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rfc:rfc6136

Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) A. Sajassi, Ed. Request for Comments: 6136 Cisco Category: Informational D. Mohan, Ed. ISSN: 2070-1721 Nortel

                                                            March 2011
              Layer 2 Virtual Private Network (L2VPN)
         Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM)
                     Requirements and Framework

Abstract

 This document provides framework and requirements for Layer 2 Virtual
 Private Network (L2VPN) Operations, Administration, and Maintenance
 (OAM).  The OAM framework is intended to provide OAM layering across
 L2VPN services, pseudowires (PWs), and Packet Switched Network (PSN)
 tunnels.  This document is intended to identify OAM requirements for
 L2VPN services, i.e., Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS), Virtual
 Private Wire Service (VPWS), and IP-only LAN Service (IPLS).
 Furthermore, if L2VPN service OAM requirements impose specific
 requirements on PW OAM and/or PSN OAM, those specific PW and/or PSN
 OAM requirements are also identified.

Status of This Memo

 This document is not an Internet Standards Track specification; it is
 published for informational purposes.
 This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force
 (IETF).  It represents the consensus of the IETF community.  It has
 received public review and has been approved for publication by the
 Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG).  Not all documents
 approved by the IESG are 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/rfc6136.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 1] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

Copyright Notice

 Copyright (c) 2011 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.  Code Components extracted from this document must
 include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of
 the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
 described in the Simplified BSD License.
 This document may contain material from IETF Documents or IETF
 Contributions published or made publicly available before November
 10, 2008.  The person(s) controlling the copyright in some of this
 material may not have granted the IETF Trust the right to allow
 modifications of such material outside the IETF Standards Process.
 Without obtaining an adequate license from the person(s) controlling
 the copyright in such materials, this document may not be modified
 outside the IETF Standards Process, and derivative works of it may
 not be created outside the IETF Standards Process, except to format
 it for publication as an RFC or to translate it into languages other
 than English.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 2] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

Table of Contents

 1. Introduction ....................................................4
    1.1. Specification of Requirements ..............................6
    1.2. Relationship with Other OAM Work ...........................6
 2. Terminology .....................................................7
 3. L2VPN Services and Networks .....................................7
 4. L2VPN OAM Framework .............................................8
    4.1. OAM Layering ...............................................8
    4.2. OAM Domains ................................................9
    4.3. MEPs and MIPs .............................................10
    4.4. MEP and MIP Identifiers ...................................11
 5. OAM Framework for VPLS .........................................11
    5.1. VPLS as Service/Network ...................................11
         5.1.1. VPLS as Bridged LAN Service ........................11
         5.1.2. VPLS as a Network ..................................12
         5.1.3. VPLS as (V)LAN Emulation ...........................12
    5.2. VPLS OAM ..................................................13
         5.2.1. VPLS OAM Layering ..................................13
         5.2.2. VPLS OAM Domains ...................................14
         5.2.3. VPLS MEPs and MIPs .................................15
         5.2.4. VPLS MEP and MIP Identifiers .......................16
 6. OAM Framework for VPWS .........................................17
    6.1. VPWS as Service ...........................................17
    6.2. VPWS OAM ..................................................18
         6.2.1. VPWS OAM Layering ..................................18
         6.2.2. VPWS OAM Domains ...................................19
         6.2.3. VPWS MEPs and MIPs .................................21
         6.2.4. VPWS MEP and MIP Identifiers .......................23
 7. VPLS OAM Requirements ..........................................23
    7.1. Discovery .................................................24
    7.2. Connectivity Fault Management .............................24
         7.2.1. Connectivity Fault Detection .......................24
         7.2.2. Connectivity Fault Verification ....................24
         7.2.3. Connectivity Fault Localization ....................24
         7.2.4. Connectivity Fault Notification and Alarm
                Suppression ........................................25
    7.3. Frame Loss ................................................25
    7.4. Frame Delay ...............................................25
    7.5. Frame Delay Variation .....................................26
    7.6. Availability ..............................................26
    7.7. Data Path Forwarding ......................................26
    7.8. Scalability ...............................................27
    7.9. Extensibility .............................................27
    7.10. Security .................................................27
    7.11. Transport Independence ...................................28
    7.12. Application Independence .................................28

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 3] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

 8. VPWS OAM Requirements ..........................................28
    8.1. Discovery .................................................29
    8.2. Connectivity Fault Management .............................29
         8.2.1. Connectivity Fault Detection .......................29
         8.2.2. Connectivity Fault Verification ....................29
         8.2.3. Connectivity Fault Localization ....................29
         8.2.4. Connectivity Fault Notification and Alarm
                Suppression ........................................30
    8.3. Frame Loss ................................................30
    8.4. Frame Delay ...............................................30
    8.5. Frame Delay Variation .....................................31
    8.6. Availability ..............................................31
    8.7. Data Path Forwarding ......................................32
    8.8. Scalability ...............................................32
    8.9. Extensibility .............................................32
    8.10. Security .................................................32
    8.11. Transport Independence ...................................33
    8.12. Application Independence .................................33
    8.13. Prioritization ...........................................34
 9. VPLS (V)LAN Emulation OAM Requirements .........................34
    9.1. Partial-Mesh of PWs .......................................34
    9.2. PW Fault Recovery .........................................34
    9.3. Connectivity Fault Notification and Alarm Suppression .....35
 10. OAM Operational Scenarios .....................................35
    10.1. VPLS OAM Operational Scenarios ...........................36
 11. Security Considerations .......................................37
 12. Contributors ..................................................38
 13. Acknowledgements ..............................................38
 14. References ....................................................38
    14.1. Normative References .....................................38
    14.2. Informative References ...................................39
 Appendix A. Alternate Management Models ...........................41
 A.1. Alternate Model 1 (Minimal OAM) ..............................41
 A.2. Alternate Model 2 (Segment OAM Interworking) .................41

1. Introduction

 This document provides framework and requirements for Layer 2 Virtual
 Private Network (L2VPN) Operation, Administration, and Maintenance
 (OAM).
 The scope of OAM for any service and/or transport/network
 infrastructure technologies can be very broad in nature.  OSI has
 defined the following five generic functional areas commonly
 abbreviated as "FCAPS" [NM-Standards]: a) Fault Management, b)
 Configuration Management, c) Accounting Management, d) Performance
 Management, and e) Security Management.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 4] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

 This document focuses on the Fault and Performance Management
 aspects.  Other functional aspects of FCAPS are for further study.
 Fault Management can typically be viewed in terms of the following
 categories:
  1. Fault Detection
  1. Fault Verification
  1. Fault Isolation
  1. Fault Notification and Alarm Suppression
  1. Fault Recovery
 Fault detection deals with mechanism(s) that can detect both hard
 failures, such as link and device failures, and soft failures, such
 as software failure, memory corruption, misconfiguration, etc.
 Typically, a lightweight protocol is desirable to detect the fault
 and thus it would be prudent to verify the fault via a fault
 verification mechanism before taking additional steps in isolating
 the fault.  After verifying that a fault has occurred along the data
 path, it is important to be able to isolate the fault to the level of
 a given device or link.  Therefore, a fault isolation mechanism is
 needed in Fault Management.  A fault notification mechanism can be
 used in conjunction with a fault detection mechanism to notify the
 devices upstream and downstream to the fault detection point.  For
 example, when there is a client/server relationship between two
 layered networks, fault detection at the server layer may result in
 the following fault notifications:
  1. Sending a forward fault notification from the server layer to

the client layer network(s) using the fault notification format

       appropriate to the client layer
  1. Sending a backward fault notification at the server layer, if

applicable, in the reverse direction

  1. Sending a backward fault notification at the client layer, if

applicable, in the reverse direction

 Finally, fault recovery deals with recovering from the detected
 failure by switching to an alternate available data path using
 alternate devices or links (e.g., device redundancy or link
 redundancy).

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 5] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

 Performance Management deals with mechanism(s) that allow determining
 and measuring the performance of the network/services under
 consideration.  Performance Management can be used to verify the
 compliance to both the service-level and network-level metric
 objectives/specifications.  Performance Management typically consists
 of measurement of performance metrics, e.g., Frame Loss, Frame Delay,
 Frame Delay Variation (aka Jitter), etc., across managed entities
 when the managed entities are in available state.  Performance
 Management is suspended across unavailable managed entities.
 [L2VPN-FRWK] specifies three different types of Layer 2 VPN services:
 Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS), (Virtual Private Wire Service
 (VPWS), and IP-only LAN Service (IPLS).
 This document provides a reference model for OAM as it relates to
 L2VPN services and their associated pseudowires (PWs) and Public
 Switched Network (PSN) tunnels.  OAM requirements for L2VPN services
 (e.g., VPLS and VPWS) are also identified.  Furthermore, if L2VPN
 service OAM requirements impose requirements for PW and/or PSN OAM,
 those specific PW and/or PSN OAM requirements are also identified.

1.1. Specification of Requirements

 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 [RFC2119].

1.2. Relationship with Other OAM Work

 This document leverages protocols, mechanisms, and concepts defined
 as part of other OAM work, specifically the following:
  1. IEEE Std. 802.1ag-2007 [IEEE802.1ag] specifies the Ethernet

Connectivity Fault Management protocol, which defines the

       concepts of Maintenance Domains, Maintenance End Points, and
       Maintenance Intermediate Points.  This standard also defines
       mechanisms and procedures for proactive fault detection
       (Continuity Check), fault notification (Remote Defect
       Indication (RDI)), fault verification (Loopback), and fault
       isolation (LinkTrace) in Ethernet networks.
  1. ITU-T Std. Y.1731 [Y.1731] builds upon and extends IEEE 802.1ag

in the following areas: it defines fault notification and alarm

       suppression functions for Ethernet (via Alarm Indication Signal
       (AIS)).  It also specifies messages and procedures for Ethernet
       performance management, including loss, delay, jitter, and
       throughput measurement.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 6] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

2. Terminology

 This document introduces and uses the following terms.  This document
 also uses the terms defined in [L2VPN-FRWK] and [L2VPN-TERM].
 AIS         Alarm Indication Signal
 IPLS        IP-only LAN Service
 ME          Maintenance Entity, which is defined in a given OAM
             domain and represents an entity requiring management
 MEG         Maintenance Entity Group, which represents MEs belonging
             to the same service instance and is also called
             Maintenance Association (MA)
 MEP         Maintenance End Point is responsible for origination and
             termination of OAM frames for a given MEG.
 MIP         Maintenance Intermediate Point is located between peer
             MEPs and can process and respond to certain OAM frames
             but does not initiate or terminate them.
 OAM Domain  OAM Domain represents a region over which OAM frames can
             operate unobstructed.
 QinQ        802.1Q tag inside another 802.1Q tag
 RDI         Remote Defect Indication
 VPLS        Virtual Private LAN Service
 VPWS        Virtual Private Wire Service

3. L2VPN Services and Networks

 Figure 1 shows an L2VPN reference model as described in [L2VPN-REQ].
 L2VPN A represents a point-to-point service while L2VPN B represents
 a bridged service.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 7] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

     +-----+                                   +-----+
     + CE1 +--+                             +--| CE2 |
     +-----+  |    .....................    |  +-----+
     L2VPN A  |  +----+             +----+  |  L2VPN A
              +--| PE |-- Service --| PE |--+
                 +----+   Provider  +----+
                /  .      Backbone     .  \    --------_
     +-----+   /   .         |         .   \  /        \   +-----+
     + CE4 +--+    .         |         .    +-\ Access  \--| CE5 |
     +-----+       .       +----+      .      | Network |  +-----+
     L2VPN B       ........| PE |.......       \       /   L2VPN B
                           +----+   ^           -------
                             |      | logical
                             |      | switching
                          +-----+   | instance
                          | CE3 |
                          +-----+
                          L2VPN B
                Figure 1: L2VPN Reference Model
 [L2VPN-FRWK] specifies VPWS, VPLS, and IPLS.  VPWS is a point-to-
 point service where Customer Edges (CEs) are presented with point-to-
 point virtual circuits.  VPLS is a bridged LAN service provided to a
 set of CEs that are members of a VPN.  CEs that are members of the
 same service instance communicate with each other as if they were
 connected via a bridged LAN.  IPLS is a special VPLS that is used to
 carry only IP service packets.
 [L2VPN-REQ] assumes the availability of runtime monitoring protocols
 while defining requirements for management interfaces.  This document
 specifies the requirements and framework for operations,
 administration, and maintenance (OAM) protocols between network
 devices.

4. L2VPN OAM Framework

4.1. OAM Layering

 The point-to-point or bridged LAN functionality is emulated by a
 network of Provider Edges (PEs) to which the CEs are connected.  This
 network of PEs can belong to a single network operator or can span
 across multiple network operators.  Furthermore, it can belong to a
 single service provider or can span across multiple service
 providers.  A service provider is responsible for providing L2VPN
 services to its customers, whereas a network operator (aka facility
 provider) provides the necessary facilities to the service
 provider(s) in support of their services.  A network operator and a

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 8] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

 service provider can be part of the same administrative organization,
 or they can belong to different administrative organizations.
 The different layers involved in realizing L2VPNs include service
 layers and network layers.  Network layers can be iterative.  In the
 context of L2VPNs, the service layer consists of VPLS, VPWS (e.g.,
 Ethernet, ATM, FR, HDLC, SONET, point-to-point emulation, etc.), and
 IPLS.  Similarly, in the context of L2VPNs, network layers consist of
 MPLS/IP networks.  The MPLS/IP networks can consist of networks links
 realized by different technologies, e.g., SONET, Ethernet, ATM, etc.
 Each layer is responsible for its own OAM.  This document provides
 the OAM framework and requirements for L2VPN services and networks.

4.2. OAM Domains

 When discussing OAM tools for L2VPNs, it is important to provide OAM
 capabilities and functionality over each domain for which a service
 provider or a network operator is responsible.  It is also important
 that OAM frames not be allowed to enter/exit other domains.  We
 define an OAM domain as a network region over which OAM frames
 operate unobstructed, as explained below.
 At the edge of an OAM domain, filtering constructs should prevent OAM
 frames from exiting and entering that domain.  OAM domains can be
 nested but not overlapped.  In other words, if there is a hierarchy
 of the OAM domains, the OAM frames of a higher-level domain pass
 transparently through the lower-level domains, but the OAM frames of
 a lower-level domain get blocked/filtered at the edge of that domain.
 In order to facilitate the processing of OAM frames, each OAM domain
 can be associated with the level at which it operates.  Higher-level
 OAM domains can contain lower-level OAM domains, but the converse is
 not true.  It may be noted that the higher-level domain does not
 necessarily mean a higher numerical value of the level encoding in
 the OAM frame.
 A PE can be part of several OAM domains, with each interface
 belonging to the same or a different OAM domain.  A PE, with an
 interface at the boundary of an OAM domain, shall block outgoing OAM
 frames, filter out incoming OAM frames whose domain level is lower or
 the same as the one configured on that interface, and pass through
 the OAM frames whose domain level is higher than the one configured
 on that interface.
 Generically, L2VPNs can be viewed as consisting of a customer OAM
 domain, a service provider OAM domain, and network operator OAM
 domains as depicted in Figure 2.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 9] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

  1. – —

/ \ —— ——- —– / \

     |   CE--     /      \   /       \   /     \      --CE    |
     \   /   \   /        \ /         \ /       \    /    \   /
      ---     --PE         P           P         PE--      ---
                 \        / \         / \       /
                  \      /   \       /   \     /
                   ------     -------     -----
                      Customer OAM Domain
         |<-------------------------------------------->|
                   Service Provider OAM Domain
                |<------------------------------>|
                  Operator   Operator   Operator
                |<-------->|<--------->|<------->|
                  OAM Domain OAM Domain OAM Domain
                      Figure 2: OAM Domains
 The OAM Domains can be categorized as follows:
  1. Hierarchical OAM Domains: Hierarchical OAM Domains result from

OAM Layering and imply a contractual agreement among the OAM

       Domain owning entities.  In Figure 2, the customer OAM domain,
       the service provider OAM domain, and the operator OAM domains
       are hierarchical.
  1. Adjacent OAM Domains: Adjacent OAM Domains are typically

independent of each other and do not have any relationship

       among them.  In Figure 2, the different operator OAM domains
       are independent of each other.

4.3. MEPs and MIPs

 Maintenance End Points (MEPs) are responsible for origination and
 termination of OAM frames.  MEPs are located at the edge of their
 corresponding OAM domains.  Maintenance Intermediate Points (MIPs)
 are located within their corresponding OAM domains, and they normally
 pass OAM frames but never initiate them.  Since MEPs are located at
 the edge of their OAM domains, they are responsible for filtering
 outbound OAM frames from leaving the OAM domain or inbound OAM frames
 from entering the OAM domain.
 An OAM frame is generally associated with a Maintenance Entity Group
 (MEG), where a MEG consists of a set of Maintenance Entities (MEs)

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 10] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

 associated with the same service instance.  An ME is a point-to-point
 association between a pair of MEPs and represents a monitored entity.
 For example, in a VPLS that involves n CEs, all the MEs associated
 with the VPLS in the customer OAM domain (i.e., from CE to CE) can be
 considered to be part of a VPLS MEG, where the n-point MEG consists
 of a maximum of n(n-1)/2 MEs.  MEPs and MIPs correspond to a PE, or,
 more specifically, to an interface of a PE.  For example, an OAM
 frame can be said to originate from an ingress PE or more
 specifically an ingress interface of that PE.  A MEP on a PE receives
 messages from n-1 other MEPs (some of them may reside on the same PE)
 for a given MEG.
 In Hierarchical OAM Domains, a MEP of lower-level OAM domain can
 correspond to a MIP or a MEP of a higher-level OAM domain.
 Furthermore, the MIPs of a lower-level OAM domain are always
 transparent to the higher-level OAM domain (e.g., OAM frames of a
 higher-level OAM domain are not seen by MIPs of a lower-level OAM
 domain and get passed through them transparently).  Further, the MEs
 (or MEGs) are hierarchically organized in hierarchical OAM domains.
 For example, in a VPWS, the VPWS ME in the customer OAM domain can
 overlap with the Attachment Circuit (AC) ME, PW ME, and another AC ME
 in service provider OAM domain.  Similarly, the PW ME can overlap
 with different ME in operator OAM domains.

4.4. MEP and MIP Identifiers

 As mentioned previously, OAM at each layer should be independent of
 other layers, e.g., a service layer OAM should be independent of an
 underlying transport layer.  MEPs and MIPs at each layer should be
 identified with layer-specific identifiers.

5. OAM Framework for VPLS

 Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) is used in different contexts,
 such as the following:  a) as a bridged LAN service over networks,
 some of which are MPLS/IP, b) as an MPLS/IP network supporting these
 bridged LAN services, and c) as (V)LAN emulation.

5.1. VPLS as Service/Network

5.1.1. VPLS as Bridged LAN Service

 The most common definition for VPLS is for bridged LAN service over
 an MPLS/IP network.  The service coverage is considered end-to-end
 from UNI to UNI (or AC to AC) among the CE devices, and it provides a
 virtual LAN service to the attached CEs belonging to that service
 instance.  The reason it is called bridged LAN service is because the
 VPLS-capable PE providing this end-to-end virtual LAN service is

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 11] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

 performing bridging functions (either full or a subset) as described
 in [L2VPN-FRWK].  This VPLS definition, as specified in [L2VPN-REQ],
 includes both bridge module and LAN emulation module (as specified in
 [L2VPN-FRWK]).
 Throughout this document, whenever the term "VPLS" is used by itself,
 it refers to the service as opposed to network or LAN emulation.
 A VPLS instance is also analogous to a VLAN provided by IEEE 802.1Q
 networks since each VLAN provides a Virtual LAN service to its Media
 Access Control (MAC) users.  Therefore, when a part of the service
 provider network is Ethernet based (such as H-VPLS with QinQ access
 network), there is a one-to-one correspondence between a VPLS
 instance and its corresponding provider VLAN in the service provider
 Ethernet network.  To check the end-to-end service integrity, the OAM
 mechanism needs to cover the end-to-end VPLS as defined in
 [L2VPN-REQ], which is from AC to AC, including bridge module, VPLS
 forwarder, and the associated PWs for this service.  This document
 specifies the framework and requirements for such OAM mechanisms.

5.1.2. VPLS as a Network

 Sometimes VPLS is also used to refer to the underlying network that
 supports bridged LAN services.  This network can be an end-to-end
 MPLS/IP network, as in H-VPLS with MPLS/IP access, or it can be a
 hybrid network consisting of MPLS/IP core and Ethernet access
 network, as in H-VPLS with QinQ access.  In either case, the network
 consists of a set of VPLS-capable PE devices capable of performing
 bridging functions (either full or a subset).  These VPLS-capable PE
 devices can be arranged in a certain topology, such as hierarchical
 topology, distributed topology, or some other topologies such as
 multi-tier or star topologies.  To check the network integrity
 regardless of the network topology, network-level OAM mechanisms
 (such as OAM for MPLS/IP networks) are needed.  The discussion of
 network-level OAM is outside of the scope of this document.

5.1.3. VPLS as (V)LAN Emulation

 Sometimes VPLS also refers to (V)LAN emulation.  In this context,
 VPLS only refers to the full mesh of PWs with split horizon that
 emulates a LAN segment over a MPLS/IP network for a given service
 instance and its associated VPLS forwarder.  Since the emulated LAN
 segment is presented as a Virtual LAN (VLAN) to the bridge module of
 a VPLS-capable PE, the emulated segment is also referred to as an
 emulated VLAN.  The OAM mechanisms in this context refer primarily to
 integrity check of VPLS forwarders and their associated full mesh of

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 12] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

 PWs and the ability to detect and notify a partial mesh failure.
 This document also covers the OAM framework and requirements for such
 OAM mechanisms.

5.2. VPLS OAM

 When discussing the OAM mechanisms for VPLS, it is important to
 consider that the end-to-end service can span across different types
 of L2VPN networks.  For example, the access network on one side can
 be a bridged network, e.g., [IEEE802.1ad], as described in Section 11
 of [VPLS-LDP].  The access network can also be a [IEEE802.1ah]-based
 bridged network.  The access network on the other side can be MPLS-
 based, as described in Section 10 of [VPLS-LDP], and the core network
 connecting them can be IP, MPLS, ATM, or SONET.  Similarly, the VPLS
 instance can span across [VPLS-BGP] and distributed VPLS as described
 in [L2VPN-SIG].
 Therefore, it is important that the OAM mechanisms can be applied to
 all these network types.  Each such network may be associated with a
 separate administrative domain, and multiple such networks may be
 associated with a single administrative domain.  It is important to
 ensure that the OAM mechanisms are independent of the underlying
 transport mechanisms and solely rely on VPLS, i.e., the transparency
 of OAM mechanisms must be ensured over underlying transport
 technologies such as MPLS, IP, etc.
 This proposal is aligned with the discussions in other standard
 bodies and groups such as ITU-T Q.5/13, IEEE 802.1, and Metro
 Ethernet Forum (MEF), which address Ethernet network and service OAM.

5.2.1. VPLS OAM Layering

 Figure 3 shows an example of a VPLS (with two CEs belonging to
 customer A) across a service provider network marked by UPE and NPE
 devices.  More CE devices belonging to the same customer A can be
 connected across different customer sites.  The service provider
 network is segmented into a core network and two types of access
 networks.  In Figure 3, (A) shows the bridged access network
 represented by its bridge components marked B and the MPLS access and
 core network represented by MPLS components marked P.  In Figure 3,
 (B) shows the service/network view at the Ethernet MAC layer marked
 by E.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 13] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

  1. – —

/ \ —— ——- —- / \

       | A CE--     /      \    /       \    /    \       --CE A |
       \   /   \   /        \  /         \  /      \     /   \   /
        ---     --UPE       NPE          NPE        UPE--     ---
                   \        /  \         /  \      /
                    \      /    \       /    \    /
                     ------      -------      ----
    (A)    CE----UPE--B--B--NPE---P--P---NPE---P----UPE----CE
    (B)    E------E---E--E---E------------E----------E-----E
              Figure 3: VPLS-Specific Device View
 As shown in (B) of Figure 3, only the devices with Ethernet
 functionality are visible to OAM mechanisms operating at the Ethernet
 MAC layer, and the P devices are invisible.  Therefore, the OAM along
 the path of P devices (e.g., between two PEs) is covered by the
 transport layer, and it is outside the scope of this document.
 However, VPLSs may impose some specific requirements on PSN OAM.
 This document aims to identify such requirements.

5.2.2. VPLS OAM Domains

 As described in the previous section, a VPLS for a given customer can
 span across one or more service providers and network operators.
 Figure 4 depicts three OAM domains: (A) customer domain, which is
 among the CEs of a given customer, (B) service provider domain, which
 is among the edge PEs of the given service provider, and (C) network
 operator domain, which is among the PEs of a given operator.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 14] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

  1. – —

/ \ —— ——- —- / \

      |   CE--     /      \    /       \    /    \       --CE   |
      \   /   \   /        \  /         \  /      \     /   \   /
       ---     --UPE       NPE          NPE        UPE--     ---
                  \        /  \         /  \      /
                   \      /    \       /    \    /
                    ------      -------      ----
                         Customer OAM Domain
  (A)     |<----------------------------------------------->|
                         Provider OAM Domain
  (B)            |<---------------------------------->|
                   Operator     Operator     Operator
  (C)            |<--------->|<---------->|<-------->|
                   OAM Domain  OAM Domain   OAM Domain
                      Figure 4: VPLS OAM Domains

5.2.3. VPLS MEPs and MIPs

 As shown in Figure 5, (C) represents those MEPs and MIPs that are
 visible within the customer domain.  The MIPs associated with (C) are
 expected to be implemented in the bridge module/VPLS forwarder of a
 PE device, as per [L2VPN-FRWK].  (D) represents the MEPs and MIPs
 visible within the service provider domain.  These MEPs and MIPs are
 expected to be implemented in the bridge module/VPLS forwarder of a
 PE device, as per [L2VPN-FRWK].  (E) represents the MEPs and MIPs
 visible within each operator domain, where MIPs only exist in an
 Ethernet access network (i.e., an MPLS access network does not have
 MIPs at the operator level).  Further, (F) represents the MEPs and
 MIPs corresponding to the MPLS layer and may apply MPLS-based
 mechanisms.  The MPLS layer shown in Figure 5 is just an example;
 specific OAM mechanisms are outside the scope of this document.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 15] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

  1. – —

/ \ —— ——- —- / \

        | A CE--     /      \    /       \    /    \       --CE A |
        \   /   \   /        \  /         \  /      \     /   \   /
         ---     --UPE       NPE          NPE        UPE--     ---
                    \        /  \         /  \      /
                     \      /    \       /    \    /
                      ------      -------      ----
     (A)    CE----UPE--B-----NPE---P------NPE---P----UPE----CE
     (B)    E------E---E------E------------E----------E-----E
                             Customer OAM Domain
     (C)    MEP---MIP--------------------------------MIP---MEP
                             Provider OAM Domain
     (D)          MEP--------MIP-----------MIP-------MEP
                     Operator    Operator     Operator
     (E)          MEP-MIP--MEP|MEP-------MEP|MEP-----MEP
                    OAM domain   OAM domain   OAM domain
                                  MPLS OAM   MPLS OAM
     (F)                       MEP--MIP--MEP|MEP-MIP-MEP
                                   domain     domain
               Figure 5: VPLS OAM Domains, MEPs, and MIPs

5.2.4. VPLS MEP and MIP Identifiers

 In VPLS, for the Ethernet MAC layer, the MEPs and MIPs should be
 identified with their Ethernet MAC addresses and Maintenance Entity
 Group Identifier (MEG ID).  As described in [VPLS-LDP], a VPLS
 instance can be identified in an Ethernet domain (e.g., 802.1ad
 domain) using a VLAN tag (service tag) while in an MPLS/IP network,
 PW-ids are used.  Both PW-ids and VLAN tags for a given VPLS instance
 are associated with a Service Identifier (e.g., VPN identifier).
 MEPs and MIPs Identifiers, i.e., MEP Ids and MIP Ids, must be unique
 within their corresponding Service Identifiers within the OAM
 domains.
 For Ethernet services, e.g., VPLS, Ethernet frames are used for OAM
 frames, and the source MAC address of the OAM frames represent the
 source MEP in that domain for a specific MEG.  For unicast Ethernet
 OAM frames, the destination MAC address represents the destination
 MEP in that domain for a specific MEG.  For multicast Ethernet OAM
 frames, the destination MAC addresses correspond to all MEPs in that
 domain for a specific MEG.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 16] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

6. OAM Framework for VPWS

 Figure 6 shows the VPWS reference model.  VPWS is a point-to-point
 service where CEs are presented with point-to-point virtual circuits.
 VPWS is realized by combining a pair of Attachment Circuits (ACs) and
 a single PW between two PEs.
         |<------------- VPWS1 <AC11,PW1,AC12> ------------>|
         |                                                  |
         |          +----+                  +----+          |
    +----+          |    |==================|    |          +----+
    |    |---AC11---|    |.......PW1........|    |--AC12----|    |
    | CE1|          |PE1 |                  | PE2|          |CE2 |
    |    |---AC21---|    |.......PW2........|    |--AC22----|    |
    +----+          |    |==================|    |          +----+
         |          +----+     PSN Tunnel   +----+          |
         |                                                  |
         |<------------- VPWS2 <AC21,PW2,AC22> ------------>|
                 Figure 6: VPWS Reference Model

6.1. VPWS as Service

 VPWS can be categorized as follows:
  1. VPWS with homogeneous ACs (where both ACs are same type)
  1. VPWS with heterogeneous ACs (where the ACs are of different

Layer-2 encapsulation)

 Further, the VPWS can itself be classified as follows:
  1. Homogeneous VPWS (when two ACs and PW are of the same type)
  1. Heterogeneous VPWS (when at least one AC or PW is a different

type than the others)

 Based on the above classifications, the heterogeneous VPWS may have
 either homogeneous or heterogeneous ACs.  On the other hand,
 homogeneous VPWS can have only homogeneous ACs.
 Throughout this document, whenever the term "VPWS" is used by itself,
 it refers to the service.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 17] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

6.2. VPWS OAM

 When discussing the OAM mechanisms for VPWS, it is important to
 consider that the end-to-end service can span across different types
 of networks.  As an example, the access network between the CE and PE
 on one side can be an Ethernet-bridged network, an ATM network, etc.
 In common scenarios, it could simply be a point-to-point interface
 such as Ethernet Physical Layer (PHY).  The core network connecting
 PEs can be IP, MPLS, etc.
 Therefore, it is important that the OAM mechanisms can be applied to
 different network types, some of which are mentioned above.  Each
 such network may be associated with a separate administrative domain,
 and multiple such networks may be associated with a single
 administrative domain.

6.2.1. VPWS OAM Layering

 Figure 7 shows an example of a VPWS (with two CE devices belonging to
 customer A) across a service provider network marked by PE devices.
 The service provider network can be considered to be segmented into a
 core network and two types of access networks.
 In the most general case, a PE can be client service aware when it
 processes client service PDUs and is responsible for encapsulating
 and de-encapsulating client service PDUs onto PWs and ACs.  This is
 particularly relevant for homogeneous VPWS.  The service-specific
 device view for such a deployment is highlighted by (A) in Figure 7,
 for these are the devices that are expected to be involved in end-to-
 end VPWS OAM.
 In other instances, a PE can be client service unaware when it does
 not process native service PDUs but instead encapsulates access
 technology PDUs over PWs.  This may be relevant for VPWS with
 heterogeneous ACs, such as Ethernet VPWS, which is offered across an
 ATM AC, ATM PW, and Ethernet AC.  In this case, the PE that is
 attached to ATM AC and ATM PW may be transparent to the client
 Ethernet service PDUs.  On the other hand, the PE that is attached to
 ATM PW and Ethernet AC is expected to be client Ethernet service
 aware.  The service-specific device view for such a deployment is
 highlighted by (B) in Figure 7, for these are the devices that are
 expected to be involved in end-to-end VPWS OAM, where PE1 is expected
 to be client service unaware.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 18] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

         |<--------------- VPWS <AC1,PW,AC2> -------------->|
         |                                                  |
         |          +----+                  +----+          |
    +----+          |    |==================|    |          +----+
    |    |---AC1----|............PW..............|--AC2-----|    |
    | CE1|          |PE1 |                  | PE2|          |CE2 |
    +----+          |    |==================|    |          +----+
                    +----+     PSN Tunnel   +----+
            access             core                 access
         |<---------->|<---------------------->|<------------>|
     (A) CE----------PE-----------------------PE-------------CE
     (B) CE-----------------------------------PE-------------CE
                 Figure 7: VPWS-Specific Device View

6.2.2. VPWS OAM Domains

 As described in the previous section, a VPWS for a given customer can
 span across one or more network operators.
 Figures 8a and 8b depict three OAM domains: (A) customer domain,
 which is among the CEs of a given customer, (B) service provider
 domain, which depends on the management model, and (C) network
 operator domain, which is among the PEs of a given operator and could
 also be present in the access network if the ACs are provided by a
 different network operator.  The core network operator may be
 responsible for managing the PSN Tunnel in these examples.
 For the first management model, shown in Figure 8a, the CEs are
 expected to be managed by the customer, and the customer is
 responsible for running end-to-end service OAM if needed.  The
 service provider is responsible for monitoring the PW ME, and the
 monitoring of the AC is the shared responsibility of the customer and
 the service provider.  In most simple cases, when the AC is realized
 across a physical interface that connects the CE to PE, the
 monitoring requirements across the AC ME are minimal.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 19] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

       |<--------------- VPWS <AC1,PW,AC2> -------------->|
       |                                                  |
       |          +----+                  +----+          |
  +----+          |    |==================|    |          +----+
  |    |---AC1----|............PW..............|--AC2-----|    |
  | CE1|          |PE1 |                  | PE2|          |CE2 |
  +----+          |    |==================|    |          +----+
                  +----+     PSN Tunnel   +----+
                       Customer OAM Domain
   (A) |<------------------------------------------------->|
                   Service Provider OAM Domain
   (B)            |<--------------------------->|
                       Operator OAM Domain
   (C)                 |<---------------->|
           Figure 8a: VPWS OAM Domains - Management Model 1
 Figure 8b highlights another management model, where the CEs are
 managed by the service provider and where CEs and PEs are connected
 via an access network.  The access network between the CEs and PEs
 may or may not be provided by a distinct network operator.  In this
 model, the VPWS ME spans between the CEs in the service provider OAM
 domain, as shown by (B) in Figure 8b.  The service provider OAM
 domain may additionally monitor the AC MEs and PW MEs individually,
 as shown by (C) in Figure 8b.  The network operators may be
 responsible for managing the access service MEs (e.g., access
 tunnels) and core PSN Tunnel MEs, as shown by (D) in Figure 8b.  The
 distinction between (C) and (D) in Figure 8b is that in (C), MEs have
 MEPs at CEs and at PEs and have no MIPs.  While in (D), MEs have MEPs
 at CEs and at PEs; furthermore, MIPs may be present in between the
 MEPs, thereby providing visibility of the network to the operator.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 20] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

       |<--------------- VPWS <AC1,PW,AC2> -------------->|
       |                                                  |
       |          +----+                  +----+          |
  +----+          |    |==================|    |          +----+
  |    |---AC1----|............PW..............|--AC2-----|    |
  | CE1|          |PE1 |                  | PE2|          |CE2 |
  +----+          |    |==================|    |          +----+
                  +----+     PSN Tunnel   +----+
                       Customer OAM Domain
  (A) |<-------------------------------------------------->|
                  Service Provider (SP) OAM Domain
  (B)  |<------------------------------------------------>|
          SP OAM             SP OAM             SP OAM
  (C)  |<--------->|<----------------------->|<---------->|
          Domain              Domain             Domain
         Operator            Operator          Operator
  (D)  |<--------->|<----------------------->|<---------->|
        OAM Domain          OAM Domain         OAM Domain
           Figure 8b: VPWS OAM Domains - Management Model 2
 Note: It may be noted that unlike VPLS OAM Domain in Figure 4, where
 multiple operator domains may occur between the User-facing PE (U-PE)
 devices, VPWS OAM domain in Figures 8a and 8b highlights a single
 operator domain between PE devices.  This is since, unlike the
 distributed VPLS PE case (D-VPLS), where VPLS-aware U-PEs and
 Network-facing PEs (N-PEs) may be used to realize a distributed PE,
 the VPWS has no such distributed PE model.  If the PSN involves
 multiple operator domains, resulting in a Multi-segment PW
 [MS-PW-Arch], VPWS OAM Domains remain unchanged since switched PEs
 are typically not aware of native service.

6.2.3. VPWS MEPs and MIPs

 The location of MEPs and MIPs can be based upon the management model
 used in the VPWS scenarios.  The interest remains in being able to
 monitor end-to-end service and also support segment monitoring in the
 network to allow isolation of faults to specific areas within the
 network.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 21] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

 The end-to-end service monitoring is provided by an end-to-end ME,
 and additional segment OAM monitoring is provided by segment MEs, all
 in the service provider OAM domain.  The end-to-end MEs and segment
 MEs are hierarchically organized as mentioned in Section 4.2 for
 hierarchical OAM domains.  This is shown in (B) and (C) in Figure 8b.
 The CE interfaces support MEPs at the end-to-end service provider OAM
 level for VPWS as an end-to-end service as shown in (B1) and (B2) in
 Figure 9.  In addition, PE interfaces may support MIPs at the end-to-
 end service provider OAM level when PEs are client service aware, as
 shown in (B2) in Figure 9.  As an example, if one considers an end-
 to-end Ethernet line service offered using ATM transport (ATM over
 MPLS PW), then the PEs are considered to be Ethernet service unaware
 and therefore cannot support any Ethernet MIPs.  (B1) in Figure 9
 represents this particular situation.  Of course, another view of the
 end-to-end service can be ATM, in which case PE1 and PE2 can be
 considered to be service aware and therefore support ATM MIPs.  (B2)
 in Figure 9 represents this particular situation.
 In addition, CEs and PE interfaces support MEPs at a segment (lower
 level) service provider OAM level for AC and PW MEs, and no MIPs are
 involved at this segment service provider OAM level, as shown in (C)
 in Figure 9.  Operators may also run segment OAM by having MEPs at
 network operator OAM level, as shown in (D) in Figure 9.
 The advantage of having layered OAM is that end-to-end and segment
 OAM can be carried out in an independent manner.  It is also possible
 to carry out some optimizations, e.g., when proactive segment OAM
 monitoring is performed, proactive end-to-end monitoring may not be
 needed since client layer end-to-end ME could simply use fault
 notifications from the server layer segment MEs.
 Although many different OAM layers are possible, as shown in Figure
 9, not all may be realized.  For example, (B2) and (D) in Figure 9
 may be adequate in some cases.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 22] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

       |<--------------- VPWS <AC1,PW,AC2> -------------->|
       |                                                  |
       |          +----+                  +----+          |
  +----+          |    |==================|    |          +----+
  |    |---AC1----|............PW..............|--AC2-----|    |
  | CE1|          |PE1 |                  | PE2|          |CE2 |
  +----+          |    |==================|    |          +----+
                  +----+     PSN Tunnel   +----+
  (B1) MEP-----------------------------------------------MEP
  (B2) MEP----------MIP---------------------MIP----------MEP
  (C)  MEP-------MEP|MEP------------------MEP|MEP--------MEP
  (D)  MEP-------MEP|MEP------------------MEP|MEP--------MEP
                 Figure 9: VPWS MEPs and MIPs

6.2.4. VPWS MEP and MIP Identifiers

 In VPWS, the MEPs and MIPs should be identified with their native
 addressing schemes.  MEPs and MIPs Identifiers, i.e., MEP Ids and MIP
 Ids, must be unique to the VPWS instance and in the context of their
 corresponding OAM domains.

7. VPLS OAM Requirements

 These requirements are applicable to VPLS PE offering VPLS as an
 Ethernet Bridged LAN service, as described in Section 5.1.1.
 Further, the performance metrics used in requirements are based on
 [MEF10.1] and [RFC2544].
 It is noted that OAM solutions that meet the following requirements
 may make use of existing OAM mechanisms, e.g., Ethernet OAM, VCCV,
 etc.; however, they must not break these existing OAM mechanisms.  If
 extensions are required to existing OAM mechanisms, these should be
 coordinated with relevant groups responsible for these OAM
 mechanisms.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 23] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

7.1. Discovery

 Discovery allows a VPLS-aware device to learn about other devices
 that support the same VPLS instance within a given domain.
 Discovery also allows a VPLS-aware device to learn sufficient
 information (e.g., IP addresses, MAC addresses, etc.) from other
 VPLS-aware devices such that VPLS OAM frames can be exchanged among
 the service-aware devices.
 (R1) VPLS OAM MUST allow a VPLS-aware device to discover other
 devices that share the same VPLS instance(s) within a given OAM
 domain.

7.2. Connectivity Fault Management

 VPLS is realized by exchanging service frames/packets between devices
 that support the same VPLS instance.  To allow the exchange of
 service frames, connectivity between these service-aware devices is
 required.

7.2.1. Connectivity Fault Detection

 To ensure service, proactive connectivity monitoring is required.
 Connectivity monitoring facilitates connectivity fault detection.
 (R2a) VPLS OAM MUST allow proactive connectivity monitoring between
 two VPLS-aware devices that support the same VPLS instance within a
 given OAM domain.

7.2.2. Connectivity Fault Verification

 Once a connectivity fault is detected, connectivity fault
 verification may be performed.
 (R2b) VPLS OAM MUST allow connectivity fault verification between two
 VPLS-aware devices that support the same VPLS instance within a given
 OAM domain.

7.2.3. Connectivity Fault Localization

 Further, localization of connectivity fault may be carried out.
 (R2c) VPLS OAM MUST allow connectivity fault localization between two
 VPLS-aware devices that support the same instance within a given OAM
 domain.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 24] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

7.2.4. Connectivity Fault Notification and Alarm Suppression

 Typically, when a connectivity fault is detected and optionally
 verified, the VPLS device may notify the NMS (Network Management
 System) via alarms.
 However, a single transport/network fault may cause multiple services
 to fail simultaneously, thereby causing multiple service alarms.
 Therefore, VPLS OAM must allow service-level fault notification to be
 triggered at the client layer as a result of transport/network faults
 in the service layer.  This fault notification should be used for the
 suppression of service-level alarms at the client layer.
 (R2d) VPLS OAM MUST support fault notification to be triggered as a
 result of transport/network faults.  This fault notification SHOULD
 be used for the suppression of redundant service-level alarms.

7.3. Frame Loss

 A VPLS may be considered degraded if service-layer frames/packets are
 lost during transit between the VPLS-aware devices.  To determine if
 a VPLS is degraded due to frame/packet loss, measurement of
 frame/packet loss is required.
 (R3) VPLS OAM MUST support measurement of per-service frame/packet
 loss between two VPLS-aware devices that support the same VPLS
 instance within a given OAM domain.

7.4. Frame Delay

 A VPLS may be sensitive to delay experienced by the VPLS
 frames/packets during transit between the VPLS-aware devices.  To
 determine if a VPLS is degraded due to frame/packet delay,
 measurement of frame/packet delay is required.
 VPLS frame/packet delay measurement can be of two types:
 1)  One-way delay is used to characterize certain applications like
     multicast and broadcast applications.  The measurement for one-
     way delay usually requires clock synchronization between the two
     devices in question.
 2)  Two-way delay or round-trip delay does not require clock
     synchronization between the two devices involved in measurement
     and is usually sufficient to determine the frame/packet delay
     being experienced.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 25] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

 (R4a) VPLS OAM MUST support measurement of per-service two-way
 frame/packet delay between two VPLS-aware devices that support the
 same VPLS instance within a given OAM domain.
 (R4b) VPLS OAM SHOULD support measurement of per-service one-way
 frame/packet delay between two VPLS-aware devices that support the
 same VPLS instance within a given OAM domain.

7.5. Frame Delay Variation

 A VPLS may be sensitive to delay variation experienced by the VPLS
 frames/packets during transit between the VPLS-aware devices.  To
 determine if a VPLS is degraded due to frame/packet delay variation,
 measurement of frame/packet delay variation is required.  For
 frame/packet delay variation measurements, one-way mechanisms are
 considered to be sufficient.
 (R5) VPLS OAM MUST support measurement of per-service frame/packet
 delay variation between two VPLS-aware devices that support the same
 VPLS instance within a given OAM domain.

7.6. Availability

 A service may be considered unavailable if the service frames/packets
 do not reach their intended destination (e.g., connectivity is down
 or frame/packet loss is occurring) or the service is degraded (e.g.,
 frame/packet delay and/or delay variation threshold is exceeded).
 Entry and exit conditions may be defined for unavailable state.
 Availability itself may be defined in context of service type.
 Since availability measurement may be associated with connectivity,
 frame/packet loss, frame/packet delay, and frame/packet delay
 variation measurements, no additional requirements are specified
 currently.

7.7. Data Path Forwarding

 If the VPLS OAM frames flow across a different path than the one used
 by VPLS frames/packets, accurate measurement and/or determination of
 service state may not be made.  Therefore, data path, i.e., the one
 being taken by VPLS frames/packets, must be used for the VPLS OAM.
 (R6) VPLS OAM frames MUST be forwarded along the same path (i.e.,
 links and nodes) as the VPLS frames.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 26] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

7.8. Scalability

 Mechanisms developed for VPLS OAM need to be such that per-service
 OAM can be supported even though the OAM may only be used for limited
 VPLS instances, e.g., premium VPLS instances, and may not be used for
 best-effort VPLSs.
 (R7) VPLS OAM MUST be scalable such that a service-aware device can
 support OAM for each VPLS that is supported by the device.

7.9. Extensibility

 Extensibility is intended to allow introduction of additional OAM
 functionality in the future such that backward compatibility can be
 maintained when interoperating with older version devices.  In such a
 case, VPLS OAM with reduced functionality should still be possible.
 Further, VPLS OAM should be defined such that OAM incapable devices
 in the middle of the OAM domain should be able to forward the VPLS
 OAM frames similar to the regular VPLS data frames/packets.
 (R8a) VPLS OAM MUST be extensible such that new functionality and
 information elements related to this functionality can be introduced
 in the future.
 (R8b) VPLS OAM MUST be defined such that devices not supporting the
 OAM are able to forward the OAM frames in a similar fashion as the
 regular VPLS data frames/packets.

7.10. Security

 VPLS OAM frames belonging to an OAM domain originate and terminate
 within that OAM domain.  Security implies that an OAM domain must be
 capable of filtering OAM frames.  The filtering is such that the OAM
 frames are prevented from leaking outside their domain.  Also, OAM
 frames from outside the OAM domains should be either discarded (when
 such OAM frames belong to the same level or to a lower-level OAM
 domain) or transparently passed (when such OAM frames belong to a
 higher-level OAM domain).
 (R9a) VPLS OAM frames MUST be prevented from leaking outside their
 OAM domain.
 (R9b) VPLS OAM frames from outside an OAM domain MUST be prevented
 from entering the OAM domain when such OAM frames belong to the same
 level or to a lower-level OAM domain.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 27] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

 (R9c) VPLS OAM frames from outside an OAM domain MUST be transported
 transparently inside the OAM domain when such OAM frames belong to a
 higher-level OAM domain.

7.11. Transport Independence

 VPLS frame/packets delivery is carried out across transport
 infrastructure, also called network infrastructure.  Though specific
 transport/network technologies may provide their own OAM
 capabilities, VPLS OAM must be independently supported as many
 different transport/network technologies can be used to carry service
 frame/packets.
 (R10a) VPLS OAM MUST be independent of the underlying
 transport/network technologies and specific transport/network OAM
 capabilities.
 (R10b) VPLS OAM MAY allow adaptation/interworking with specific
 transport/network OAM functions.  For example, this would be useful
 to allow fault notifications from transport/network layer(s) to be
 sent to the VPLS layer.

7.12. Application Independence

 VPLS itself may be used to carry application frame/packets.  The
 application may use its own OAM; service OAM must not be dependent on
 application OAM.  As an example, a VPLS may be used to carry IP
 traffic; however, VPLS OAM should not assume IP or rely on the use of
 IP-level OAM functions.
 (R11a) VPLS OAM MUST be independent of the application technologies
 and specific application OAM capabilities.

8. VPWS OAM Requirements

 These requirements are applicable to VPWS PE.  The performance
 metrics used in requirements are based on [MEF10.1] and [RFC2544],
 which are applicable to Ethernet services.
 It is noted that OAM solutions that meet the following requirements
 may make use of existing OAM mechanisms, e.g., Ethernet OAM, VCCV,
 etc.; however, they must not break these existing OAM mechanisms.  If
 extensions are required to existing OAM mechanisms, these should be
 coordinated with relevant groups responsible for these OAM
 mechanisms.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 28] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

8.1. Discovery

 Discovery allows a VPWS-aware device to learn about other devices
 that support the same VPWS instance within a given domain.  Discovery
 also allows a VPWS-aware device to learn sufficient information
 (e.g., IP addresses, MAC addresses, etc.) from other VPWS-aware
 devices such that OAM frames can be exchanged among the VPWS-aware
 devices.
 (R12) VPWS OAM MUST allow a VPWS-aware device to discover other
 devices that share the same VPWS instance(s) within a given OAM
 domain.

8.2. Connectivity Fault Management

 VPWS is realized by exchanging service frames/packets between devices
 that support the same VPWS instance.  To allow the exchange of
 service frames, connectivity between these service-aware devices is
 required.

8.2.1. Connectivity Fault Detection

 To ensure service, proactive connectivity monitoring is required.
 Connectivity monitoring facilitates connectivity fault detection.
 (R13a) VPWS OAM MUST allow proactive connectivity monitoring between
 two VPWS-aware devices that support the same VPWS instance within a
 given OAM domain.
 (R13b) VPWS OAM mechanism SHOULD allow detection of mis-branching or
 mis-connections.

8.2.2. Connectivity Fault Verification

 Once a connectivity fault is detected, connectivity fault
 verification may be performed.
 (R13c) VPWS OAM MUST allow connectivity fault verification between
 two VPWS-aware devices that support the same VPWS instance within a
 given OAM domain.

8.2.3. Connectivity Fault Localization

 Further, localization of connectivity fault may be carried out.  This
 may amount to identifying the specific AC and/or PW that is resulting
 in the VPWS connectivity fault.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 29] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

 (R13d) VPWS OAM MUST allow connectivity fault localization between
 two VPWS-aware devices that support the same VPWS instance within a
 given OAM domain.

8.2.4. Connectivity Fault Notification and Alarm Suppression

 Typically, when a connectivity fault is detected and optionally
 verified, the service device may notify the NMS (Network Management
 System) via alarms.
 However, a single transport/network fault may cause multiple services
 to fail simultaneously causing multiple service alarms.  Therefore,
 OAM must allow service-level fault notification to be triggered at
 the client layer as a result of transport/network faults in the
 service layer.  This fault notification should be used for the
 suppression of service-level alarms at the client layer.
 For example, if an AC fails, both the local CE and the local PE,
 which are connected via the AC, may detect the connectivity failure.
 The local CE must notify the remote CE about the failure while the
 local PE must notify the remote PE about the failure.
 (R13e) VPWS OAM MUST support fault notification to be triggered as a
 result of transport/network faults.  This fault notification SHOULD
 be used for the suppression of redundant service-level alarms.
 (R13f) VPWS OAM SHOULD support fault notification in backward
 direction, to be triggered as a result of transport/network faults.
 This fault notification SHOULD be used for the suppression of
 redundant service-level alarms.

8.3. Frame Loss

 A VPWS may be considered degraded if service-layer frames/packets are
 lost during transit between the VPWS-aware devices.  To determine if
 a VPWS is degraded due to frame/packet loss, measurement of
 frame/packet loss is required.
 (R14) VPWS OAM MUST support measurement of per-service frame/packet
 loss between two VPWS-aware devices that support the same VPWS
 instance within a given OAM domain.

8.4. Frame Delay

 A VPWS may be sensitive to delay experienced by the VPWS
 frames/packets during transit between the VPWS-aware devices.  To
 determine if a VPWS is degraded due to frame/packet delay,
 measurement of frame/packet delay is required.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 30] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

 VPWS frame/packet delay measurement can be of two types:
 1)  One-way delay is used to characterize certain applications like
     multicast and broadcast applications.  The measurement for one-
     way delay usually requires clock synchronization between the two
     devices in question.
 2)  Two-way delay or round-trip delay does not require clock
     synchronization between the two devices involved in measurement
     and is usually sufficient to determine the frame/packet delay
     being experienced.
 (R15a) VPWS OAM MUST support measurement of per-service two-way
 frame/packet delay between two VPWS-aware devices that support the
 same VPWS instance within a given OAM domain.
 (R15b) VPWS OAM SHOULD support measurement of per-service one-way
 frame/packet delay between two VPWS-aware devices that support the
 same VPWS instance within a given OAM domain.

8.5. Frame Delay Variation

 A VPWS may be sensitive to delay variation experienced by the VPWS
 frames/packets during transit between the VPWS-aware devices.  To
 determine if a VPWS is degraded due to frame/packet delay variation,
 measurement of frame/packet delay variation is required.  For
 frame/packet delay variation measurements, one-way mechanisms are
 considered to be sufficient.
 (R16) VPWS OAM MUST support measurement of per-service frame/packet
 delay variation between two VPWS-aware devices that support the same
 VPWS instance within a given OAM domain.

8.6. Availability

 A service may be considered unavailable if the service frames/packets
 do not reach their intended destination (e.g., connectivity is down
 or frame/packet loss is occurring) or the service is degraded (e.g.,
 frame/packet delay and/or delay variation threshold is exceeded).
 Entry and exit conditions may be defined for unavailable state.
 Availability itself may be defined in context of service type.
 Since availability measurement may be associated with connectivity,
 frame/packet loss, frame/packet delay, and frame/packet delay
 variation measurements, no additional requirements are specified
 currently.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 31] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

8.7. Data Path Forwarding

 If the VPWS OAM frames flow across a different path than the one used
 by VPWS frames/packets, accurate measurement and/or determination of
 service state may not be made.  Therefore data path, i.e., the one
 being taken by VPWS frames/packets, must be used for the VPWS OAM.
 (R17a) VPWS OAM frames MUST be forwarded along the same path as the
 VPWS data frames.
 (R17b) VPWS OAM MUST be forwarded using the transfer plane (data
 plane) as regular VPWS data frames/packets and must not rely on
 control plane messages.

8.8. Scalability

 Mechanisms developed for VPWS OAM need to be such that per-service
 OAM can be supported even though the OAM may only be used for limited
 VPWS instances, e.g., premium VPWS instance, and may not be used for
 best-effort services.
 (R18) VPWS OAM MUST be scalable such that a service-aware device can
 support OAM for each VPWS that is supported by the device.

8.9. Extensibility

 Extensibility is intended to allow introduction of additional OAM
 functionality in the future such that backward compatibility can be
 maintained when interoperating with older version devices.  In such a
 case, VPWS OAM with reduced functionality should still be possible.
 Further, VPWS OAM should be such that OAM incapable devices in the
 middle of the OAM domain should be able to forward the VPWS OAM
 frames similar to the regular VPWS data frames/packets.
 (R19a) VPWS OAM MUST be extensible such that new functionality and
 information elements related to this functionality can be introduced
 in the future.
 (R19b) VPWS OAM MUST be defined such that devices not supporting the
 OAM are able to forward the VPWS OAM frames in a similar fashion as
 the regular VPWS data frames/packets.

8.10. Security

 VPWS OAM frames belonging to an OAM domain originate and terminate
 within that OAM domain.  Security implies that an OAM domain must be
 capable of filtering OAM frames.  The filtering is such that the VPWS
 OAM frames are prevented from leaking outside their domain.  Also,

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 32] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

 VPWS OAM frames from outside the OAM domains should be either
 discarded (when such OAM frames belong to the same level or to a
 lower-level OAM domain) or transparently passed (when such OAM frames
 belong to a higher-level OAM domain).
 (R20a) VPWS OAM frames MUST be prevented from leaking outside their
 OAM domain.
 (R20b) VPWS OAM frames from outside an OAM domain MUST be prevented
 from entering the OAM domain when such OAM frames belong to the same
 level or to a lower-level OAM domain.
 (R20c) VPWS OAM frames from outside an OAM domain MUST be transported
 transparently inside the OAM domain when such OAM frames belong to a
 higher-level OAM domain.

8.11. Transport Independence

 VPWS frame/packets delivery is carried out across transport
 infrastructure, also called network infrastructure.  Though specific
 transport/network technologies may provide their own OAM
 capabilities, VPWS OAM must be independently supported as many
 different transport/network technologies can be used to carry service
 frame/packets.
 (R21a) VPWS OAM MUST be independent of the underlying
 transport/network technologies and specific transport/network OAM
 capabilities.
 (R21b) VPWS OAM MAY allow adaptation/interworking with specific
 transport/network OAM functions.  For example, this would be useful
 to allow fault notifications from transport/network layer(s) to be
 sent to the VPWS layer.

8.12. Application Independence

 VPWS itself may be used to carry application frame/packets.  The
 application may use its own OAM; VPWS OAM must not be dependent on
 application OAM.  As an example, a VPWS may be used to carry IP
 traffic; however, VPWS OAM should not assume IP or rely on the use of
 IP-level OAM functions.
 (R22a) OAM MUST be independent of the application technologies and
 specific application OAM capabilities.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 33] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

8.13. Prioritization

 VPWS could be composed of several data flows, each related to a given
 usage/application with specific requirements in terms of connectivity
 and/or performance.  Dedicated VPWS OAM should be applicable to these
 flows.
 (R23) VPWS OAM SHOULD support configurable prioritization for OAM
 packet/frames to be compatible with associated VPWS packets/frames.

9. VPLS (V)LAN Emulation OAM Requirements

9.1. Partial-Mesh of PWs

 As indicated in [BRIDGE-INTEROP], VPLS OAM relies upon bidirectional
 Ethernet links or (V)LAN segments and failure in one direction or
 link results in failure of the whole link or (V)LAN segment.
 Therefore, when partial-mesh failure occurs in (V)LAN emulation,
 either the entire PW mesh should be shut down when only an entire
 VPLS is acceptable or a subset of PWs should be shut down such that
 the remaining PWs have full connectivity among them when partial VPLS
 is acceptable.
 (R13a) PW OAM for PWs related to a (V)LAN emulation MUST allow
 detection of a partial-mesh failure condition.
 (R13b) PW OAM for PWs related to a (V)LAN emulation MUST allow the
 entire mesh of PWs to be shut down upon detection of a partial-mesh
 failure condition.
 (R13c) PW OAM for PWs related to a (V)LAN emulation MUST allow the
 subset of PWs to be shut down upon detection of a partial-mesh
 failure condition in a manner such that full mesh is present across
 the remaining subset.
 Note: Shutdown action in R13b and R13c may not necessarily involve
 withdrawal of labels, etc.

9.2. PW Fault Recovery

 As indicated in [BRIDGE-INTEROP], VPLS OAM fault detection and
 recovery relies upon (V)LAN emulation recovery such that fault
 detection and recovery time in (V)LAN emulation should be less than
 the VPLS fault detection and recovery time to prevent unnecessary
 switch-over and temporary flooding/loop within the customer OAM
 domain that is dual-homed to the provider OAM domain.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 34] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

 (R14a) PW OAM for PWs related to a (V)LAN emulation MUST support a
 fault detection time in the provider OAM domain faster than the VPLS
 fault detection time in the customer OAM domain.
 (R14b) PW OAM for PWs related to a (V)LAN emulation MUST support a
 fault recovery time in the provider OAM domain faster than the VPLS
 fault recovery time in the customer OAM domain.

9.3. Connectivity Fault Notification and Alarm Suppression

 When a connectivity fault is detected in (V)LAN emulation, PE devices
 may notify the NMS (Network Management System) via alarms.  However,
 a single (V)LAN emulation fault may result in CE devices or U-PE
 devices detecting a connectivity fault in VPLS and therefore also
 notifying the NMS.  To prevent multiple alarms for the same fault,
 (V)LAN emulation OAM must provide alarm suppression capability in the
 VPLS OAM.
 (R15) PW OAM for PWs related to a (V)LAN emulation MUST support
 interworking with VPLS OAM to trigger fault notification and allow
 alarm suppression in the VPLS upon fault detection in (V)LAN
 emulation.

10. OAM Operational Scenarios

 This section highlights how the different OAM mechanisms can be
 applied as per the OAM framework for different L2VPN services.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 35] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

10.1. VPLS OAM Operational Scenarios

  1. – —

/ \ —— ——- —- / \

   | A CE--     /      \    /       \    /    \       --CE A |
   \   /   \   /        \  /         \  /      \     /   \   /
    ---     --UPE       NPE          NPE        UPE--     ---
               \        /  \         /  \      /
                \      /    \       /    \    /
                 ------      -------      ----
                         Customer OAM Domain
 (C)    MEP---MIP--------------------------------MIP---MEP
                  Service Provider (SP) OAM Domain
 (D)          MEP--------MIP-----------MIP-------MEP
                 SP OAM       SP OAM       SP OAM
 (D1)         MEP-MIP--MEP|MEP-------MEP|MEP-----MEP
                 domain       domain       domain
                 Operator    Operator     Operator
 (E)          MEP-MIP--MEP|MEP-------MEP|MEP-----MEP
                OAM domain   OAM domain   OAM domain
                              MPLS OAM   MPLS OAM
 (F)                      MEP--MIP-----MEP--MIP--MEP
                               domain      domain
           Figure 10: VPLS OAM Domains, MEPs, and MIPs
 Among the different MEs identified in Figure 5 for VPLS OAM in the
 customer OAM domain, [IEEE802.1ag] and [Y.1731] Ethernet OAM
 mechanisms can be applied to meet the various requirements identified
 in Section 7.  The mechanisms can be applied across (C) in Figure 10
 MEs.
 Similarly, inside the service provider OAM domain, [IEEE802.1ag] and
 [Y.1731] Ethernet OAM mechanisms can be applied across (D)  MEs in
 Figure 10 to meet the functional requirements identified in Section
 7.
 It may be noted that in the interim, when [IEEE802.1ag] and [Y.1731]
 capabilities are not available across the PE devices, the Fault
 Management option using segment OAM introduced in Section 6.2.3 can
 be applied, with the limitations cited below.  In this option, the
 service provider can run segment OAM across the (D1) MEs in Figure

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 36] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

 10.  The OAM mechanisms across the (D1) MEs in Figure 10 can be non-
 Ethernet, e.g., Virtual Circuit Connectivity Verification (VCCV), or
 Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) when network technology is
 MPLS.  The service provider can monitor each sub-network segment ME
 using the native technology OAM and, by performing interworking
 across the segment MEs, attempt to realize end-to-end monitoring
 between a pair of VPLS endpoints.  However, such mechanisms do not
 fully exercise the data plane forwarding constructs as experienced by
 native (i.e., Ethernet) service PDUs. As a result, service
 monitoring ((D1) in Figure 10) is severely limited in the sense that
 it may lead to an indication that the ME between VPLS endpoints is
 functional while the customer may be experiencing end-to-end
 connectivity issues in the data plane.
 Inside the network operator OAM domain, [IEEE802.1ag] and [Y.1731]
 Ethernet OAM mechanisms can also be applied across MEs in (E) in
 Figure 10 to meet the functional requirements identified in Section
 7.  In addition, the network operator could decide to use native OAM
 mechanisms, e.g., VCCV or BFD, across (F) MEs for additional
 monitoring or as an alternative to monitoring across (E) MEs.

11. Security Considerations

 This specification assumes that L2VPN components within the OAM
 domain are mutually trusted.  Based on that assumption,
 confidentiality issues are fully addressed by filtering to prevent
 OAM frames from leaking outside their designated OAM domain.
 Similarly, authentication issues are addressed by preventing OAM
 frames generated outside a given OAM domain from entering the domain
 in question.  Requirements to prevent OAM messages from leaking
 outside an OAM domain and for OAM domains to be transparent to OAM
 frames from higher OAM domains are specified in Sections 7.10 and
 8.10.
 For additional levels of security, solutions may be required to
 encrypt and/or authenticate OAM frames inside an OAM domain.
 However, these solutions are out of the scope of this document.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 37] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

12. Contributors

 In addition to the authors listed above, the following individuals
 also contributed to this document.
 Simon Delord
 Uecomm
 658 Church St
 Richmond, VIC, 3121, Australia
 EMail: sdelord@uecomm.com.au
 Philippe Niger
 France Telecom
 2 av. Pierre Marzin
 22300 LANNION, France
 EMail: philippe.niger@francetelecom.com
 Samer Salam
 Cisco Systems, Inc.
 170 West Tasman Drive
 San Jose, CA 95134
 EMail: ssalam@cisco.com

13. Acknowledgements

 The authors would like to thank Deborah Brungard, Vasile Radoaca, Lei
 Zhu, Yuichi Ikejiri, Yuichiro Wada, and Kenji Kumaki for their
 reviews and comments.
 The authors would also like to thank Shahram Davari, Norm Finn, Dave
 Allan, Thomas Nadeau, Monique Morrow, Yoav Cohen, Marc Holness,
 Malcolm Betts, Paul Bottorff, Hamid-Ould Brahim, Lior Shabtay, and
 Dan Cauchy for their feedback.

14. References

14.1. Normative References

 [RFC2119]        Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
                  Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.
 [IEEE802.1ad]   "IEEE Standard for Local and metropolitan area
                  networks - Virtual Bridged Local Area Networks,
                  Amendment 4: Provider Bridges", 2005.
 [IEEE802.1ag]   "IEEE Standard for Local and metropolitan area
                  networks - Virtual Bridged Local Area Networks,
                  Amendment 5: Connectivity Fault Management", 2007.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 38] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

 [IEEE802.1ah]   "IEEE Standard for Local and metropolitan area
                  networks - Virtual Bridged Local Area Networks,
                  Amendment 6: Provider Backbone Bridges", 2008.
 [Y.1731]         "ITU-T Recommendation Y.1731 (02/08) - OAM functions
                  and mechanisms for Ethernet based networks",
                  February 2008.
 [L2VPN-FRWK]     Andersson, L., Ed., and E. Rosen, Ed., "Framework
                  for Layer 2 Virtual Private Networks (L2VPNs)", RFC
                  4664, September 2006.
 [L2VPN-REQ]      Augustyn, W., Ed., and Y. Serbest, Ed., "Service
                  Requirements for Layer 2 Provider-Provisioned
                  Virtual Private Networks", RFC 4665, September 2006.
 [L2VPN-TERM]     Andersson, L. and T. Madsen, "Provider Provisioned
                  Virtual Private Network (VPN) Terminology", RFC
                  4026, March 2005.
 [MEF10.1]        "Ethernet Services Attributes: Phase 2", MEF 10.1,
                  2006.
 [NM-Standards]   "TMN Management Functions", M.3400, February 2000.
 [VPLS-BGP]       Kompella, K., Ed., and Y. Rekhter, Ed., "Virtual
                  Private LAN Service (VPLS) Using BGP for Auto-
                  Discovery and Signaling", RFC 4761, January 2007.
 [VPLS-LDP]       Lasserre, M., Ed., and V. Kompella, Ed., "Virtual
                  Private LAN Service (VPLS) Using Label Distribution
                  Protocol (LDP) Signaling", RFC 4762, January 2007.

14.2. Informative References

 [BRIDGE-INTEROP] Sajassi, A. Ed., Brockners, F., Mohan, D., Ed., and
                  Y. Serbest, "VPLS Interoperability with CE Bridges",
                  Work in Progress, October 2010.
 [L2VPN-SIG]      Rosen, E., Davie, B., Radoaca, V., and W. Luo,
                  "Provisioning, Auto-Discovery, and Signaling in
                  Layer 2 Virtual Private Networks (L2VPNs)", RFC
                  6074, January 2011.
 [MS-PW-Arch]     Bocci, M. and S. Bryant, "An Architecture for Multi-
                  Segment Pseudowire Emulation Edge-to-Edge", RFC
                  5659, October 2009.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 39] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

 [RFC2544]        Bradner, S. and J. McQuaid, "Benchmarking
                  Methodology for Network Interconnect Devices", RFC
                  2544, March 1999.

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 40] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

Appendix A. Alternate Management Models

 In consideration of the management models that can be deployed
 besides the hierarchical models elaborated in this document, this
 appendix highlights some alternate models that are not recommended
 due to their limitations, as pointed out below.  These alternatives
 have been highlighted as potential interim models while the network
 equipment is upgraded to support full functionality and meet the
 requirements set forward by this document.

A.1. Alternate Model 1 (Minimal OAM)

 In this model, the end-to-end service monitoring is provided by
 applying CE to CE ME in the service provider OAM domain.
 A MEP is located at each CE interface that is part of the VPWS, as
 shown in (B) in Figure A.1.  The network operators can carry out
 segment (e.g., PSN Tunnel ME, etc.) monitoring independent of the
 VPWS end-to-end service monitoring, as shown in (D) in Figure A.1.
 The advantage of this option is that VPWS monitoring is limited to
 CEs.  The limitation of this option is that the localization of
 faults is at the VPWS level.
      |<--------------- VPWS <AC1,PW,AC2> -------------->|
      |                                                  |
      |          +----+                  +----+          |
 +----+          |    |==================|    |          +----+
 |    |---AC1----|............PW..............|--AC2-----|    |
 | CE1|          |PE1 |                  | PE2|          |CE2 |
 +----+          |    |==================|    |          +----+
                 +----+     PSN Tunnel   +----+
 (B)  MEP-----------------------------------------------MEP
 (D)  MEP-------MEP|MEP------------------MEP|MEP--------MEP
          Figure A.1: VPWS MEPs and MIPs (Minimal OAM)

A.2. Alternate Model 2 (Segment OAM Interworking)

 In this model, end-to-end service monitoring is provided by
 interworking OAM across each segment.  Typical segments involved in
 this case include two AC MEs and a PW ME, as shown in (C) in Figure
 A.2.  These segments are expected in the service provider OAM domain.
 An interworking function is required to transfer the OAM information
 flows across the OAM segments for the purposes of end-to-end
 monitoring.  Depending on whether homogenous VPWS is deployed or

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 41] RFC 6136 L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework March 2011

 heterogeneous VPWS is deployed, the interworking function could be
 straightforward or more involved.
 In this option, the CE and PE interfaces support MEPs for AC and PW
 MEs, and no MIPs are involved at the service provider OAM level, as
 shown in (C) in Figure A.2.  Network operators may run segment OAM by
 having MEPs at the network operator OAM level, as shown in (D) in
 Figure A.2.
 The limitations of this model are that it requires interworking
 across the OAM segments and does not conform to the OAM layering
 principles, where each OAM layer ought to be independent of the
 others.  For end-to-end OAM determinations, the end-to-end service
 frame path is not necessarily exercised.  Further, it requires
 interworking function implementation for all possible technologies
 across access and core that may be used to realize end-to-end
 services.
      |<--------------- VPWS <AC1,PW,AC2> -------------->|
      |                                                  |
      |          +----+                  +----+          |
 +----+          |    |==================|    |          +----+
 |    |---AC1----|............PW..............|--AC2-----|    |
 | CE1|          |PE1 |                  | PE2|          |CE2 |
 +----+          |    |==================|    |          +----+
                 +----+     PSN Tunnel   +----+
 (C)  MEP-------MEP|MEP------------------MEP|MEP--------MEP
 (D)  MEP-------MEP|MEP------------------MEP|MEP--------MEP
     Figure A.2: VPWS MEPs and MIPs (Segment OAM Interworking)

Authors' Addresses

 Ali Sajassi (editor)
 Cisco Systems, Inc.
 170 West Tasman Drive
 San Jose, CA 95134
 USA
 EMail: sajassi@cisco.com
 Dinesh Mohan (editor)
 Nortel
 Ottawa, ON K2K3E5
 EMail: dinmohan@hotmail.com

Sajassi & Mohan Informational [Page 42]

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