Architecture of an IP/MPLS Network with Hardened Pipes
RFC 7625

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Independent Submission                                         J. T. Hao
Request for Comments: 7625                  Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd
Category: Informational                                    P. Maheshwari
ISSN: 2070-1721                                      Bharti Airtel, Ltd.
                                                                R. Huang
                                                            L. Andersson
                                                                 M. Chen
                                            Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd
                                                             August 2015

         Architecture of an IP/MPLS Network with Hardened Pipes

Abstract

   This document describes an IP/MPLS network that has an infrastructure
   that can be separated into two or more strata.  For the
   implementation described in this document, the infrastructure has
   been separated into two strata: one for the "Hard Pipes", called the
   "Hard Pipe Stratum", and one for the normal IP/MPLS traffic, called
   the "Normal IP/MPLS Stratum".

   This document introduces the concept of a Hard Pipe -- an MPLS Label
   Switched Path (LSP) or a pseudowire (PW) with a bandwidth that is
   guaranteed and can neither be exceeded nor infringed upon.

   The Hard Pipe stratum does not use statistical multiplexing; for the
   LSPs and PWs set up within this stratum, the bandwidth is guaranteed
   end to end.

   The document does not specify any new protocol or procedures.  It
   does explain how the MPLS standards implementation has been deployed
   and operated to meet the requirements from operators that offer
   traditional Virtual Leased Line (VLL) services.

Hao, et al.                   Informational                     [Page 1]
RFC 7625                      Hard IP Pipes                  August 2015

Status of This Memo

   This document is not an Internet Standards Track specification; it is
   published for informational purposes.

   This is a contribution to the RFC Series, independently of any other
   RFC stream.  The RFC Editor has chosen to publish this document at
   its discretion and makes no statement about its value for
   implementation or deployment.  Documents approved for publication by
   the RFC Editor are not a candidate for any level of Internet
   Standard; see Section 2 of RFC 5741.

   Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
   and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
   http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7625.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2015 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
   (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
   publication of this document.  Please review these documents
   carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
   to this document.

Hao, et al.                   Informational                     [Page 2]
RFC 7625                      Hard IP Pipes                  August 2015

Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
     1.1.  Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     1.2.  Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   2.  The Stratified Network  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
     2.1.  The Physical Network  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
     2.2.  The Hard Pipe Stratum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
     2.3.  The Normal IP/MPLS Stratum  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
     2.4.  Stratum Networks  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
   3.  Configuring the Leased Lines in the Hard Pipe Stratum . . . .   8
   4.  Efficient State Management  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9
     4.1.  State in the Forwarding Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9
     4.2.  State in the NMS/Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10
     4.3.  Annotations for Configuring Leased Lines  . . . . . . . .  10
   5.  Setting Up Leased Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  12
   6.  Leased Line Protection  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
   7.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
   8.  Informative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
   Acknowledgements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  14
   Authors' Addresses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  15

1.  Introduction

   IP leased line services, Ethernet Private Line (EPL), and Time-
   Division Multiplexed (TDM) leased line services are commonly offered
   by operators worldwide.

   There are customers, e.g., many enterprises, that insist on TDM
   leased line services.  They do so regardless of the fact that the
   same operators often offer IP leased line services and EPL services