Internet Draft

Network Working Group                                      Eric C. Rosen
Internet Draft                                                Bob Thomas
Expiration Date: September 2000                             Lance Levine
                                                         Carol Iturralde
                                                          George Swallow
                                                     Cisco Systems, Inc.

                                                              March 2000


                             MPLS Profiles


                    draft-rosen-mpls-profiles-00.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

   The MPLS protocol specifications provide a large number of options,
   and it can be difficult to know exactly which protocol messages,
   objects, and procedures must be supported in order to provide some
   particular application of MPLS, or in order to interoperate with some
   other implementation.  This document specifies a number of MPLS
   "Profiles".  Each Profile is a subset of the full MPLS functionality,
   specified in enough detail to ensure that two implementations of a
   given Profile will interoperate.  This document also specifies which
   Profiles may be used for which purposes.  In the future, it is hoped
   that specifications for the applications of MPLS will specify the



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   Profiles that must be implemented in order to support the
   application.


Table of Contents

    1      Introduction  ...........................................   2
    2      Profile HH: Intra-Domain Hop-by-Hop LSP Setup  ..........   3
    2.1    Part 1: LDP: Discovery, Session Estab. & Maintenance  ...   3
    2.2    Part 2: Frame-Based LSRs  ...............................   4
    2.3    Part 3: ATM-LSRs  .......................................   4
    3      Profile TE/RSVP: Explicit Path Setup  ...................   5
    3.1    Part 1: RSVP signalling and reliability extensions  .....   6
    3.2    Part 2: IGP extensions for constraint-based routing  ....   7
    3.3    Part 3: RSVP Refresh Reduction  .........................   7
    4      Profile BGP: BGP Label Distribution  ....................   7
    5      References  .............................................   8
    6      Authors' Addresses  .....................................   8





1. Introduction

   The MPLS protocol specifications provide a large number of options,
   and it can be difficult to know exactly which protocol messages,
   objects, and procedures must be supported in order to provide some
   particular application of MPLS, or in order to interoperate with some
   other implementation.  This document specifies a number of MPLS
   "Profiles".  Each Profile is a subset of the full MPLS functionality,
   specified in enough detail to ensure that two implementations of a
   given Profile will interoperate.  This document also specifies which
   Profiles may be used for which purposes.  In the future, it is hoped
   that specifications for the applications of MPLS will specify the
   Profiles that must be implemented in order to support the
   application.

   This document specifies three Profiles: a Hop-by-Hop Profile
   ("Profile HH"), a Traffic Engineering Profile ("Profile TE/RSVP"),
   and a BGP label distribution Profile ("Profile BGP").  Some of these
   Profiles have variants, which are also described.









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2. Profile HH: Intra-Domain Hop-by-Hop LSP Setup

   This Profile supports the  basic LDP mechanisms that are needed for
   setting up LSPs in a hop-by-hop manner [MPLS-LDP] within a single
   routing domain.

   This Profile consists of three parts:

     - Part 1 consists of the basic LDP mechanisms for discovery,
       session establishment, and session maintenance.

     - Part 2 consists of messages and procedures which are to be used
       by Frame-based LSRs.

     - Part 3 consists of messages and procedures which are to be used
       by ATM-LSRs.

   Every implementation of this Profile will support Part 1.  Every
   implementation on a Frame-based LSR will support Part 2.  Every
   implementation on an ATM-LSR will support Part 3.

   When it is stated that a particular implementation supports Profile
   HH, it must be stated whether it supports Part 2, Part 3, or both.


2.1. Part 1: LDP: Discovery, Session Estab. & Maintenance

   Part 1 of Profile 1 consists of the following:

     - LDP Hello Message with:

         * Common Hello Parameters TLV, including
             + T-bit, targeted Hello
             + R-bit, Request Send Targeted Hello
         * Optional Parameters: Transport Address TLV


     - LDP Initialization Message with:
         * Common Session Parameters TLV, with support for all fields
         * Optional Parameters: ATM Session Parameters TLV, with support
           for all fields and support for all settings EXCEPT the
           following settings of the M field:
             + VP Merge
             + VP & VC Merge







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     - LDP Keep Alive Message

     - LDP Notification Message with Status TLV

     - LDP Backoff Mechanism for session setup failures

     - TCP MD5 Signature Option


2.2. Part 2: Frame-Based LSRs

   A Frame-based LSR which supports Profile 1 will support Part 1 and
   Part 2.  Part 2 consists of the following.

     - Unsolicited Downstream label distribution

     - Independent Control

     - Liberal Label Retention Mode

     - LDP Address Message with Address List TLV

     - LDP Address Withdraw Message with Address List TLV

     - Label Mapping Message with:
         * Prefix FEC for FEC TLV, address family IPv4
         * Generic Label TLV

     - Label Request Message with Prefix FEC for FEC TLV, address family
       IPv4

     - Label Withdraw Message with:
         * Prefix FEC for FEC TLV, address family IPv4
         * Generic Label TLV

     - Label Release Message with:
         * Prefix FEC for FEC TLV, address family IPv4
         * Generic Label TLV


2.3. Part 3: ATM-LSRs

   An ATM-LSR which supports Profile 1 will support Part 1 and Part 3.
   Part 3 consists of the following.







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     - Downstream on Demand label distribution

     - Ordered Control

     - Conservative Label Retention

     - Label Request Message with:
         * Prefix FEC type for FEC TLV, address family IPv4
         * HopCount TLV
         * PathVector TLV (used only if Loop Detection is configured)

     - Label Mapping Message with:
         * Prefix FEC for FEC TLV, address family IPv4
         * ATM Label TLV
         * Label Request Message ID TLV
         * HopCount TLV
         * PathVector TLV (used only if Loop Detection is configured)

     - Label Abort Request Message with:
         * Prefix FEC for FEC TLV, address family IPv4
         * Label Request Message ID TLV

     - Label Withdraw Message with:
         * Prefix FEC for FEC TLV, address family IPv4
         * ATM Label TLV

     - Label Release Message with:
         * Prefix FEC for FEC TLV, address family IPv4
         * ATM Label TLV


3. Profile TE/RSVP: Explicit Path Setup

   This Profile is supported by systems which need to participate in LSP
   setup for the purpose of traffic engineering.

   Note that a system may support both Profile HH and Profile TE/RSVP if
   some of its LSPs are traffic engineered, and some are set up hop-by-
   hop.

   This Profile has three Parts:
     - Part 1 consists of RSVP extensions which are used to enable RSVP
       to signal the LSP setup along an explicitly specified path.

     - Part 2 consists of IGP extensions which are used to distribute
       the information needed in order to support constraint-based
       routing for OSPF [TE-OSPF] and/or the information needed in order
       to support constraint-based routing for ISIS [TE-ISIS].



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     - Part 3 consists of RSVP extensions to reduce the "refresh
       overhead" of RSVP.

   Every implementation of Profile TE/RSVP will support Part 1.

   If an implementation is to support constraint-based routing, then it
   must implement Part 2; otherwise it need not.

   Part 3 is optional, but recommended.

   When stating that a particular implementation supports Profile
   TE/RSVP, it must be stated whether it supports Parts 2 and/or 3.  If
   it supports Part 2, it must be stated whether it supports Part
   2(OSPF) and/or Part 2(IS-IS).


3.1. Part 1: RSVP signalling and reliability extensions

   The RSVP signalling extensions are defined in [MPLS-RSVP].

   The following RSVP signalling extensions are supported:

     - Shared Explicit (SE) Style reservations

     - Processing received Fixed Filter (FF) Style reservations

     - Handling Label objects in Resv messages

     - Handling Label Request object:
         * in Frame LSRs, without label range
         * in ATM-LSRs, with ATM label range

     - Explicit Route Object, with Strict and Loose IPv4 Prefix
       Subobjects (Other subobjects propagated only.)

     - Need not be able to add subobjects to ERO

     - RRO

     - Loop Detection

     - Sender Template Object

     - Filter Specification Object







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     - Reroute Procedure

     - Session Attribute Object

   This Part also includes the RSVP reliability extensions from [RSVP-
   RFSH].  It does NOT, however, include the use of Bundle message or
   the procedures for refresh reduction.

   This Part also includes support for the Controlled Load Service
   [CLOAD].

   This Part also includes support for the Hello Protocol.


3.2. Part 2: IGP extensions for constraint-based routing

   Part 2 has two variants: OSPF extensions and IS-IS extensions.  Part
   2(OSPF) is described in [TE-OSPF].  Part 2(IS-IS) is described in
   [TE-ISIS].  A system may support either or both of these.  Of course,
   a system which supports only Part 2(IS-IS) will not be very useful in
   an environment where OSPF is the routing algorithm.


3.3. Part 3: RSVP Refresh Reduction

   An implementation which supports Part 3 supports [RSVP-RFSH] in its
   entirety, with the exception that bundle messages are never
   generated.


4. Profile BGP: BGP Label Distribution

   The procedures for BGP label distribution are described in [MPLS-
   BGP].

   Profile BGP is really a family of profiles, one for each 
   pair.  LSRs are not expected to support any of these profiles unless
   they are intended to support an application which requires it.

   When it is stated that a particular implementation supports Profile
   BGP, AFI/SAFI pairs for which BGP label distribution is supported
   must be specified.

   As an example, systems which support the BGP/MPLS style of VPN
   described in RFC 2745 should support Profile BGP with AFI=1 and
   SAFI=128.

   This Profile should generally be supported along with either Profile



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   HH or Profile TE/RSVP or both.  If a system supports only Profile
   BGP, it will only be able to distribute labels to BGP peers that are
   directly adjacent to it, and this has very little utility.


5. References

   [CLOAD] "Specification of the Controlled-Load Network Element
   Service", RFC 2211, September 1997.

   [MPLS-BGP] "Carrying Label Information in BGP-4", draft-ietf-mpls-
   bgp4-mpls-04.txt, 1/00

   [MPLS-LDP] "LDP Specification", draft-ietf-mpls-ldp-06.txt, 10/99

   [MPLS-RSVP], "Extensions to RSVP for LSP Tunnels", Awduche, Berger,
   Gan, Li, Swallow, Srinivasan, draft-ietf-mpls-rsvp-lsp-tunnel-04.txt,
   9/99

   [RSVP-RFSH], "RSVP Refresh Overhead Reduction Extensions", Berger,
   Gan, Swallow, Pan, Tommasi, Molendini, draft-ietf-rsvp-refresh-
   reduct-02.txt, 1/00

   [TE-OSPF] "Traffic Engineering Extensions to OSPF", Katz, Yeung
   draft-katz-yeung-ospf-traffic-01.txt, 10/99

   [TE-ISIS] "IS-IS Extensions for Traffic Engineering",Smit, Li draft-
   ietf-isis-traffic-01.txt, 6/99




6. Authors' Addresses


   Eric C. Rosen
   Cisco Systems, Inc.
   250 Apollo Drive
   Chelmsford, MA, 01824
   E-mail: erosen@cisco.com



   Bob Thomas
   Cisco Systems, Inc.
   250 Apollo Drive
   Chelmsford, MA, 01824
   E-mail: rhthomas@cisco.com



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   Lance Levine
   Cisco Systems, Inc.
   250 Apollo Drive
   Chelmsford, MA, 01824
   E-mail: llevine@cisco.com



   Carol Iturralde
   Cisco Systems, Inc.
   250 Apollo Drive
   Chelmsford, MA, 01824
   E-mail: cei@cisco.com



   George Swallow
   Cisco Systems, Inc.
   250 Apollo Drive
   Chelmsford, MA, 01824
   E-mail: swallow@cisco.com





























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