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L2VPN Service Model
charter-ietf-l2sm-00-05

The information below is for an older proposed charter
Document Proposed charter L2VPN Service Model WG (l2sm) Snapshot
Title L2VPN Service Model
Last updated 2016-10-19
State External Review (Message to Community, Selected by Secretariat)
WG State Proposed
IESG Responsible AD Ignas Bagdonas
Charter edit AD Benoît Claise
Send notices to (None)

charter-ietf-l2sm-00-05

The IETF and the industry in general is currently specifying a set of YANG models for network element and protocol configuration. This is an essential first step, but the end goal is full system configuration that enable service agility to speed service creation and delivery and allows the deployment of innovative new services across networks. Services are built from a combination of network element and protocol configuration, but are specified to service
users in more abstract terms.

The Layer Two Virtual Private Network Service Model (L2SM) working group is a short-lived WG. It is tasked to create a YANG data model that describes a L2VPN service (a L2VPN customer service model). The model can be used for communication between customers and network operators, and to provide input to automated control and configuration applications.

It is recognized it would be beneficial to have a common base model that addresses multiple popular L2VPN service types. The working group will attempt to derive a single data model that includes support for point-to-point Virtual Private Wire Services (VPWS), multipoint Virtual Private LAN services (VPLS) that use Pseudowires signaled using the Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) and the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) as described in RFC4761 and RFC6624, and Ethernet VPNs specified in RFC 7432. Other L2VPN service types may be included if there is consensus in the working group.

It needs to be clearly understood that this L2VPN customer service model is not an L2VPN configuration model. That is, it does not provide details for configuring network elements or protocols (that work is expected to be carried out in other protocol-specific working groups). Instead, the L2VPN customer service model contains the characteristics of the service as discussed between the operators and their customers. A separate process is responsible for mapping this customer service model onto the protocols and network elements depending on how the network operator chooses to realise the service.

The deliverable from this working group will provide information that other working groups can use to evaluate the set of YANG models that they have already developed or that are under development. This will help them to identify any missing models or details. Thus, the deliverable can be viewed as driving requirements for service delivery models so that the customer service parameters can be mapped into inputs used by the protocol configuration models.

The working group will learn from the experience of the L3SM working group and it is expected that the L2SM data model will have similar structure to the L3SM data model to enable benefits of common code, provide shared user experience, and leverage discussions that took place during the L3SM development.

The working group should consider draft-wen-l2sm-l2vpn-service-model as a starting point.

The working group will coordinate with other working groups responsible for L2VPN protocol work (most notably with BESS and PALS). It will also coordinate with other organizations working on related L2VPN data models (such as the MEF).