Internet Draft


IETF Draft                                                Srinivas Makam
Multi-Protocol Label Switching                             Vishal Sharma
Expires: January 2001                                          Ken Owens
                                                        Changcheng Huang
                                                Tellabs Operations, Inc.

                                                        Fiffi Hellstrand
                                                                Jon Weil
                                                           Loa Andersson
                                                          Bilel Jamoussi
                                                         Nortel Networks

                                                               Brad Cain
                                                   Mirror Image Internet

                                                         Seyhan Civanlar
                                                         Coreon Networks

                                                             Angela Chiu
                                                               AT&T Labs

                                                               July 2000

                  Framework for MPLS-based Recovery

              <draft-makam-mpls-recovery-frmwrk-01.txt>


Status of this memo

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

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Abstract
   Multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) [1] integrates the label
   swapping forwarding paradigm with network layer routing. To deliver
   reliable service, MPLS requires a set of procedures to provide
   protection of the traffic carried on different paths. This requires
   that the label switched routers (LSRs) support fault detection,
   fault notification, and fault recovery mechanisms, and that MPLS
   signaling [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] support the configuration of recovery.
   With these objectives in mind, this document specifies a framework
   for MPLS based recovery.

Table of Contents                                                 Page

1.0 Introduction                                                      3
1.1 Background                                                        3
1.2 Motivations for MPLS-Based Recovery                               4
1.3 Objectives                                                        5

2.0 Overview                                                          6
2.1 Recovery Models                                                   6
2.2 Recovery Cycles                                                   8
2.2.1 MPLS Recovery Cycle Model                                       8
2.2.2 MPLS Reversion Cycle Model                                     10
2.2.3 Dynamic Reroute Cycle Model                                    11
2.3 Terminology                                                      13
2.4 Abbreviations                                                    17

3.0 MPLS Recovery Principles                                         17
3.1 Configuration of Recovery                                        17
3.2 Initiation of Path Setup                                         18
3.3 Initiation of Resource Allocation                                18
3.4 Scope of Recovery                                                19
3.4.1 Topology                                                       19
3.4.1.1 Local Repair                                                 19
3.4.1.2 Global Repair                                                20
3.4.1.3 Alternate Egress Repair                                      20
3.4.1.4 Multi-Layer Repair                                           21
3.4.1.5 Concatenated Protection Domains                              21
3.4.2 Path Mapping                                                   21
3.4.3 Bypass Tunnels                                                 22
3.4.4 Recovery Granularity                                           23
3.4.4.1 Selective Traffic Recovery                                   23
3.4.4.2 Bundling                                                     23
3.4.5 Recovery Path Resource Use                                     23
3.5 Fault Detection                                                  24
3.6 Fault Notification                                               25

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3.7 Switch Over Operation                                            25
3.7.1 Recovery Trigger                                               25
3.7.2 Recovery Action                                                26
3.8 Switch Back Operation                                            26
3.8.1 Revertive and Non-revertive Mode                               26
3.8.2 Restoration and Notification                                   27
3.8.3 Reverting to Preferred LSP                                     28
3.9 Performance                                                      28
4.0 Recovery Requirements                                            28
5.0 MPLS Recovery Options                                            29
6.0 Comparison Criteria                                              30
7.0 Security Considerations                                          32
8.0 Intellectual Property Considerations                             32
9.0 Acknowledgements                                                 32
10.0 Author's Addresses                                              33
11.0 References                                                      34



1.0 Introduction

   This memo describes a framework for MPLS-based recovery. We provide
   a detailed taxonomy of recovery terminology, and discuss the
   motivation for, the objectives of, and the requirements for MPLS-
   based recovery. We outline principles for MPLS-based recovery, and
   also provide comparison criteria that may serve as a basis for
   comparing and evaluating different recovery schemes.

1.1 Background

   Network routing deployed today is focussed primarily on connectivity
   and typically supports only one class of service, the best effort
   class. Multi-protocol label switching, on the other hand, by
   integrating forwarding based on label-swapping of a link local label
   with network layer routing allows flexibility in the delivery of new
   routing services. MPLS allows for using media specific forwarding
   mechanisms as label swapping. This enables more sophisticated
   features such as quality-of-service (QoS) and traffic engineering
   [7] to be implemented more effectively. An important component of
   providing QoS, however, is the ability to transport data reliably
   and efficiently. Although the current routing algorithms are very
   robust and survivable, the amount of time they take to recover from
   a fault can be significant, on the order of several seconds or
   minutes, causing serious disruption of service for some applications
   in the interim. This is unacceptable to many organizations that aim
   to provide a highly reliable service, and thus require recovery


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   times on the order of tens of milliseconds, as specified, for
   example, in the GR253 specification for SONET.

   Since MPLS is likely to be the technology of choice in the future
   IP-based transport network, it is imperative that MPLS be able to
   provide protection and restoration of traffic. In fact, a protection
   priority could be used as a differentiating mechanism for premium
   services that require high reliability. The remainder of this
   document provides a framework for MPLS based recovery.  It is
   focused at a conceptual level and is meant to address motivation,
   objectives and requirements.  Issues of mechanism, policy, routing
   plans and characteristics of traffic carried by protection paths are
   beyond the scope of this document.

1.2 Motivation for MPLS-Based Recovery

   MPLS based protection of traffic (called MPLS-based Recovery) is
   useful for a number of reasons. The most important is its ability to
   increase network reliability by enabling a faster response to faults
   than is possible with traditional Layer 3 (or the IP layer) alone
   while still providing the visibility of the network afforded Layer
   3. Furthermore, a protection mechanism using MPLS could enable IP
   traffic to be put directly over WDM optical channels, without an
   intervening SONET layer.  This would facilitate the construction of
   IP-over-WDM networks.

   The need for MPLS-based recovery arises because of the following:

   I. Layer 3 or IP rerouting may be too slow for a core MPLS network
   that needs to support high reliability/availability.

   II. Layer 0 (for example, optical layer) or Layer 1 (for example,
   SONET) mechanisms may be deployed in ring topologies and may not
   always include mesh protection. That is, layer 0 or layer 1 networks
   may not be deployed in topologies that meet carriers' protection
   goals.

   III. The granularity at which the lower layers may be able to
   protect traffic may be too coarse for traffic that is switched using
   MPLS-based mechanisms.

   IV. Layer 0 or Layer 1 mechanisms may have no visibility into higher
   layer operations.  Thus, while they may provide, for example, link
   protection, they cannot easily provide node protection.

   Furthermore there is a need for open standards.


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   V. Establishing interoperability of protection mechanisms between
   routers/LSRs from different vendors in IP or MPLS networks is
   urgently required to enable the adoption of MPLS as a viable core
   transport and traffic engineering technology.

1.3 Objectives/Goals

   We lay down the following objectives for MPLS-based recovery.

   I. MPLS-based recovery mechanisms should facilitate fast (10's of
   ms) recovery times.

   II. MPLS-based recovery should maximize network reliability and
   availability. MPLS based protection of traffic should minimize the
   number of single points of failure in the MPLS protected domain.

   III. MPLS-based recovery techniques should be applicable for
   protection of traffic at various granularities. For example, it
   should be possible to specify MPLS-based recovery for a portion of
   the traffic on an individual path, for all traffic on an individual
   path, or for all traffic on a group of paths.

   IV. MPLS-based recovery techniques may be applicable for an entire
   end-to-end path or for segments of an end-to-end path.

   V. MPLS-based recovery actions should not adversely affect other
   network operations.

   VI. MPLS-based recovery actions in one MPLS protection domain
   (defined in Section 2.2) should not adversely affect the recovery
   actions in other MPLS protection domains.

   VII. MPLS-based recovery mechanisms should be able to take into
   consideration the recovery actions of lower layers.

   VIII. MPLS-based recovery actions should avoid network-layering
   violations. That is, defects in MPLS-based mechanisms should not
   trigger lower layer protection switching.

   IX. MPLS-based recovery mechanisms should minimize the loss of data
   and packet reordering during recovery operations. (The current MPLS
   specification has itself no explicit requirement on reordering).

   X. MPLS-based recovery mechanisms should minimize the state overhead
   incurred for each recovery path maintained.

   XI. MPLS-based recovery mechanisms should be able to preserve the
   constraints on traffic after switchover, if desired.  That is, if

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   desired, the recovery path should meet the resource requirements of,
   and achieve the same performance characteristics, as the working
   path.



2.0 Overview

   There are several options for providing protection of traffic using
   MPLS. The most generic requirement is the specification of whether
   recovery should be via Layer 3 (or IP) rerouting or via MPLS
   protection switching or rerouting actions.

   Generally network operators aim to provide the fastest and the best
   protection mechanism that can be provided at a reasonable cost. The
   higher the level of protection, the more resources it consumes.
   MPLS-based recovery should give the flexibility to select the
   recovery mechanism, choose the granularity at which traffic is
   protected, and to also choose the specific types of traffic that are
   protected in order to give operators more control over that
   tradeoff.  With MPLS-based recovery, it can be possible to provide
   different levels of protection for different classes of service,
   based on their service requirements. For example, using approaches
   outlined below, a VLL service that supports real-time applications
   like VoIP may be supported using link/node protection together with
   pre-established, pre-reserved path protection, while best effort
   traffic may use established-on-demand path protection or simply rely
   on IP re-route or higher layer recovery mechanisms.  As another
   example of their range of application, MPLS-based recovery
   strategies may be used to protect traffic not originally flowing on
   label switched paths, such as IP traffic that is normally routed
   hop-by-hop, as well as traffic forwarded on label switched paths.

2.1 Recovery Models

   There are two basic models for path recovery: rerouting and
   protection switching.

   Protection switching and rerouting, as defined below, may be used
   together.  For example, protection switching to a recovery path may
   be used for rapid restoration of connectivity while rerouting
   determines a new optimal network configuration, rearranging paths,
   as needed, at a later time [8] [9].

2.1.1 Rerouting

   Recovery by rerouting is defined as establishing new paths or path
   segments on demand for restoring traffic after the occurrence of a
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   fault. The new paths may be based upon fault information, network
   routing policies, pre-defined configurations and network topology
   information. Thus, upon detecting a fault, the affected paths are
   re-established using signaling. Reroute mechanisms are inherently
   slower than protection switching mechanisms, since more must be done
   following the detection of a fault.  Once the network routing
   algorithms have converged after a fault, it may be preferable, in
   some cases, to reoptimize the network by performing a reroute based
   on the current state of the network and network policies. This is
   currently discussed further in Section 3.8, but will also be
   clarified further in upcoming revisions of this document.

   In terms of the principles defined in section 3, reroute recovery
   employs paths established-on-demand with resources reserved-on-
   demand.

2.1.2 Protection Switching

   Protection switching recovery mechanisms pre-establish a recovery
   path or path segment, based upon network routing policies, the
   restoration requirements of the traffic on the working path, and
   administrative considerations. The recovery path may or may not be
   link and node disjoint with the working path [10].  When a fault is
   detected, the affected traffic that is considered for protection is
   switched over to the recovery path(s) and restored.

   In terms of the principles in section 3, protection switching
   employs pre-established recovery paths, and if resource reservation
   is required on the recovery path, pre-reserved resources.

2.1.2.1. Subtypes of Protection Switching

   The resources (bandwidth, buffers, processing) on the recovery path
   may be used to carry either a copy of the working path traffic or
   extra traffic that is displaced when a protection switch occurs.
   This leads to two subtypes of protection switching.

   In 1+1 ("one plus one") protection, the resources (bandwidth,
   buffers, processing capacity) on the recovery path are fully
   reserved, if needed, and carry the same traffic as the working path.
   Selection between the traffic on the working and recovery paths is
   made at the path merge LSR (PML).

   In 1:1 ("one for one") protection, the resources (if any) allocated
   on the recovery path are fully available to preemptible low priority
   traffic except when the recovery path is in use due to a fault on
   the working path. In other words, in 1:1 protection, the protected
   traffic normally travels only on the working path, and is switched
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   to the recovery path only when the working path has a fault. Once
   the protection switch is initiated, the low priority traffic being
   carried on the recovery path may be displaced by the protected
   traffic. This method affords a way to make efficient use of the
   recovery path resources.

   This concept can be extended to 1:n (one for n) and m:n (m for n)
   protection.

   Additional specifications of the recovery actions are found in
   Section 3.

2.2 The Recovery Cycles

   There are three defined recovery cycles; the MPLS Recovery Cycle,
   the MPLS Reversion Cycle and the Dynamic Re-routing Cycle. The first
   cycle detects a fault and restores traffic onto MPLS-based recovery
   paths. If the recovery path is non-optimal the cycle may be followed
   by any of the two latter to achieve an optimized network again. The
   reversion cycle applies for explicitly routed traffic that that does
   not rely on any dynamic routing protocols to be converged. The
   dynamic re-routing cycle applies for traffic that is forwarded based
   on hop-by-hop routing.

2.2.1 MPLS Recovery Cycle Model

   The MPLS recovery cycle model is illustrated in Figure 1.
   Definitions and a key to abbreviations follow.

     --Network Impairment
     |    --Fault Detected
     |    |    --Start of Notification
     |    |    |    -- Start of Recovery Operation
     |    |    |    |    --Recovery Operation Complete
     |    |    |    |    |    --Path Traffic Restored
     |    |    |    |    |    |
     |    |    |    |    |    |
      v    v    v    v    v    v
    ----------------------------------------------------------------
     | T1 | T2 | T3 | T4 | T5 |

   Figure 1. MPLS Recovery Cycle Model


   The various timing measures used in the model are described below.

    T1   Fault Detection Time
    T2   Hold-off Time
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    T3   Notification Time
    T4   Recovery Operation Time
    T5   Traffic Restoration Time

   Definitions of the recovery cycle times are as follows:

   Fault Detection Time

   The time between the occurrence of a network impairment and the
   moment the fault is detected by MPLS-based recovery mechanisms. This
   time may be highly dependent on lower layer protocols.

   Hold-Off Time

   The configured waiting time between the detection of a fault and
   taking MPLS-based recovery action, to allow time for lower layer
   protection to take effect. The Hold-off Time may be zero.

   Note: The Hold-Off Time may occur after the Notification Time
   interval if the node responsible for the switchover, the Path Switch
   LSR (PSL), rather than the detecting LSR, is configured to wait.

   Notification Time

   The time between initiation of an FIS by the LSR detecting the fault
   and the time at which the Path Switch LSR (PSL) begins the recovery
   operation.  This is zero if the PSL detects the fault itself.

   Note: If the PSL detects the fault itself, there still may be a
   Hold-Off Time period between detection and the start of the recovery
   operation.

   Recovery Operation Time

   The time between the first and last recovery actions.  This may
   include message exchanges between the PSL and PML to coordinate
   recovery actions.

   Traffic Restoration Time

   The time between the last recovery action and the time that the
   traffic (if present) is completely - recovered.  This interval is
   intended to account for the time required for traffic to once again
   arrive at the point in the network that experienced disrupted or
   degraded service due to the occurrence of the fault (e.g. the PML).
   This time may depend on the location of the fault, the recovery
   mechanism, and the propagation delay along the recovery path.

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2.2.2 MPLS Reversion Cycle Model

   Protection switching, revertive mode, requires the traffic to be
   switched back to a preferred path when the fault on that path is
   cleared.  The MPLS reversion cycle model is illustrated in Figure 2.
   Note that the cycle shown below comes after the recovery cycle shown
   in Fig. 1.


       --Network Impairment Repaired
       |    --Fault Cleared
       |    |    --Path Available
       |    |    |    --Start of Reversion Operation
       |    |    |    |    --Reversion Operation Complete
       |    |    |    |    |    --Traffic Restored on Preferred Path
       |    |    |    |    |    |
       |    |    |    |    |    |
       v    v    v    v    v    v
    -----------------------------------------------------------------
       | T7 | T8 | T9 | T10| T11|

   Figure 2. MPLS Reversion Cycle Model

   The various timing measures used in the model are described below.

    T7   Fault Clearing Time
    T8   Wait-to-Restore Time
    T9   Notification Time
    T10  Reversion Operation Time
    T11  Traffic Restoration Time

   Note that time T6 (not shown above) is the time for which the
   network impairment is not repaired and traffic is flowing on the
   recovery path.

   Definitions of the reversion cycle times are as follows:

   Fault Clearing Time

   The time between the repair of a network impairment and the time
   that MPLS-based mechanisms learn that the fault has been cleared.
   This time may be highly dependent on lower layer protocols.

   Wait-to-Restore Time

   The configured waiting time between the clearing of a fault and
   MPLS-based recovery action(s).  Waiting time may be needed to ensure
   the path is stable and to avoid flapping in cases where a fault is
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   intermittent. The Wait-to-Restore Time may be zero.

   Note: The Wait-to-Restore Time may occur after the Notification Time
   interval if the PSL is configured to wait.

   Notification Time

   The time between initiation of an FRS by the LSR clearing the fault
   and the time at which the path switch LSR begins the reversion
   operation.  This is zero if the PSL clears the fault itself.

   Note: If the PSL clears the fault itself, there still may be a Wait-
   to-Restore Time period between fault clearing and the start of the
   reversion operation.

   Reversion Operation Time

   The time between the first and last reversion actions.  This may
   include message exchanges between the PSL and PML to coordinate
   reversion actions.

   Traffic Restoration Time

   The time between the last reversion action and the time that traffic
   (if present) is completely restored on the preferred path.  This
   interval is expected to be quite small since both paths are working
   and care may be taken to limit the traffic disruption (e.g., using
   "make before break" techniques and synchronous switch-over).

   In practice, the only interesting times in the reversion cycle are
   the Wait-to-Restore Time and the Traffic Restoration Time (or some
   other measure of traffic disruption).  Given that both paths are
   available, there is no need for rapid operation, and a well-
   controlled switch-back with minimal disruption is desirable.

2.2.3 Dynamic Re-routing Cycle Model

   Dynamic rerouting aims to bring the IP network to a stable state
   after a network impairment has occurred. A re-optimized network is
   achieved after the routing protocols have converged, and the traffic
   is moved from a recovery path to a (possibly) new working path. The
   steps involved in this mode are illustrated in Figure 3.

   Note that the cycle shown below may follow the recovery cycle shown
   in Fig. 1 or the reversion cycle shown in Fig. 2, or both (in the
   event that both the recovery cycle and the reversion cycle take
   place before the routing protocols converge, and after the
   convergence of the routing protocols it is determined (based on on-
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   line algorithms or off-line traffic engineering tools, network
   configuration, or a variety of other possible criteria) that there
   is a better route for the working path).

       --Network Enters a Semi-stable State after an Impairment
       |     --Dynamic Routing Protocols Converge
       |     |     --Initiate Setup of New Working Path between PSL
       |     |     |                                         and PML
       |     |     |     --Switchover Operation Complete
       |     |     |     |     --Traffic Moved to New Working Path
       |     |     |     |     |
       |     |     |     |     |
       v     v     v     v     v
    -----------------------------------------------------------------
       | T12 | T13 | T14 | T15 |

   Figure 3. Dynamic Rerouting Cycle Model

   The various timing measures used in the model are described below.

    T12  Network Route Convergence Time
    T13  Hold-down Time (optional)
    T14  Switchover Operation Time
    T15  Traffic Restoration Time

   Network Route Convergence Time

   We define the network route convergence time as the time taken for
   the network routing protocols to converge and for the network to
   reach a stable state.

   Holddown Time

   We define the holddown period as a bounded time for which a recovery
   path must be used. In some scenarios it may be difficult to
   determine if the working path is stable. In these cases a holddown
   time may be used to prevent excess flapping of traffic between a
   working and a recovery path.

   Switchover Operation Time

   The time between the first and last switchover actions.  This may
   include message exchanges between the PSL and PML to coordinate the
   switchover actions.

   As an example of the recovery cycle, we present a sequence of events
   that occur after a network impairment occurs and when a protection
   switch is followed by dynamic rerouting.
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   I. Link or path fault occurs

   II. Signaling initiated (FIS) for the fault detected

   III. FIS arrives at the PSL

   IV. The PSL initiates a protection switch to a pre-configured
   recovery path

   V. The PSL switches over the traffic from the working path to the
   recovery path

   VI. The network enters a semi-stable state

   VII. Dynamic routing protocols converge after the fault, and a new
   working path is calculated (based, for example, on some of the
   criteria mentioned earlier in Section 2.1.1).

   VIII. A new working path is established between the PSL and the PML
   (assumption is that PSL and PML have not changed)

   IX. Traffic is switched over to the new working path.

2.3 Definitions and Terminology

   This document assumes the terminology given in [11], and, in
   addition, introduces the following new terms.

2.3.1 General Recovery Terminology

   Rerouting

   A recovery mechanism in which the recovery path or path segments are
   created dynamically after the detection of a fault on the working
   path. In other words, a recovery mechanism in which the recovery
   path is not pre-established.

   Protection Switching

   A recovery mechanism in which the recovery path or path segments are
   created prior to the detection of a fault on the working path. In
   other words, a recovery mechanism in which the recovery path is pre-
   established.

   Working Path

   The protected path that carries traffic before the occurrence of a
   fault.  The working path exists between a PSL and PML. The working
   path can be of different kinds; a hop-by-hop routed path, a trunk, a
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   link, an LSP or part of a multipoint-to-point LSP.
   Two synonyms for a working path are primary path, active path.

   Recovery Path

   The path by which traffic is restored after the occurrence of a
   fault. In other words, the path on which the traffic is directed by
   the recovery mechanism. The recovery path is established by MPLS
   means. The recovery path can either be an equivalent recovery path
   and ensure no reduction in quality of service, or be a limited
   recovery path and thereby not guarantee the same quality of service
   (or some other criteria of performance) as the working path. A
   limited recovery path is not expected to be used for an extended
   period of time.
   Synonyms for a recovery path are; back-up path, alternative path,
   protection path.

   Path Group (PG)

   A logical bundling of multiple working paths, each of which is
   routed identically between a Path Switch LSR and a Path Merge LSR.

   Protected Path Group (PPG)

   A path group that requires protection.

   Protected Traffic Portion (PTP)

   The portion of the traffic on an individual path that requires
   protection.  For example, code points in the EXP bits of the shim
   header may identify a protected portion.

   Path Switch LSR (PSL)

   An LSR that is the transmitter of both the working path traffic and
   its corresponding recovery path traffic. The PSL is responsible for
   switching of the traffic between the working path and the recovery
   path.

   Path Merge LSR (PML)

   An LSR that receives both working path traffic and its corresponding
   recovery path traffic, and either merges their traffic into a single
   outgoing path, or, if it is itself the destination, passes the
   traffic on to the higher layer protocols.

   Intermediate LSR


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   An LSR on a working or recovery path that is neither a PSL nor a PML
   for that path.

   Bypass Tunnel

   A path that serves to backup a set of working paths using the label
   stacking approach. The working paths and the bypass tunnel must all
   share the same path switch LSR (PSL) and the path merge LSR (PML).

   Switch-Over

   The process of switching the traffic from the path that the traffic
   is flowing on onto one or more alternate path(s). This may involve
   moving traffic from a working path onto one or more recovery paths,
   or may involve moving traffic from a recovery path(s) on to a more
   optimal working path(s).

   Switch-Back

   The process of returning the traffic from one or more recovery paths
   back to the working path(s).

   Revertive Mode

   A recovery mode in which traffic is automatically switched back from
   the recovery path to the original working path upon the restoration
   of the working path to a fault-free condition.

   Non-revertive Mode

   A recovery mode in which traffic is not automatically switched back
   to the original working path after this path is restored to a fault-
   free condition. (Depending on the configuration, the original
   working path may, upon moving to a fault-free condition, become the
   recovery path, or it may be used for new working traffic, and be no
   longer associated with its original recovery path).

   MPLS Protection Domain

   The set of LSRs over which a working path and its corresponding
   recovery path are routed.

   MPLS Protection Plan

   The set of all LSP protection paths and the mapping from working to
   protection paths deployed in an MPLS protection domain at a given
   time.

   Liveness Message
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   A message exchanged periodically between two adjacent LSRs that
   serves as a link probing mechanism. It provides an integrity check
   of the forward and the backward directions of the link between the
   two LSRs as well as a check of neighbor aliveness.

   Path Continuity Test

   A test that verifies the integrity and continuity of a path or path
   segment. The details of such a test are beyond the scope of this
   draft. (This could be accomplished, for example, by transmitting a
   control message along the same links and nodes as the data traffic.)

2.3.2 Failure Terminology

   Path Failure (PF)

   Path failure is fault detected by MPLS-based recovery mechanisms,
   which is define as the failure of the liveness message test or a
   path continuity test, which indicates that path connectivity is
   lost.

   Path Degraded (PD)

   Path degraded is a fault detected by MPLS-based recovery mechanisms
   that indicates that the quality of the path is unacceptable.

   Link Failure (LF)

   A lower layer fault indicating that link continuity is lost. This
   may be communicated to the MPLS-based recovery mechanisms by the
   lower layer.

   Link Degraded (LD)

   A lower layer indication to MPLS-based recovery mechanisms that the
   link is performing below an acceptable level.

   Fault Indication Signal (FIS)

   A signal that indicates that a fault along a path has occurred. It
   is relayed by each intermediate LSR to its upstream or downstream
   neighbor, until it reaches an LSR that is setup to perform MPLS
   recovery.

   Fault Recovery Signal (FRS)

   A signal that indicates a fault along a working path has been
   repaired. Again, like the FIS, it is relayed by each intermediate

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   LSR to its upstream or downstream neighbor, until is reaches the LSR
   that performs recovery of the original path.

2.4 Abbreviations

     FIS: Fault Indication Signal.
     FRS: Fault Recovery Signal.
     LD:  Link Degraded.
     LF:  Link Failure.
     PD:  Path Degraded.
     PF:  Path Failure.
     PML: Path Merge LSR.
     PG:  Path Group.
     PPG: Protected Path Group.
     PTP: Protected Traffic Portion.
     PSL: Path Switch LSR.


3.0 MPLS-based Recovery Principles

   MPLS-based recovery refers to the ability to effect quick and
   complete restoration of traffic affected by a fault in an MPLS-
   enabled network. The fault may be detected on the IP layer or in
   lower layers over which IP traffic is transported. Fast MPLS
   protection may be viewed as the MPLS LSR switch completion time that
   is comparable to, or equivalent to, the 50 ms switch-over completion
   time of the SONET layer. This section provides a discussion of the
   concepts and principles of MPLS-based recovery. The concepts are
   presented in terms of atomic or primitive terms that may be combined
   to specify recovery approaches.  We do not make any assumptions
   about the underlying layer 1 or layer 2 transport mechanisms or
   their recovery mechanisms.

3.1 Configuration of Recovery

   An LSR should allow for configuration of the following recovery
   options:

   Default-recovery (No MPLS-based recovery enabled): Traffic on the
   working path is recovered only via Layer 3 or IP rerouting.  This is
   equivalent to having no MPLS-based recovery. This option may be used
   for low priority traffic or for traffic that is recovered in another
   way (for example load shared traffic on parallel working paths may
   be automatically recovered upon a fault along one of the working
   paths by distributing it among the remaining working paths)



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   Recoverable (MPLS-based recovery enabled): This working path is
   recovered using one or more recovery paths, either via rerouting or
   via protection switching.

3.2 Initiation of Path Setup

   There are three options for the initiation of the recovery path
   setup.

   Pre-established:

   This is the same as the protection switching option. Here a recovery
   path(s) is established prior to any failure on the working path. The
   path selection can either be determined by an administrative
   centralized tool (online or offline), or chosen based on some
   algorithm implemented at the PSL and possibly intermediate nodes. To
   guard against the situation when the pre-established recovery path
   fails before or at the same time as the working path, the recovery
   path should have secondary configuration options as explained in
   Section 3.3 below.

   Pre Qualified:

   A pre-established path need not be created, it may be pre-qualified.
   A pre-qualified recovery path is not created expressly for
   protecting the working path, but instead is a path created for other
   purposes that is designated as a recovery path after determination
   that it is an acceptable alternative for carrying the working path
   traffic.

   Established-on-Demand:

   This is the same as the rerouting option. Here, a recovery path is
   established after a failure on its working path has been detected
   and notified to the PSL.

   Additional options are possible as MPLS is extended to control
   optical networks. One example of this is shared mesh protection in
   optical networks where the wavelength (or port) in-to-out mapping
   for a recovery lightpath is selected in every optical layer cross-
   connect prior to the failure, but the physical cross-connect is not
   made until after the failure occurs.  This and other options related
   to optical MPLS are for further study.

3.3 Initiation of Resource Allocation

   A recovery path may support the same traffic contract as the working
   path, or it may not. We will distinguish these two situations by
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   using different additive terms. If the recovery path is capable of
   replacing the working path without degrading service, it will be
   called an equivalent recovery path. If the recovery path lacks the
   resources (or resource reservations) to replace the working path
   without degrading service, it will be called a limited recovery
   path. Based on this, there are two options for the initiation of
   resource allocation:

   Pre-reserved:

   This option applies only to protection switching. Here a pre-
   established recovery path reserves required resources on all hops
   along its route during its establishment. Although the reserved
   resources (e.g., bandwidth and/or buffers) at each node cannot be
   used to admit more working paths, they are available to be used by
   all traffic that is present at the node before a failure occurs,
   which results in better resource usage than SONET APS.

   Reserved-on-Demand:

   This option may apply either to rerouting or to protection
   switching. Here a recovery path reserves the required resources
   after a failure on the working path has been detected and notified
   to the PSL and before the traffic on the working path is switched
   over to the recovery path.

   Note that under both the options above, depending on the amount of
   resources reserved on the recovery path, it could either be an
   equivalent recovery path or a limited recovery path.

3.4 Scope of Recovery

3.4.1 Topology

3.4.1.1 Local Repair

   The intent of local repair is to protect against a single link or
   neighbor node fault. In local repair (also known as local recovery
   [12] [9]), the node detecting the fault is the one to initiate
   recovery (either rerouting or protection switching). Local repair
   can be of two types:

   Link Recovery/Restoration

   In this case, the recovery path may be configured to route around a
   certain link deemed to be unreliable. If protection switching is
   used, several recovery paths may be configured for one working path,
   depending on the specific faulty link that each protects against.
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   Alternatively, if rerouting is used, upon the occurrence of a fault
   on the specified link each path is rebuilt such that it detours
   around the faulty link.

   In this case, the recovery path need only be disjoint from its
   working path at a particular link on the working path, and may have
   overlapping segments with the working path. Traffic on the working
   path is switched over to an alternate path at the upstream LSR that
   connects to the failed link. This method is potentially the fastest
   to perform the switchover, and can be effective in situations where
   certain path components are much more unreliable than others.

   Node Recovery/Restoration

   In this case, the recovery path may be configured to route around a
   neighbor node deemed to be unreliable. Thus the recovery path is
   disjoint from the working path only at a particular node and at
   links associated with the working path at that node. Once again, the
   traffic on the primary path is switched over to the recovery path at
   the upstream LSR that directly connects to the failed node, and the
   recovery path shares overlapping portions with the working path.

3.4.1.2 Global Repair

   The intent of global repair is to protect against any link or node
   fault on the entire path or on a segment of a path (with the obvious
   exception of the ingress and egress nodes). In global repair (also
   known as path recovery/restoration) the node that initiates the
   recovery may be distant from the faulty link or node. In some cases,
   a fault notification (in the form of a FIS) must be sent from the
   node detecting the fault to the PSL. In many cases, the recovery
   path can be made completely link and node disjoint with its working
   path. This has the advantage of protecting against all link and node
   fault(s) on the working path (or path segment), and being more
   efficient than per-hop link or node recovery.

   In addition, it can be potentially more optimal in resource usage
   than the link or node recovery. However, it is in some cases slower
   than local repair since it takes longer for the fault notification
   message to get to the PSL to trigger the recovery action.

3.4.1.3 Alternate Egress Repair

   It is possible to restore service without specifically recovering
   the faulted path.

   For example, for best effort IP service it is possible to select a
   recovery path that has a different egress point from the working
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   path (i.e., there is no PML).  The recovery path egress must simply
   be a router that is acceptable for forwarding the FEC carried by the
   working path (without creating looping).  In an engineering context,
   specific alternative FEC/LSP mappings with alternate egresses can be
   formed.

3.4.1.4 Multi-Layer Repair

   Multi-layer repair broadens the network designer's tool set for
   those cases where multiple network layers can be managed together to
   achieve overall network goals.  Specific criteria for determining
   when multi-layer repair is appropriate are beyond the scope of this
   draft.

3.4.1.5 Concatenated Protection Domains

   A given service may cross multiple networks and these may employ
   different recovery mechanisms.  It is possible to concatenate
   protection domains so that service recovery can be provided end-to-
   end.  It is considered that the recovery mechanisms in different
   domains may operate autonomously, and that multiple points of
   attachment may be used between domains (to ensure there is no single
   point of failure).  Details of concatenated protection domains are
   beyond the scope of this draft.

3.4.2 Path Mapping

   Path mapping refers to the methods of mapping traffic from a faulty
   working path on to the recovery path. There are several options for
   this, as described below. Note that the options below should be
   viewed as atomic terms that only describe how the working and
   protection paths are mapped to each other. The issues of resource
   reservation along these paths, and how switchover is actually
   performed lead to the more commonly used composite terms, such as
   1+1 and 1:1 protection, which were described in Section 2.1.

   i) 1-to-1 Protection

   In 1-to-1 protection the working path has a designated recovery path
   that is only to be used to recover that specific working path.

   ii) n-to-1 Protection

   In n-to-1 protection, up to n working paths are protected using only
   one recovery path. If the intent is to protect against any single
   fault on any of the working paths, the n working paths should be
   diversely routed between the same PSL and PML. In some cases,

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   handshaking between PSL and PML may be required to complete the
   recovery, the details of which are beyond the scope of this draft.

   iii) n-to-m Protection

   In n-to-m protection, up to n working paths are protected using m
   recovery paths. Once again, if the intent is to protect against any
   single fault on any of the n working paths, the n working paths and
   the m recovery paths should be diversely routed between the same PSL
   and PML. In some cases, handshaking between PSL and PML may be
   required to complete the recovery, the details of which are beyond
   the scope of this draft. -N-to-m protection is for further study.

   iv) Split Path Protection

   In split path protection, multiple recovery paths are allowed to
   carry the traffic of a working path based on a certain configurable
   load splitting ratio.  This is especially useful when no single
   recovery path can be found that can carry the entire traffic of the
   working path in case of a fault. Split path protection may require
   handshaking between the PSL and the PML(s), and may require the
   PML(s) to correlate the traffic arriving on multiple recovery paths
   with the working path. Although this is an attractive option, the
   details of split path protection are beyond the scope of this draft,
   and are for further study.

3.4.3 Bypass Tunnels

   It may be convenient, in some cases, to create a "bypass tunnel" for
   a PPG between a PSL and PML, thereby allowing multiple recovery
   paths to be transparent to intervening LSRs [8].  In this case, one
   LSP (the tunnel) is established between the PSL and PML following an
   acceptable route and a number of recovery paths are supported
   through the tunnel via label stacking. A bypass tunnel can be used
   with any of the path mapping options discussed in the previous
   section.

   As with recovery paths, the bypass tunnel may or may not have
   resource reservations sufficient to provide recovery without service
   degradation.  It is possible that the bypass tunnel may have
   sufficient resources to recover some number of working paths, but
   not all at the same time.  If the number of recovery paths carrying
   traffic in the tunnel at any given time is restricted, this is
   similar to the 1 to n or m to n protection cases mentioned in
   Section 3.4.2.



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3.4.4 Recovery Granularity

   Another dimension of recovery considers the amount of traffic
   requiring protection. This may range from a fraction of a path to a
   bundle of paths.

3.4.4.1 Selective Traffic Recovery

   This option allows for the protection of a fraction of traffic
   within the same path. The portion of the traffic on an individual
   path that requires protection is called a protected traffic portion
   (PTP). A single path may carry different classes of traffic, with
   different protection requirements. The protected portion of this
   traffic may be identified by its class, as for example, via the EXP
   bits in the MPLS shim header or via the priority bit in the ATM
   header.

3.4.4.2 Bundling

   Bundling is a technique used to group multiple working paths
   together in order to recover them simultaneously. The logical
   bundling of multiple working paths requiring protection, each of
   which is routed identically between a PSL and a PML, is called a
   protected path group (PPG). When a fault occurs on the working path
   carrying the PPG, the PPG as a whole can be protected either by
   being switched to a bypass tunnel or by being switched to a recovery
   path.

3.4.5 Recovery Path Resource Use

   In the case of pre-reserved recovery paths, there is the question of
   what use these resources may be put to when the recovery path is not
   in use.  There are two options:

   Dedicated-resource:

   If the recovery path resources are dedicated, they may not be used
   for anything except carrying the working traffic.  For example, in
   the case of 1+1 protection, the working traffic is always carried on
   the recovery path.  Even if the recovery path is not always carrying
   the working traffic, it may not be possible or desirable to allow
   other traffic to use these resources.

   Extra-traffic-allowed:

   If the recovery path only carries the working traffic when the
   working path fails, then it is possible to allow extra traffic to
   use the reserved resources at other times.  Extra traffic is, by
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   definition, traffic that can be displaced (without violating service
   agreements) whenever the recovery path resources are needed for
   carrying the working path traffic.

3.5 Fault Detection

   MPLS recovery is initiated after the detection of either a lower
   layer fault or a fault at the IP layer or in the operation of MPLS-
   based mechanisms. We consider four classes of impairments: Path
   Failure, Path Degraded, Link Failure, and Link Degraded.

   Path Failure (PF) is a fault that indicates to an MPLS-based
   recovery scheme that the connectivity of the path is lost.  This may
   be detected by a path continuity test between the PSL and PML.
   Some, and perhaps the most common, path failures may be detected
   using a link probing mechanism between neighbor LSRs. An example of
   a probing mechanism is a liveness message that is exchanged
   periodically along the working path between peer LSRs.  For either a
   link probing mechanism or path continuity test to be effective, the
   test message must be guaranteed to follow the same route as the
   working or recovery path, over the segment being tested. In
   addition, the path continuity test must take the path merge points
   into consideration. In the case of a bi-directional link implemented
   as two unidirectional links, path failure could mean that either one
   or both unidirectional links are damaged.

   Path Degraded (PD) is a fault that indicates to MPLS-based recovery
   schemes/mechanisms that the path has connectivity, but that the
   quality of the connection is unacceptable.  This may be detected by
   a path performance monitoring mechanism, or some other mechanism for
   determining the error rate on the path or some portion of the path.
   This is local to the LSR and consists of excessive discarding of
   packets at an interface, either due to label mismatch or due to TTL
   errors, for example.

   Link Failure (LF) is an indication from a lower layer that the link
   over which the path is carried has failed.  If the lower layer
   supports detection and reporting of this fault (that is, any fault
   that indicates link failure e.g., SONET LOS), this may be used by
   the MPLS recovery mechanism. In some cases, using LF indications may
   provide faster fault detection than using only MPLS-based fault
   detection mechanisms.

   Link Degraded (LD) is an indication from a lower layer that the link
   over which the path is carried is performing below an acceptable
   level.  If the lower layer supports detection and reporting of this
   fault, it may be used by the MPLS recovery mechanism. In some cases,

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   using LD indications may provide faster fault detection than using
   only MPLS-based fault detection mechanisms.

3.6 Fault Notification

   Protection switching relies on rapid notification of faults. Once a
   fault is detected, the node that detected the fault must determine
   if the fault is severe enough to require path recovery. Then the
   node should send out a notification of the fault by transmitting a
   FIS to those of its upstream LSRs that were sending traffic on the
   working path that is affected by the fault. This notification is
   relayed hop-by-hop by each subsequent LSR to its upstream neighbor,
   until it eventually reaches a PSL. A PSL is the only LSR that can
   terminate the FIS and initiate a protection switch of the working
   path to a recovery path. Since the FIS is a control message, it
   should be transmitted with high priority to ensure that it
   propagates rapidly towards the affected PSL(s). Depending on how
   fault notification is configured in the LSRs of an MPLS domain, the
   FIS could be sent either as a Layer 2 or Layer 3 packet. An example
   of a FIS could be the liveness message sent by a downstream LSR to
   its upstream neighbor, with an optional fault notification field
   set. Alternatively, it could be a separate fault notification
   packet. The intermediate LSR should identify which of its incoming
   links (upstream LSRs) to propagate the FIS on. In the case of 1+1
   protection, the FIS should also be sent downstream to the PML where
   the recovery action is taken.

3.7 Switch-Over Operation

3.7.1 Recovery Trigger

   The activation of an MPLS protection switch following the detection
   or notification of a fault requires a trigger mechanism at the PSL.
   MPLS protection switching may be initiated due to automatic inputs
   or external commands. The automatic activation of an MPLS protection
   switch results from a response to a defect or fault conditions
   detected at the PSL or to fault notifications received at the PSL.
   It is possible that the fault detection and trigger mechanisms may
   be combined, as is the case when a PF, PD, LF, or LD is detected at
   a PSL and triggers a protection switch to the recovery path. In most
   cases, however, the detection and trigger mechanisms are distinct,
   involving the detection of fault at some intermediate LSR followed
   by the propagation of a fault notification back to the PSL via the
   FIS, which serves as the protection switch trigger at the PSL. MPLS
   protection switching in response to external commands results when
   the operator initiates a protection switch by a command to a PSL (or
   alternatively by a configuration command to an intermediate LSR,
   which transmits the FIS towards the PSL).
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   Note that the PF fault applies to hard failures (fiber cuts,
   transmitter failures, or LSR fabric failures), as does the LF fault,
   with the difference that the LF is a lower layer impairment that may
   be communicated to - MPLS-based recovery mechanisms. The PD (or LD)
   fault, on the other hand, applies to soft defects (excessive errors
   due to noise on the link, for instance). The PD (or LD) results in a
   fault declaration only when the percentage of lost packets exceeds a
   given threshold, which is provisioned and may be set based on the
   service level agreement(s) in effect between a service provider and
   a customer.

3.7.2 Recovery Action

   After a fault is detected or FIS is received by the PSL, the
   recovery action involves either a rerouting or protection switching
   operation. In both scenarios, the next hop label forwarding entry
   for a recovery path is bound to the working path.

3.8 Switch-Back Operation

3.8.1 Revertive and Non-Revertive Modes

   These protection modes indicate whether or not there is a preferred
   path for the protected traffic.

3.8.1.1 Revertive Mode

   If the working path always is the preferred path, this path will be
   used whenever it is available.  If the working path has a fault,
   traffic is switched to the recovery path.  In the revertive mode of
   operation, when the preferred path is restored the traffic is
   automatically switched back to it.

3.8.1.2 Non-revertive Mode

   In the non-revertive mode of operation, there is no preferred path.
   A switchback to the "original" working path is not desired or not
   possible since the original path may no longer exist after the
   occurrence of a fault on that path.

   If there is a fault on the working path, traffic is switched to the
   recovery path. When or if the faulty path (the originally working
   path) is restored, it may become the recovery path (either by
   configuration, or, if desired, by management actions). This applies
   for explicitly routed working paths.

   When the traffic is switched over to a recovery path, the
   association between the original working path and the recovery path
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   may no longer exist, since the original path itself may no longer
   exist after the fault. Instead, when the network reaches a stable
   state following routing convergence, the recovery path may be
   switched over to a different preferred path based either on pre-
   configured information or optimization based on the new network
   topology and associated information.

3.8.2 Restoration and Notification

   MPLS restoration deals with returning the working traffic from the
   recovery path to the original or a new working path.  Reversion is
   performed by the PSL upon receiving notification, via FRS, that the
   working path is repaired or upon receiving notification that a new
   working path is established.

   As before, an LSR that detected the fault on the working path also
   detects the restoration of the working path. If the working path had
   experienced a LF defect, the LSR detects a return to normal
   operation via the receipt of a liveness message from its peer. If
   the working path had experienced a LD defect at an LSR interface,
   the LSR could detect a return to normal operation via the resumption
   of error-free packet reception on that interface. Alternatively, a
   lower layer that no longer detects a LF defect may inform the MPLS-
   based recovery mechanisms at the LSR that the link to its peer LSR
   is operational. The LSR then transmits FRS to its upstream LSR(s)
   that were transmitting traffic on the working path. This is relayed
   hop-by-hop until it reaches the PSL(s), at which point the PSL
   switches the working traffic back to the original working path.

   In the non-revertive mode of operation, the working traffic may or
   may not be restored to the original working path. This is because it
   might be useful, in some cases, to either: (a) administratively
   perform a protection switch back to the original working path after
   gaining further assurances about the integrity of the path, or (b)
   it may be acceptable to continue operation without the recovery path
   being protected, or (c) it may be desirable to move the traffic to a
   new working path that is calculated based on network topology and
   network policies, after the dynamic routing protocols have
   converged.

   We note that if there is a way to transmit fault information back
   along a recovery path towards a PSL and if the recovery path is an
   equivalent recovery path, it is possible for the working path and
   its recovery path to exchange roles once the original working path
   is repaired following a fault. This is because, in that case, the
   recovery path effectively becomes the working path, and the restored
   working path functions as a recovery path for the original recovery
   path. This is important, since it affords the benefits of non-
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   revertive switch operation outlined in Section 3.8.1, without
   leaving the recovery path unprotected.

3.8.3 Reverting to Preferred Path (or Controlled Rearrangement)

   In the revertive mode, a "make before break" restoration switching
   can be used, which is less disruptive than performing protection
   switching upon the occurrence of network impairments. This will
   minimize both packet loss and packet reordering. The controlled
   rearrangement of paths can also be used to satisfy traffic
   engineering requirements for load balancing across an MPLS domain.

3.9 Performance

   Resource/performance requirements for recovery paths should be
   specified in terms of the following attributes:

   I. Resource class attribute:

   Equivalent Recovery Class: The recovery path has the same resource
   reservations and performance guarantees as the working path. In
   other words, the recovery path meets the same SLAs as the working
   path.

   Limited Recovery Class: The recovery path does not have the same
   resource reservations and performance guarantees as the working
   path.

   A. Lower Class: The recovery path has lower resource requirements or
   less stringent performance requirements than the working path.

   B. Best Effort Class: The recovery path is best effort.

   II. Priority Attribute:

   The recovery path has a priority attribute just like the working
   path (i.e., the priority attribute of the associated traffic
   trunks). It can have the same priority as the working path or lower
   priority.

   III. Preemption Attribute:

   The recovery path can have the same preemption attribute as the
   working path or a lower one.



4.0 MPLS Recovery Requirement
   The following are the MPLS recovery requirements:
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   I. MPLS recovery SHALL provide an option to identify protection
   groups (PPGs) and protection portions (PTPs).

   II. Each PSL SHALL be capable of performing MPLS recovery upon the
   detection of the impairments or upon receipt of notifications of
   impairments.

   III. A MPLS recovery method SHALL not preclude manual protection
   switching commands. This implies that it would be possible under
   administrative commands to transfer traffic from a working path to a
   recovery path, or to transfer traffic from a recovery path to a
   working path, once the working path becomes operational following a
   fault.

   IV. A PSL SHALL be capable of performing either a switch back to the
   original working path after the fault is corrected or a switchover
   to a new working path, upon the discovery of a more optimal working
   path.

   V. The recovery model should take into consideration path merging at
   intermediate LSRs. If a fault affects the merged segment, all the
   paths sharing that merged segment should be able to recover.
   Similarly, if a fault affects a non-merged segment, only the path
   that is affected by the fault should be recovered.



5.0 MPLS Recovery Options

   There SHOULD be an option for:

   I. Configuration of the recovery path as excess or reserved, with
   excess as the default. The recovery path that is configured as
   excess SHALL provide lower priority preemptable traffic access to
   the protection bandwidth, while the recovery path configured as
   reserved SHALL not provide any other traffic access to the
   protection bandwidth.

   II. Each protected path SHALL provide an option for configuring the
   protection alternatives as either rerouting or protection switching.

   III. Each protected path SHALL provide a configuration option for
   enabling restoration as either non-revertive or revertive, with
   revertive as the default.

   IV. Each LSR supporting protection switching SHALL provide an option
   for fault notification to the PSL.


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6.0 Comparison Criteria

   Possible criteria to use for comparison of MPLS-based recovery
   schemes are as follows:

   Recovery Time

   We define recovery time as the time required for a recovery path to
   be activated (and traffic flowing) after a fault. Recovery Time is
   the sum of the Fault Detection Time, Hold-off Time, Notification
   Time, Recovery Operation Time, and the Traffic Restoration Time. In
   other words, it is the time between a failure of a node or link in
   the network and the time before a recovery path is installed and the
   traffic starts flowing on it.

   Full Restoration Time

   We define full restoration time as the time required for a permanent
   restoration. This is the time required for traffic to be routed onto
   links which are capable of or have been engineered sufficiently to
   handle traffic in recovery scenarios. Note that this time may or may
   not be different from the "Recovery Time" depending on whether
   equivalent or limited recovery paths are used.

   Backup Capacity

   Recovery schemes may require differing amounts of "backup capacity"
   in the event of a fault. This capacity will be dependent on the
   traffic characteristics of the network. However, it may also be
   dependent on the particular protection plan selection algorithms as
   well as the signaling and re-routing methods.

   Additive Latency

   Recovery schemes may introduce additive latency to traffic. For
   example, a recovery path may take many more hops than the working
   path. This may be dependent on the recovery path selection
   algorithms.

   Re-ordering

   Recovery schemes may introduce re-ordering of packets. Also the
   action of putting traffic back on preferred paths might cause packet
   re-ordering.

   State Overhead

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   As the number of recovery paths in a protection plan grows, the
   state required to maintain them also grows. Schemes may require
   differing numbers of paths to maintain certain levels of coverage,
   etc. The state required may also depend on the particular scheme
   used to recover. In many cases the state overhead will be in
   proportion to the number of recovery paths.

   Loss

   Recovery schemes may introduce a certain amount of packet loss
   during switchover to a recovery path. Schemes that introduce loss
   during recovery can measure this loss by evaluating recovery times
   in proportion to the link speed.

   In case of link or node failure a certain packet loss is inevitable.

   Coverage

   Recovery schemes may offer various types of failover coverage. The
   total coverage may be defined in terms of several metrics:

   I. Fault Types: Recovery schemes may account for only link faults or
   both node and link faults or also degraded service. For example, a
   scheme may require more recovery paths to take node faults into
   account.

   II. Number of concurrent faults: dependent on the layout of recovery
   paths in the protection plan, multiple fault scenarios may be able
   to be restored.

   III. Number of recovery paths: for a given fault, there may be one
   or more recovery paths.

   IV. Percentage of coverage: dependent on a scheme and its
   implementation, a certain percentage of faults may be covered. This
   may be subdivided into percentage of link faults and percentage of
   node faults.

   V. The number of protected paths may effect how fast the total set
   of paths affected by a fault could be recovered. The ratio of
   protected is n/N, where n is the number of protected paths and N is
   the total number of paths.







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7.0 Security Considerations

   The MPLS recovery that is specified herein does not raise any
   security issues that are not already present in the MPLS
   architecture.



8.0 Intellectual Property Considerations

   The IETF has been notified of intellectual property rights claimed
   in regard to some or all of the specification contained in this
   document. For more information consult the online list of claimed
   rights.



9.0 Acknowledgements

   We would like to thank members of the MPLS WG mailing list for their
   suggestions on the earlier version of this draft. In particular,
   Bora Akyol, Dave Allan, and Neil Harrisson, whose suggestions and
   comments were very helpful in revising the document.




























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10.0 Authors' Addresses

Srinivas Makam                       Vishal Sharma
Tellabs Operations, Inc.             Tellabs Research Center
4951 Indiana Avenue                  One Kendall Square
Lisle, IL 60532                      Bldg. 100, Ste. 121
Phone: 630-512-7217                  Cambridge, MA 02139-1562
Srinivas.Makam@tellabs.com           Phone: 617-577-8760
                                     Vishal.Sharma@tellabs.com

Ken Owens                            Changcheng Huang
Tellabs Operations, Inc.             Tellabs Operations, Inc.
1106 Fourth Street                   4951 Indiana Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63126                  Lisle, IL 60532
Phone: 314-918-1579                  Phone: 630-512-7754
Ken.Owens@tellabs.com                Changcheng.Huang@tellabs.com

Ben Mack-Crane                       Fiffi Hellstrand
Tellabs  Operations, Inc.            Nortel Networks
4951 Indiana Avenue                  St Eriksgatan 115, PO Box 6701
Lisle, IL 60532                      113 85 Stockholm, Sweden
Ph: 630-512-7255                     Ph: +46 8 5088 3687
Ben.Mack-Crane@tellabs.com           Fiffi@nortelnetworks.com

Jon Weil                             Brad Cain
Nortel Networks                      Mirror Image Internet
Harlow Laboratories London Road      49 Dragon Ct.
Harlow Essex CM17 9NA, UK            Woburn, MA 01801, USA
Phone: +44 (0)1279 403935            bcain@mirror-image.com
jonweil@nortelnetworks.com

Loa Andersson                        Bilel Jamoussi
Nortel Networks                      Nortel Networks
St Eriksgatan 115, PO Box 6701       3 Federal Street, BL3-03
113 85 Stockholm, Sweden             Billerica, MA 01821, USA
phone: +46 8 50 88 36 34             jamoussi@nortelnetworks.com
loa.andersson@nortelnetworks.com

Seyhan Civanlar                      Angela Chiu
Coreon, Inc.                         AT&T Labs, Rm. 4-204,
1200 South Avenue, Suite 103         100 Schulz Dr.
Staten Island, NY 10314              Red Bank, NJ 07701
Ph: (718) 889 4203                   Ph: (732) 345-3441
scivanlar@coreon.net                 alchiu@att.com



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11.0 References

                    
   [1] Rosen, E., Viswanathan, A., and Callon, R., "Multiprotocol Label
      Switching Architecture", Work in Progress, Internet Draft , August 1999.

   [2] Andersson, L., Doolan, P., Feldman, N., Fredette, A., Thomas,
      B., "LDP Specification", Work in Progress, Internet Draft , September 1999.

   [3] Awduche, D. Hannan, A., and Xiao, X., "Applicability Statement
      for Extensions to RSVP for LSP-Tunnels", draft-ietf-mpls-rsvp-
      tunnel-applicability-00.txt, work in progress, Sept. 1999.

   [4] Jamoussi, B. "Constraint-Based LSP Setup using LDP", Work in
      Progress, Internet Draft <draft-ietf-mpls-cr-ldp-03.txt>,
      September 1999.

   [5] Braden, R., Zhang, L., Berson, S., Herzog, S., "Resource
      ReSerVation Protocol (RSVP) -- Version 1 Functional
      Specification", RFC 2205, September 1997.

   [6] Awduche, D. et al "Extensions to RSVP for LSP Tunnels", Work in
      Progress, Internet Draft <draft-ietf-mpls-rsvp-lsp-tunnel-04.txt,
      September 1999.

   [7] Awduche, D., Malcolm, J., Agogbua, J., O'Dell, M., McManus, J.,
      "Requirements for Traffic Engineering Over MPLS", RFC 2702,
      September 1999.

   [8] Andersson, L., Cain B., Jamoussi, B., "Requirement Framework for
      Fast Re-route with MPLS", draft-andersson-reroute-frmwrk-00.txt,
      work in progress, October 1999.

   [9] Goguen, R. and Swallow, G., "RSVP Label Allocation for Backup
      Tunnels", draft-swallow-rsvp-bypass-label-00.txt, work in
      progress, October 1999.

   [10] Makam, S., Sharma, V., Owens, K., Huang, C.,
      "Protection/restoration of MPLS Networks", draft-makam-mpls-
      protection-00.txt, work in progress, October 1999.

   [11] Callon, R., Doolan, P., Feldman, N., Fredette, A., Swallow, G.,
      Viswanathan, A., "A Framework for Multiprotocol Label Switching",
      <draft-ietf-mpls-framework-05.txt>, Work in Progress, September
      1999.


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   [12] Haskin, D. and Krishnan R., "A Method for Setting an
      Alternative Label Switched Path to Handle Fast Reroute", draft-
      haskin-mpls-fast-reroute-01.txt, 1999, Work in progress.

















































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