Internet Draft


MPLS Working Group                                 Tissa Senevirathne 
Internet Draft                                     Paul Billinghurst 
Document: draft-tsenevir-8021qmpls-01.txt          Nortel Networks 
Category: Informational                             
                                                    
                                                    
                                                   October 2000 
    
    
   Use of CR-LDP or RSVP-TE to Extend 802.1Q Virtual LANs across MPLS 
                                Networks 
    
                      draft-tsenevir-8021qmpls-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 [1].  
    
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   The list of current Internet-Drafts can be accessed at 
   http://www.ietf.org/ietf/1id-abstracts.txt  
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   For potential updates to the above required-text see: 
   http://www.ietf.org/ietf/1id-guidelines.txt 
    
    
Abstract 
    
   This document presents a discussion on possible methods for 
   extending Layer 2 Virtual LANs across MPLS networks through the use 
   of CR-LDP or RSVP. Special note is taken on extending 802.1Q Tagged 
   VLANs across MPLS networks. A new Forward Equivalence class called 
   VLAN Forwarding Equivalence Class (VFEC) is defined. Creating 
   traffic engineered LSPs based on the P bit of the 802.1Q Tag is also 
   a key focus of this document.   










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   Table of Content 
    
1. Conventions used in this document..................................2 
2. Introduction.......................................................3 
3. Implementation of 802.Q VLAN FEC (VFEC)............................3 
3.1. VFEC Element.....................................................4 
3.2. VFEC Procedures..................................................5 
3.2.1. Conservative VFEC matching.....................................6 
3.2.2. Liberal VFEC matching..........................................6 
4. Mapping of L2 packets to VFEC entries..............................6 
4.1 Mapping of 802.1Q Tagged Packets..................................6 
4.2. Mapping of non 802.1Q Tagged Packets.............................7 
5. Encapsulation of Layer 2 Packets on the MPLS tunnel................7 
5.1. Encapsulated Layer2 Frame data...................................7 
5.2. Encapsulation of Layer 2 Packet over Frame Relay or ATM links....8 
5.3. MTU Constraints..................................................8 
5.4. MTU discovery on L2 paths........................................9 
5.4.1. MTU Parameter TLV..............................................9 
5.4.2. Use of Resource Class TLV to discover MTU Size................10 
5.5. Path Establishment..............................................10 
6. Fragmentations and Error Notification.............................11 
7. Penultimate hop popping...........................................11 
8. Use of RSVP-TE Extension to Create Layer 2 tunnels over MPLS 
networks.............................................................12 
9. Definition of RSVP objects for Layer 2 tunnels....................12 
9.1. Label Request Object............................................13 
9.1.1. Label Request without Label Range.............................13 
9.1.2. Label Request with ATM Label Range............................13 
9.1.3. Label Request with Frame Relay Label Range....................14 
9.2. Session Object..................................................15 
9.2.1. LSP_LAYER2_TUNNEL_IPV4 session object.........................15 
9.2.2. LSP_LAYER2_TUNNEL_IPV6 session object.........................17 
10. Tspec and Flowspec object for Class-of-Service and MTU discovery.18 
11. Use of POLICY_DATA object........................................19 
12. Address Learning across LSP:.....................................19 
13. Forwarding of IP Packets:........................................19 
14. Forwarding of Broadcast and Multicast Traffic:...................20 
15. Multiple LSP and out of order packets............................20 
16. Alternate approach...............................................20 
17. Security Considerations..........................................20 
18. Acknowledgments..................................................20 
22. References.......................................................20 
23. Author's Addresses...............................................22 
Appendix A...........................................................22 
Full Copyright Statement.............................................23 
 
1. Conventions used in this document 
    
   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", 
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED",  "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in 
   this document are to be interpreted as described in RFC-2119 [2]. 



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2. Introduction 
    
   MPLS architecture, augmented with CR-LDP (constrained based label 
   distribution) protocol [3] or RSVP-TE (Resource Reservation 
   Protocol) [8], provides a mechanism to setup a Label Switched Path 
   (LSP) with given characteristics. 
    
   With the growth of Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs), the ability to 
   extend Layer 2 Virtual LANs (VLAN) across the MAN has become 
   important. 
    
   This document builds on the concepts discussed in [5] but focuses 
   specifically on the delivery of Layer2 802.1Q & 802.1P based 
   traffic. Its purpose is to provide a scalable model which allows the 
   bundling of multiple VLAN flows into a single LSP or the granularity 
   to provide LSPs which are built specifically to meet the TE 
   requirements of 802.1P flows within those VLANs, by extending 
   existing TLVs and by utilizing CR-LDP or RSVP. 
    
   The concept of a "hidden" label detailing L2 parameters introduced 
   in [5] is enhanced to meet the TE needs of 802.1P traffic classes 
   and also to allow the specification of VLAN "ranges". This concept 
   allows multiple VLANs logically terminating on the same egress LSR, 
   from the MPLS perspective, to utilize the same LSP thereby 
   optimizing MPLS resources. 
    
   Forward Equivalence class (FEC) provides a mechanism for mapping 
   incoming traffic or groups of traffic to a particular LSP. This 
   document provides a method to implement FECs for 802.1Q VLANs and 
   addresses the issues of transporting tagged Layer 2 traffic across 
   the MPLS cloud. It also discusses mapping of 802.1P Priority (P) 
   bits to CR-LDP traffic engineering parameters or RSVP-TE [8] 
   objects. MAC layer address learning issues across the MPLS cloud are 
   also discussed. The ability to implement IEEE 802.1D[9] Spanning 
   Tree Protocol across the MPLS cloud will allow loop prevention and 
   this in turn allows implementations to have non-MPLS backup paths 
   between extended VLANs. 
    
    
    
3. Implementation of 802.Q VLAN FEC (VFEC) 
    
   At present FEC is defined to map an incoming IP packet or set of 
   packets to a LSP [4]. 
    
        Currently FEC elements are defined as:  
    
   Address Prefix 
         Or 
   Host Address 
    


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   We propose to extend the FEC element to include 802.1Q TAG and P 
   bits fields. To better utilize LSPs and improve scaling we suggest a 
   concept of TAG and P grouping. 
    
   Thus VLAN FEC or VFEC may be defined as 
    
    
   { ,  } 
    
   We also define four different matching criteria for a VFEC entry 
   against an incoming {TAG,P} 
    
    
   Exact TAG and P field match 
    
   Range of TAG and Exact P match 
    
   Exact TAG and Range of P match 
    
   Range of TAG and Range of P match 
    
    
   Matching of a VFEC provides an index to the LIB (Label Information 
   Base), if the LSP is already setup. If the LSP is not yet setup, the 
   VFEC provides the necessary parameters required to setup the LSP 
   tunnel. These parameters may include the Egress LSR IP address and 
   the Traffic Engineering (CR-LDP or RSVP-TE) parameters that 
   characterize the tunnel. 
    
   Unlike FEC entries for IP, VFEC entries, at least initially, are 
   statically created on the ingress and egress LSRs. Dynamic discovery 
   of extended VLAN across the MPLS network is beyond the scope of the 
   discussion. Mapping of TAG to Egress LSR and 802.1P bits to Traffic 
   Engineering parameters (CR-LDP or RSVP-TE) are a local policy.  
    
3.1. VFEC Element 
 

   VLAN FEC (VFEC) TLV carries the FEC element required to setup the 
   LSP to carry the Layer 2 traffic. Instead of defining a new TLV we 
   have chosen to enhance the existing FEC TLV [4]. The VFEC element 
   will be carried in a new FEC element type. 
    
    
   FEC element              Type                  Value  
   Type name  
    
    
   L2-VLAN                   0x04                 TAG, P bits and BPDU  
                                                  Tag, (see below) 
    
    
    
    

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   0               1               2               3 
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   | L2-VLAN (0x04)|  Length       |S|M|  BPDU  Tag                | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   | F | Start VLAN TAG      |  End VLAN Tag       | F | SP  | EP  | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |      End Point LSR  Address                                   | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
    
   Length  
    
   Length of the fields to follow in Bytes. At present this is set to 
   10 (0x0A). 
    
   S  
    
   Spanning Tree flag is set to 1, if BPDU Tag field is valid. 
   Otherwise ignore the BPDU Tag field. 
    
   M  
    
   Matching Criteria. Conservative matching if M == 1, else Liberal 
   matching. See below for details. 
    
   F  
    
   Field Flag 
    
   - VLAN Tag Range Match - b'00 
   - VLAN Tag Exact Match - b'01 
    
   - P bits range Match - b'10 
   - P bits Exact Match - b'11 
    
   Start VLAN Tag  
    
     Starting value of the VLAN Tag 
    
    
   End VLAN Tag 
    
   End Value of the VLAN Tag. This field is ignored if F == 01 
    
   SP  
    
     Starting value for P bits 
    
   EP  
    
    End value of P bits. This field is ignored if F == 11 
    
3.2. VFEC Procedures 
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   Only the LSR with the router ID that matches the Egress LSR should 
   decode the VFEC element. Other LSRs should transparently pass the 
   VFEC element to the downstream LSR. 
    
   If the Egress LSR cannot match the requested VFEC element, it should 
   stop further processing and return an "unsupported VFEC" 
   notification message.  
    
   If any intermediate LSR does not support Layer 2 LSP extensions, it 
   should stop further processing and return "unsupported Layer 2 
   Tunnel" notification message. 
    
   Matching of VFECs may take two approaches 
   Conservative VFEC matching  
   Liberal VFEC matching 
    
3.2.1. Conservative VFEC matching 
    
   If F Field flag specified is for an exact match, perform the exact 
   match. If there is no exact match, return "unsupported VFEC" 
   notification message. The match can apply to a specific Tag or to an 
   exact range. 
    
3.2.2. Liberal VFEC matching 
    
   If the F Field flag specified is for an exact match and matching 
   policy specified is Liberal, allocate a label, if there is at least 
   a match that falls into a locally supported range. 
    
    
4. Mapping of L2 packets to VFEC entries 
    
4.1 Mapping of 802.1Q Tagged Packets 
    
   The mapping of L2 packets to VFEC entries MUST conform to the 
   following rules in order to avoid any ambiguities. 
    
   If there is an exact match on TAG and P bits use that entry. 
    
   If there is an exact match on TAG and range match on P bits use that 
   entry. 
    
   If there is a range match on TAG and an exact match on P bits use 
   that entry. 
    
   If there is a range match on TAG and a range match on P bits use 
   that entry. 
    
   If there is no TAG mapping one MAY initiate a local policy to handle 
   such packets. There SHOULD not be any VFEC mappings based solely on 
   the P bit field. 
    

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4.2. Mapping of non 802.1Q Tagged Packets 
    
   Due to the non-hierarchical nature of MAC addresses it is 
   practically impossible to provide FEC entries to map all MAC 
   addresses to an appropriate LSP/FEC entry. It is therefore desirable 
   to provide local policy/classification to map such packets to an LSP 
   or to the appropriate FEC element. One possible mapping criterion is 
   physical/logical port to a LSP or a FEC. 
 
    
5. Encapsulation of Layer 2 Packets on the MPLS tunnel 
    
   It is important to preserve Source and Destination MAC addresses 
   across the LSP, to enable correct forwarding. To achieve this we 
   propose encapsulation of the entire Layer 2 packet within the MPLS 
   shim header. Since all forwarding of MPLS packets is based upon 
   Label lookup, it really does not matter what protocol is carried in 
   the actual data portion of the MPLS packet. 
    
5.1. Encapsulated Layer2 Frame data 
    
   0               1               2               3 
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |                     MAC of Downstream LSR                     | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |    MAC of Downstream LSR        |   MAC of This/Upstream LSR  | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |                      MAC of This/Upstream LSR                 | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |      MPLS Type                |   Label    1                  | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |     Label 1                   |                               | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   . 
   .               N-1 Labels                                      . 
   .                               |     Nth Label                 | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |  Nth Label                    |   Original Dest MAC           | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |                        Original Dest MAC                      | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |                       Original Src MAC                        |           
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   | Original Src MAC             |  Remainder of the Packet       | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   .                                                               . 
   .                                                               . 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
    
    
    
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   The use and meaning of these fields are as follows: 
    
   MAC of Downstream LSR  
    
   MAC address of the Downstream LSR, this address will change for each 
   hop. 
    
   MAC of This/Upstream LSR 
    
   MAC address of the This/Upstream LSR, this address will change for 
   each hop 
    
   MPLS Type 
    
   This is the Ethertype proposed in [6]. It is possible this may be a 
   new value if required to identify Layer 2 MPLS packets against Layer 
   3 MPLS packets at the Media Layer. 
    
   Labels: 
    
   MPLS labels (1 to N) stacked as proposed in [6]. 
    
     
   Original Dest MAC 
    
   Original Destination MAC address of the Layer 2 packet. Most often 
   this is a MAC address that resides across the LSP 
    
   Original SRC MAC  
    
   Original Source MAC address of the Layer 2 packet. This address is 
   transferred across the LSP unchanged in order to facilitate proper 
   address learning.             
    
   Remainder of the Packet 
    
   This is the remainder of the original packet, minus the original FCS 
   (Frame Check Sum). The Egress LSR is required to generate a new FCS 
   upon de-encapsulation. However, payload of the current packet is 
   protected by the FCS of the new Encapsulation. 
 
5.2. Encapsulation of Layer 2 Packet over Frame Relay or ATM links 
    
   It is possible to encapsulate Layer 2 frames on ATM or Frame Relay 
   links using methods suggested in [5]. However one may choose to use 
   encapsulation presented in section 5. Encapsulation according to 
   [6], may be useful, if links operate in packet mode. 
    
5.3. MTU Constraints   
    
   As packets traverse the MPLS cloud, or during the initial 
   encapsulation with the proposed header, it is possible the maximum 
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   MTU size allowed by the corresponding media layer could be exceeded. 
   It is important to consider MTU size variations. Therefore in 
   similar fashion to [6] we propose a "Maximum initially allowed layer 
   2 MTU Size" parameter. This is a configurable parameter. Any packet 
   that matches a VFEC and has a MTU size greater than the above 
   parameter is silently discarded. 
    
   When deciding on "Maximum initially allowed layer 2 MTU Size" 
   parameter one must consider, proposed new encapsulation header size, 
   whether packets are Tagged, maximum possible number of labels that 
   may be present and the minimum MTU size along the path. 
    
   As an example, consider a MPLS tunnel where minimum MTU size along 
   the path is 1500 bytes. Let assume at any given time not more than 
   one label may be present. 
    
   Let say "Maximum initially allowed layer 2 MTU Size" is P. 
    
   Then P = 1500bytes - (MAC of Downstream LSR (6 bytes) + 
          MAC of This/Upstream LSR (6 bytes) + 
          Ether Type (2 bytes) + 
          Size of Label (4 bytes)) 
    
   P = 1482 bytes 
    
5.4. MTU discovery on L2 paths  
    
   In order to ensure potential LSPs paths meet the required MTU 
   criteria, it may be possible to pre-determine that the proposed 
   paths can meet the Max MTU size requirements end-to-end. 
    
   Two potential mechanisms are: 
    
   Use of a dedicated MTU discovery TLV 
   Or 
   Enhance the scope of the resource class TLV to discover the MTU size 
    
5.4.1. MTU Parameter TLV 
    
   Define a new TLV type to discover the MTU size during path setup. At 
   this point we propose using Experimental TLV [4] encoding to 
   propagate an MTU request. Ideally there should be a separate TLV 
   defined for this purpose if the proposed method is accepted. 
    
   Encoding of MTU discovery using Experimental TLV: 
    
   0               1               2               3 
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |U|F| Type(0x3F01)                  |  Length                   | 
   -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |         Experimental ID(Layer 2 MTU Discovery)                | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 

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   | O |     MTU Size                                              |     
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
    
    
   U bit 
    
   Unknown TLV bit. Upon receipt of an Unknown TLV, if U is clear (=0), 
   a notification must be returned to the message originator and the 
   entire message must be ignored; If U is set (=1), the unknown TLV is 
   silently ignored and the rest of the message is processed as if the 
   unknown TLV did not exist. 
    
   The determination as to whether the Experimental Layer 2 MTU 
   discovery ID is understood is based on that fact that, proposed 
   Layer 2 LSP capabilities are implemented locally. 
    
   F bit 
    
   Forward unknown TLV bit, This bit only applies when the U bit is set 
   and the LDP message containing the unknown TLV is to be forwarded. 
   If F is clear (=0), the unknown TLV is not forwarded with the 
   containing message, if F is set (=1), the unknown TLV is forwarded 
   with the containing message.  
    
   Experimental ID (Layer 2 MTU Size) 
    
   Suggested value - 0x00000001 
    
   O  
    
   Optional Matching Flag 
    
   - b'00  Exact MTU size is required on the outgoing interface 
    
   - b'01  MTU Size greater or Equal is required on the outgoing 
   interface 
    
   - b'10  MTU size greater than the specified value is required on the 
   outgoing interface    
    
   MTU Size 
    
   Required MTU Size in bytes 
    
5.4.2. Use of Resource Class TLV to discover MTU Size 
    
   The scope of the Resource Class TLV definition may be augmented to 
   include the layer 2 MTU size in addition to its more commonly 
   defined TE parameter usage.  
    
   The procedure of augmenting the Resource Class TLV for this purpose 
   is implementation dependent and beyond the scope of this document. 
    
5.5. Path Establishment 
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   During operation the path may change due to failure, for example. 
   The MTU size across paths may be different. It is possible to 
   prevent LSP establishment across paths which do not meet the MTU 
   requirements by using one of the above explained methods.  
    
    
6. Fragmentations and Error Notification 
    
   When forwarding Layer 3 packets, upon MTU size violation, LSRs are 
   required to perform fragmentation on packets according to the 
   network layer protocols. However, if it is layer 2 packets that are 
   being tunneled, LSRs should not try to interpret the network layer 
   protocol. All packets that do not meet any MTU size requirements 
   MUST be silently discarded. LSRs should not try to generate error 
   notification using network layer error notification methods such as 
   ICMP. 
    
   It is therefore important that an LSR efficiently identifies whether 
   the packet is a layer 3 routed packet or a layer 2 tunneled frame. 
   There are two methods by which this identification may be achieved; 
   as explained in [6], during the label resolution stage an LSR may 
   define a local label resolution flag to indicate that the incoming 
   label __l__ is carrying Layer 2 traffic. A LSR can easily identify 
   that a given label request is for a layer 2 tunnel by identifying 
   the presence of the VFEC element in the label request message. 
   Adopting this method would only allow a given LSP to carry only L2 
   traffic, or L3 traffic, not both. 
    
   Alternatively, it is possible to define a new Ethertype to identify 
   MPLS layer 2 tunneled traffic. All downstream LSRs could then 
   quickly distinguish between MPLS bridged Layer 2 traffic and MPLS 
   layer 3 routed traffic. 
 
7. Penultimate Hop Popping 
 
   It is noted that the proposed approach will not support penultimate 
   hop popping because of the expectation for Layer 3 information to 
   immediately follow the MPLS label as opposed to the proposed Layer 2 
   information. This will prevent the existing forwarding mechanisms 
   when penultimate hop popping is employed from functioning, i.e. 
   there is no mechanism for the Egress LSR to determine that the frame 
   data beyond the MAC header is layer 2 data as opposed to Layer 3 and  
   process it as such. 
    
   If penultimate hop popping is a requirement it is possible to use 
   the approach discussed in [5] which proposes using a hidden label  
   in addition to the standard next hop label. This label may represent 
   the larger scope of Layer 2 forwarding at the Egress LSR. This 
   special label should be pushed on to the label stack prior to the 
   next hop label, thus creating a multi level label stack. This may 
   lead to more efficient forwarding at the egress LSR.  
    
    
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8. Use of the RSVP-TE Extension to create Layer 2 tunnels over MPLS 
networks 
    
   Resource Reservation Protocol [7] was designed to achieve receiver 
   initiated setup of multicast and unicast flows, with some resource 
   requirements. 
    
   [8] Has extended the original RSVP Specification [7] to construct 
   on-demand label switch path across MPLS clouds. [8] Provides an 
   extensive discussion on how traffic engineered LSP can be setup for 
   Layer 3 traffic. 
    
   Both, [7] and [8] provides resource reservation mechanisms for Layer 
   3 traffic such as IP. However, concepts provided in [7] are flexible 
   enough such that reservation can be easily achieved for Layer 2 
   traffic, where Layer 3 protocol, if present, is opaque across the 
   LSP. In an MPLS environment, knowledge of Layer 3 protocol is not 
   essential to forward a packet. 
    
   Layer 2 traffic has its own limitations with regard to fragmentation 
   when tunneled across an MPLS cloud, i.e. with the Layer 3 
   information encapsulated, intermediate LSRs are unable perform 
   fragmentation. It is therefore desirable to setup LSPs with pre-
   determined MTU size requirements.  [8] Presents a way of achieving 
   this end to end. 
    
   An egress LSR may choose to combine multiple "Layer 2" reservation 
   requests. This may be especially useful if an egress LSR wishes to 
   merge traffic terminating into a single VLAN from different ingress 
   sources. Similar to [8] it is suggested that Reservation Styles, 
   Fixed Filter (FF) and Shared Filter (SF), be used during 
   reservation, to either explicitly allocate resources or share 
   resources. 
    
    
9. Definition of RSVP objects for Layer 2 tunnels 
    
   [8] Has defined a new RSVP Object, namely the LABEL_REQUEST object. 
   The LABEL_REQUEST object is defined to setup LSPs for Layer 3 
   traffic. To setup Layer 2 LSPs we define 3 new C-Types (4,5 and 6) 
   to be transmitted as part of the Label Request object. 
    
   When setting up Layer 2 traffic LSPs, as discussed earlier, the 
   egress LSR is required to identify whether it supports the requested 
   VLAN. In short, when setting up Layer 2 tunnels one more level of 
   scoping is introduced. To achieve this we are proposing the 
   introduction of two more C-types (3 and 4) to the Session Object 
   (see section below). The new C-Types are similar to those defined in 
   [8], except that they contain the VLAN FEC element information that 
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   is required to achieve the extra level of scoping beyond the egress 
   node's IP address. 
    
    
   The following sections present the initial definition of the 
   suggested objects. Exact procedure of implementation is left to 
   future discussion of this paper. 
     
9.1. Label Request Object 
    
   [8] Has defined the RSVP object LABEL_REQUEST to, request labels for 
   Layer 3 protocols. There are 3 C-Types defined to resolve labels for 
   a Layer 3 protocol. In this discussion we add 3 more C-Types to 
   request Layer 2 labels. The presence of C-Type 4,5 or 6 indicates to 
   the receiving LSR, that the request is for a Layer 2 LSP tunnel 
   label.  
    
9.1.1. Label Request without Label Range 
   Class = 19 C-Type = 4 
    
   0               1               2               3 
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |   Reserved                    |  Must be Zero                 | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
    
   Reserved 
    
   This field is reserved.  It MUST be set to zero on transmission and 
   ignored on receipt. 
    
9.1.2. Label Request with ATM Label Range 
 
   Class= 19  C-Type = 5 
    
   0               1               2               3 
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |   Reserved                    |  Must be Zero                 | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |M| Res | Minimum VPI           |  Minimum VCI                  | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   | Res   | Maximum VPI           |  Maximum VCI                  | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
    
    
   Reserved 
    
   This field is reserved.  It MUST be set to zero on transmission and 
   ignored on receipt. 
    
   M 
    

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                   draft-tsenevir-8021qmpls-01.txt     September 2000 
 
 
   Setting this bit to one indicates that the node is capable of 
   merging in the data plane 
    
   Minimum VPI (12 bits) 
    
   This 12 bit field specifies the lower bound of a block of Virtual 
   Path Identifiers that is supported on the originating switch.  If 
   the VPI is less than 12-bits it MUST be right justified in this 
   field and preceding bits MUST be set to zero. 
    
   Minimum VCI (16 bits) 
    
   This 16 bit field specifies the lower bound of a block of Virtual 
   Connection Identifiers that is supported on the originating switch.  
   If the VCI is less than 16-bits it MUST be right justified in this 
   field and preceding bits MUST be set to zero. 
    
   Maximum VPI (12 bits) 
    
   This 12 bit field specifies the upper bound of a block of Virtual 
   Path Identifiers that is supported on the originating switch.  If 
   the VPI is less than 12-bits it MUST be right justified in this 
   field and preceding bits MUST be set to zero. 
    
   Maximum VCI (16 bits) 
    
   This 16 bit field specifies the upper bound of a block of Virtual 
   Connection Identifiers that is supported on the originating switch.  
   If the VCI is less than 16-bits it MUST be right justified in this 
   field and preceding bits MUST be set to zero. 
 
9.1.3. Label Request with Frame Relay Label Range 
    
   Class = 19 C-Type = 6 
    
   0               1               2               3 
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |   Reserved                    |  Must be Zero                 | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   | Reserved    |DLI|     Minimum DLCI                            | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   | Reserved        |     Maximum DLCI                            | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
    
    
   Reserved 
    
      This field is reserved.  It MUST be set to zero on transmission 
   and ignored on receipt. 
    
   Minimum DLCI 
    

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                   draft-tsenevir-8021qmpls-01.txt     September 2000 
 
 
   This 23-bit field specifies the lower bound of a block of Data Link 
   Connection Identifiers (DLCIs) that is supported on the originating 
   switch.  The DLCI MUST be right justified in this field and unused 
   bits MUST be set to 0. 
    
    
    Maximum DLCI 
    
   This 23-bit field specifies the upper bound of a block of  Data Link  
   Connection  Identifiers  (DLCIs) that is supported on the 
   originating switch.  The DLCI MUST be right justified in this field 
   and unused bits MUST be set to 0. 
    
9.2. Session Object 
    
   Two new C-Types are defined to reflect the Layer 2 tunnel 
   characteristics. 
    
9.2.1. LSP_LAYER2_TUNNEL_IPV4 session object 
    
   This Session Object is defined to identify the endpoint of the 
   tunnel i.e. egress LSR. In addition, the LSP_LAYER2_TUNNEL_IPV4 
   session object carries the VLAN Forward Equivalence Class(VFEC) 
   information that is necessary to identify the specific VLAN at the 
   tunnel endpoint. 
    
   Class = SESSION, LSP_LAYER2_TUNNEL_IPV4 C-Type = 3 
    
   0               1               2               3 
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |           IPV4 tunnel end point address                       | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   | Must be Zero                  |    Tunnel ID                  | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |                       Extended Tunnel ID                      |   
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |   Reserved                    |S|M|  BPDU  Tag                | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   | F | Start VLAN TAG      |  End VLAN TAG       | F | SP  | EP  | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
    
    
   IPV4 tunnel end point address 
    
   IPV4 address of the egress node of the tunnel 
    
   Tunnel ID 
    
   A 16-bit identifier used in the SESSION that remains constant over 
   the life of the tunnel. 
    
   Extended Tunnel ID 
    
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                   draft-tsenevir-8021qmpls-01.txt     September 2000 
 
 
   A 32-bit identifier used in the SESSION that remains constant over 
   the life of the tunnel. Normally set to all zeros. Ingress nodes 
   that wish to narrow the scope of a SESSION to the ingress-egress 
   pair may place their IPV4 address as a globally unique identifier. 
    
    
   Reserved 
    
   This field is reserved.  It MUST be set to zero on transmission and 
   ignored on receipt. 
    
   S   
    
   Spanning Tree flag. 1 If BPDU Tag field is valid. Otherwise ignore 
   the BPDU Tag field. 
    
   M 
    
   Matching Criteria. Conservative matching if M == 1, else Liberal 
   matching. See above for details. 
    
   F  
    
   Field Flag 
    
   VLAN Tag Range Match   b'00 
   VLAN Tag Exact Match   b'01 
    
   P bits range Match     b'10 
   P bits Exact Match     b'11 
    
   Start VLAN Tag 
    
   Starting value of the VLAN Tag 
    
   End VLAN Tag 
    
   End Value of the VLAN Tag. This field is ignored if F == 01 
    
   SP 
    
   Starting value for P bits 
    
   EP 
     
   End value of P bits. This field is ignored if F == 11 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

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                   draft-tsenevir-8021qmpls-01.txt     September 2000 
 
 
9.2.2. LSP_LAYER2_TUNNEL_IPV6 session object 
    
   Class = SESSION, LSP_LAYER2_TUNNEL_IPV6 C-Type = 4 
   0               1               2               3 
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |                                                               |                  
   +                                                               + 
   |              Ipv6  Tunnel End Point Address                   | 
   +                      (16 bytes)                               + 
   |                                                               | 
   +                                                               + 
   |                                                               | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |   Must be Zero                |  Tunnel ID                    | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |                                                               |                  
   +                                                               + 
   |                   Extended Tunnel ID                          | 
   +                      (16 bytes)                               + 
   |                                                               | 
   +                                                               + 
   |                                                               | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   |   Reserved                    |S|M|  BPDU  Tag                | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   | F | Start VLAN TAG      |  End VLAN TAG       | F | SP  | EP  | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
    
   IPV6 tunnel end point address 
    
   IPV6 address of the egress node of the tunnel 
    
   Tunnel ID 
    
   A 16-bit identifier used in the SESSION that remains constant over 
   the life of the tunnel. 
    
   Extended Tunnel ID 
    
   A 16-byte identifier used in the SESSION that remains constant over 
   the life of the tunnel. Normally set to all zeros. Ingress nodes 
   that wish to narrow the scope of a SESSION to the ingress-egress 
   pair may place their IPV4 address as a globally unique identifier. 
    
   Reserved 
    
   This field is reserved.  It MUST be set to zero on transmission and 
   ignored on receipt. 
    
   S   
    
   Spanning Tree flag. 1 If BPDU Tag field is valid. Otherwise ignore 
   the BPDU Tag field. 
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                   draft-tsenevir-8021qmpls-01.txt     September 2000 
 
 
    
   M 
    
   Matching Criteria. Conservative matching if M == 1, else Liberal 
   matching. See above for details. 
    
   F  
    
   Field Flag 
    
   VLAN Tag Range Match   b'00 
   VLAN Tag Exact Match   b'01 
    
   P bits range Match     b'10 
   P bits Exact Match     b'11 
    
   Start VLAN Tag 
    
   Starting value of the VLAN Tag 
    
   End VLAN Tag 
    
   End Value of the VLAN Tag. This field is ignored if F == 01 
    
   SP 
    
   Starting value for P bits 
    
   EP 
     
   End value of P bits. This field is ignored if F == 11 
    
   Definition of this C-Type is similar to [8] with , VLAN TAG 
   characteristics to follow. 
    
10. Tspec and Flowspec object for Class-of-Service and MTU discovery. 
    
   We propose using these objects according to the methods explained in 
   [8]. The definition is detailed below. The same format is used both 
   for SENDER_TSPEC object and FLOWSPEC objects, the formats are: 
    
   Class-of-Service SENDER_TSPEC Object: Class =12 C-Type = 3 
   Class-of-Service FLOWSPEC Object Class = 9, C-Type = 3 
    
   0               1               2               3 
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
   | Reserved      |    CoS        |    Maximum Packet Size [M]    | 
   +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 
    
   Reserved  
    
   This field is reserved. It MUST be zero on transmission and MUST be 
   ignored on receipt. 
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                   draft-tsenevir-8021qmpls-01.txt     September 2000 
 
 
    
   CoS 
    
   The Class Of Service field allows the originator to request the 
   needed service from the network. Mapping of Priority bits to CoS 
   class is a local policy. Ongoing work in other WG forums may prove 
   beneficial in defining the appropriate mappings. 
    
   M 
    
   This parameter is set in Resv messages by the receiver based on 
   information in arriving RSVP SENDER_TSPEC objects. For shared 
   reservations, the smallest value received across all associated 
   senders is used. When the object is contained in the path messages, 
   this parameter is updated at each hop with lesser of the received 
   value and the MTU of the outgoing interface. If the received M , 
   either via SENDER_TSPEC or FLOWSPEC object, is smaller than the 
   required MTU size, the path may be established or not established. 
   MTU size acceptance is entirely a local policy.  
    
    
11. Use of POLICY_DATA object 
    
   The POLICY_DATA object may be used to further define local matching 
   criteria of different reservation requests. As an example, one may 
   request to terminate the PATH_MESSAGE immediately if the MTU size 
   violation occurs during the path setup stage. 
    
    
12. Address Learning across LSP: 
    
   Like any other traditional layer 2 device, addresses MUST be learnt 
   across an LSP. MAC addresses are learnt against a VFEC.  
    
    
13. Forwarding of IP Packets: 
    
   It is possible there are IP protocol packets traversing across the 
   MPLS extended VLANs. All MPLS routers have their traditional FEC 
   based on IP address fields [4]. To avoid erroneous forwarding, after 
   deploying the VFEC, the following forwarding rules MUST be observed. 
    
   If there is a matching Destination MAC address use the associated 
   LSP or Destination MAC address. 
    
   If there is no matching Destination MAC address and there is a 
   matching VFEC use that LSP. 
    
   If the packet is IP search for a matching FEC entry and use that 
   LSP. 
    
   If there are no matching FEC/VFEC entries forward or drop the packet 
   based on local policy. 
 
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                   draft-tsenevir-8021qmpls-01.txt     September 2000 
 
 
14. Forwarding of Broadcast and Multicast Traffic: 
    
   If the incoming packets are tagged, forwarding of Multicast and 
   Broadcast traffic is similar to unicast traffic, except that there 
   is some local policy to forward to other ports in the ingress LSR. 
    
   Un-tagged packets are mapped to a VFEC using some local policy. Such 
   local policies are implementation dependent and beyond the scope of 
   this discussion. 
    
    
15. Multiple LSP and out of order packets 
    
   It is possible to have more than one LSP that can carry traffic 
   between two extended VLANs. In such an environment there should be 
   local policies that directs Layer 2 traffic into the correct LSP, 
   such that all packets that matches a local policy arrives at the 
   egress LSR in the same order. Such policies are implementation 
   dependent and beyond the scope of this document. 
    
   Special care should be taken when tunneling through abstract nodes. 
    
16. Alternate approach 
    
   It is possible to encapsulate the entire Layer 2 packet as the 
   payload of an IP packet and tunnel it from the ingress LSR to egress 
   LSR. This method provides the advantage of using the strengths of 
   the existing MPLS infrastructure and the IP protocol. This requires 
   that both the ingress and egress LSRs perform Network layer 
   functionality and appears to be less efficient. However, this is 
   considered an agenda open for discussion. 
  

    
17. Security Considerations 
    
   This document does not affect the underlying security issues of 
   MPLS. 
    
    
18. Acknowledgments 
    
   The ideas in this document were significantly influenced by the 
   sighted references and on going work at the IETF. Various people 
   have influenced the work presented in this document. Akbal Karlcut, 
   in particular provided valuable suggestions. 
    
 
22. References
 
   1  Bradner, S., "The Internet Standards Process -- Revision 3", BCP 
      9, RFC 2026, October 1996. 
    
 


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                   draft-tsenevir-8021qmpls-01.txt     September 2000 
 
 
 
   2  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement 
      Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997 
    
   3  Bilel Jamoussi et al, Constrained-Based LSP setup using LDP, Work 
      in Progress, July 2000. 
    
   4  Anderson Loa et al, LDP Specification, Work in Progress, August 
      2000. 
    
   5  Luca Martini et al, Transport of Layer 2 Frames over ATM, Work in 
      Progress, September 2000 
    
   6  Eric Rosen et al, MPLS Label Stack Encoding, Work in Progress, 
      July 2000 
    
   7  R Braden et al, Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP) -- version 1 
      Functional Specification RFC 2205, September 1197 
    
   8  Daniel O. Awduche et al, RSVP-TE: Extension to RSVP for LSP 
      Tunnels, Work in Progress, August 2000. 
    
   9  IEEE 802.1D IEEE Standard Specification, July 1993 
    
   10 IEEE 802.1Q IEEE Standard Specification, 1998 





























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                   draft-tsenevir-8021qmpls-01.txt     September 2000 
 
 
23. Author's Addresses 
   Tissa Senevirathne 
   Nortel Networks 
   4401 Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara, CA 95051 
   Phone: 408-565-2571 
   Email: tsenevir@nortelnetworks.com 
    
   Paul Billinghurst 
   Nortel Networks 
   4401 Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara, CA 95051 
   Phone: 408-565-2357 
   Email: pbilling@nortelnetworks.com 
    
    
    
Appendix A 
    
                      Non MPLS link (Frame Relay) 
                     ------------------- 
                     |                  | 
                     |                  | 
    --------         |                  |                --------- 
   |        |--------                   ----------------|          | 
   | LSR    |                                           |  LSR     | 
   |        |-------                    --------------- |          | 
    --------        |                   |                --------- 
                    |                   | 
                     ------------------- 
                    MPLS link 
    
   In a scenario like the above diagram, one may have a dedicated path 
   to carry layer 2 traffic and a backup path across the IP network. To 
   avoid loop it is essential to have a protocol like IEEE 802.1D 
   implemented. 
    
   Exact implementation details of 802.1D across MPLS extended tunnels 
   are beyond the scope of this document. However, as a synopsis one 
   may treat a LSP as a logical port, and define the layer 2 state of 
   the LSP according to the 802.1D specification [9]. 
    
   802.1D BPDUs belonging to multiple VFECs/VLANs are forwarded across 
   the same LSP. Since multiple VFECs can share the same LSP, BPDUs 
   require tagging to allow correct identification and mapping into the 
   appropriate VFEC/VLAN at the egress LSR. 
    
   Each VFEC may assign a unique TAG to the BPDU (which may be 
   different from the VLAN Tag) see earlier section relating to VFEC 
   for details. Note that a VFEC may represent more than one VLAN. Thus 
   a TAG BPDU may represent more than one VLAN. On this basis Layer 2 
   forwarding across more than one extended VLAN may be controlled by a 
   single tagged BPDU. 
    
   The BPDU TAG is encoded as part of the VFEC element TLV, in the 
   original label request message. A BPDU tag in the incoming label 
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                   draft-tsenevir-8021qmpls-01.txt     September 2000 
 
 
   request message creates a dynamic mapping between the incoming BPDU 
   and VFEC+LSP combination. As discussed earlier, more than one VFEC 
   can share the same LSP. Hence, in effect it is the VFEC forwarding 
   state that is affected by incoming BPDU.  
    
   In order to properly implement 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol across 
   the extended VLAN, it is required that 802.1D is implemented on 
   Ingress and Egress LSRs. This will allow the Ingress and Egress LSRs 
   to properly handle BPDUs. All the outgoing BPDUs on LSPs are tagged 
   with the appropriate BPDU Tag that was negotiated during path setup. 
   On the other hand, incoming BPDUs from a LSP are mapped to the 
   appropriate VFEC entry using the BPDU Tag and the LSP ID. The method 
   of mapping of BPDUs to LSP,VFEC, as explained here, allows 
   ingress/egress LER to control the state of extended logical ports. 
   An extended logical port is defined here as a function of LSP Id and 
   VFEC entry.  
    
    
Full Copyright Statement 
   "Copyright (C) The Internet Society (date). All Rights Reserved. 
   This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to 
   others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it 
   or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published 
   and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any 
   kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph 
   are included on all such copies and derivative works. However, this 
   document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing 
   the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or other 
   Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of 
   developing Internet standards in which case the procedures for 
   copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must be 
   followed, or as required to translate it into 
    





















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