Service Requirements for Layer 3 Provider Provisioned Virtual Private Networks (PPVPNs)
RFC 4031

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Network Working Group                                     M. Carugi, Ed.
Request for Comments: 4031                               Nortel Networks
Category: Informational                                  D. McDysan, Ed.
                                                                     MCI
                                                              April 2005

                    Service Requirements for Layer 3
         Provider Provisioned Virtual Private Networks (PPVPNs)

Status of This Memo

   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
   not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of this
   memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2005).

Abstract

   This document provides requirements for Layer 3 Virtual Private
   Networks (L3VPNs).  It identifies requirements applicable to a number
   of individual approaches that a Service Provider may use to provision
   a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service.  This document expresses a
   service provider perspective, based upon past experience with IP-
   based service offerings and the ever-evolving needs of the customers
   of such services.  Toward this end, it first defines terminology and
   states general requirements.  Detailed requirements are expressed
   from a customer perspective as well as that of a service provider.

Table of Contents

   1.   Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3
        1.1.  Scope of This Document. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
        1.2.  Outline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
   2.   Contributing Authors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
   3.   Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
        3.1.  Virtual Private Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
        3.2.  Users, Sites, Customers, and Agents . . . . . . . . . .  6
        3.3.  Intranets, Extranets, and VPNs. . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
        3.4.  Networks of Customer and Provider Devices . . . . . . .  7
        3.5.  Access Networks, Tunnels, and Hierarchical Tunnels. . .  7
        3.6.  Use of Tunnels and Roles of CE and PE in L3VPNs . . . .  8
              3.6.1.  PE-Based L3VPNs and Virtual Forwarding
                      Instances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  8
              3.6.2.  CE-Based L3VPN Tunnel Endpoints and Functions . 10

Carugi & McDysan            Standards Track                     [Page 1]
RFC 4031          Service Requirements for L3 PPVPNs          April 2005

        3.7.  Customer and Provider Network Management. . . . . . . . 10
   4.   Service Requirements Common to Customers and Service
        Providers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
        4.1.  Isolated Exchange of Data and Routing Information . . . 11
        4.2.  Addressing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
        4.3.  Quality of Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
              4.3.1.  QoS Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
              4.3.2.  Service Models. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
        4.4.  Service Level Specification and Agreements. . . . . . . 14
        4.5.  Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
        4.6.  Interworking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
   5.   Customer Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
        5.1.  VPN Membership (Intranet/Extranet). . . . . . . . . . . 15
        5.2.  Service Provider Independence . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
        5.3.  Addressing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
        5.4.  Routing Protocol Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
        5.5.  Quality of Service and Traffic Parameters . . . . . . . 16
              5.5.1.  Application Level QoS Objectives. . . . . . . . 17
              5.5.2.  DSCP Transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
        5.6.  Service Level Specification/Agreement . . . . . . . . . 18
        5.7.  Customer Management of a VPN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
        5.8.  Isolation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
        5.9.  Security. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
        5.10. Migration Impact. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
        5.11. Network Access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
              5.11.1. Physical/Link Layer Technology. . . . . . . . . 20
              5.11.2. Temporary Access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
              5.11.3. Sharing of the Access Network . . . . . . . . . 20
              5.11.4. Access Connectivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
        5.12. Service Access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
              5.12.1. Internet Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
              5.12.2. Hosting, Application Service Provider . . . . . 24
              5.12.3. Other Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
        5.13. Hybrid VPN Service Scenarios. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24