLS-TP, except for the following, which