802.

1ag - Connectivity
Fault Management
Tutorial – Part 1

Dinesh Mohan
July 12, 2004
802.1ag PAR Overview

802.1ag – Connectivity Fault Management Tutorial – Part 1 (Jul 12, 2004) [Dinesh Mohan] - 2
802.1ag Scope
• “This standard specifies protocols, procedures, and
managed objects to support transport fault management.
These allow discovery and verification of the path,
through bridges and LANs, taken for frames addressed
to and from specified network users, detection, and
isolation of a connectivity fault to a specific bridge or
LAN”

802.1ag – Connectivity Fault Management Tutorial – Part 1 (Jul 12, 2004) [Dinesh Mohan] - 3
802.1ag Purpose
• “Bridges are increasingly used in networks operated by
multiple independent organizations, each with restricted
management access to each other’s equipment. This
standard will provide capabilities for detecting, verifying
and isolating connectivity failures in such networks”

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802.1ag Reason for Standardization
• Growing interest in the use of Fault Management tools within
enterprise and provider networks
• Such tool needed for established operational practices
• Existence of similar tools e.g.
– ATM’s “continuity check”, “Loopback” and “multiple Loopback” and
– IP’s “ping” and “traceroute”
• Interest and activities within ITU-T and MEF have further highlighted
the need for these fault management tool

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OAM Framework

802.1ag – Connectivity Fault Management Tutorial – Part 1 (Jul 12, 2004) [Dinesh Mohan] - 6
 Ethernet OAM Layering
Customer Service Provider Customer

Eth Access MPLS Core MPLS Access

Device
View CE U-PE B B N-PE P P P N-PE P U-PE CE

Ethernet
Layer

• Example: network/service with Ethernet & other technologies

• The Ethernet Layer implies the visibility to Ethernet frames
– BUT Flat! Difficult to manage and identify accountability

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OAM Domain – Service/Network

Customer Service Provider Customer

Eth Access MPLS Core MPLS Access

Customer Domain

Provider Domain

Operator Operator Domain Operator

Domain Domain

• Solution: OAM Domains

• Domains necessary to bound OAM Flows & OAM responsibilities
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 Maintenance Entity Points (MEP) &
Maintenance Intermediate Points (MIP)
Customer Service Provider Customer

Eth Access MPLS Core MPLS Access

Customer Domain Service

OAM
Provider Domain
Network
Operator Operator Domain Operator OAM
Domain Domain

PW/MPLS
Maintenance Entity Point OAM
Maintenance Intermediate Point MPLS Domain MPLS
Domain
• MEPs initiate/terminate/react to all OAM flows
• MIPs react to some OAM flows [Optional]
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• MEPs & MIPs dependent on Business Models & Deployment Scenarios
 Ethernet MEPs & MIPs
Customer Operator A Operator B Customer
Equipment Bridges Bridges Equipment
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

ETH

ETY

Maintenance Entity Point

Maintenance Intermediate Point

• Another representation for positioning of MEPs and MIPs on devices with

consideration for ingress and egress.
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Maintenance Entities Mapped
UNI E-NNI UNI
Customer Service Provider Customer

SP 1 SP 2 SP 2

1. UNI_C-UNI_C ME
3. UNI ME 2. UNI_N-UNI_N ME 3. UNI ME
4. E-NNI ME
5. Inter-domain ME (SP)

6. Intra-domain ME 6. Intra-domain ME (Operator) 6. Intra-domain ME

• Example MEs identified

– 2 Service Providers (SP1 & SP2)
– SP2 has two domains (operators)
– MEs 1,2,3,4 are required for Business relationship
– MEs 5,6 are required for convenience

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End-to-end OAM – 2 Models
UNI E-NNI UNI
Customer Service Provider Customer

SP 1 SP 2 SP 2

1. UNI_C-UNI_C ME
3. UNI ME 2. UNI_N-UNI_N ME 3. UNI ME
4. E-NNI ME
5. Inter-domain ME (SP)

6. Intra-domain ME 6. Intra-domain ME (Operator) 6. Intra-domain ME

• Provider End-to-end OAM? CE-CE (terminating UNIs)

– 2 Possible Models
 Strong-Trust E-NNI
• ME (3) + ME (2) + ME (3)
 Weak-Trust E-NNI
• ME (3) + ME (6) + ME (4) + ME (5) + ME(3) or
• ME (3) + ME (6) + ME (4) + ME (6) + ME(3)
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Maintenance Entities –
P2P Case
Service provider Y
User X Network Network User X
ETH Operator A Operator B ETH
ETH_TFP FPP ETH FPP ETH_TFP
ETH_FP Link ETH_FP FPP Link ETH_FP Link ETH_FP

UNI NNI UNI

UNI_C to UNI_C maintenance entity

UNI_N to UNI_N
• MEPs realize maintenance entity

Maintenance Intra
Domain ME
Intra
Domain ME
Entities (MEs) Access Link ME Access Link ME
Inter
Domain ME

• All MEs may not be needed always

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Maintenance Entities –
MP2MP Case
Service Provider Y
User X Network Operator A Network Operator B User X
ETH_TFP ETH ETH ETH ETH_TFP
TH_FP Link ETH_FP ETH_FP Link ETH_FP ETH_FP Link ETH_FP

UNI NNI UNI

ETH_TFP ETH ETH ETH ETH ETH_TFP

ETH_FP Link ETH_FP ETH_FP Link ETH_FP

UNI UNI

UNI_C to UNI_C maintenance entities

UNI_N to UNI_N maintenance entities

• MEPs realize Intra Domain MEs Intra Domain MEs

Maintenance
Entities (MEs)
Access Link MEs Inter Domain ME Access Link MEs

• All MEs may not be needed always

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Maintenance Entities –
CPE based Network Demarcation Access

User Location Service. Provider Y

Network Operator A Network Operator B
ETH ETH
User X User X
FPP ETH ETH FPP
Link NDD Link Link Link
ETH_TFP UNI ETH_FPETH_FP Private ETH_FPETH_FP ETH_FP ETH_FPUNI ETH_TFP
ETH_FP NNI ETH_FP
NNI

UNI_C to UNI_C ME
UNI_N to UNI_N ME
Extension Link ME

UNI_NP to UNI_NP ME
Access Link ME Access Link ME

• All MEs may not be needed always

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Maintenance Entities –
CPE based Network Demarcation Access
User Location Service. Provider Y
Network Operator A Network Operator B
ETH ETH
User X User X
FPP ETH ETH FPP
Link NDD Link Link Link
ETH_TFP UNI ETH_FPETH_FP Private ETH_FPETH_FP ETH_FP ETH_FPUNI ETH_TFP
ETH_FP NNI ETH_FP
NNI

NDD
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

• All MEs may not 802.1ag

be needed always
– Connectivity Fault Management Tutorial – Part 1 (Jul 12, 2004) [Dinesh Mohan] - 16
 Service/Network OAM –
How does it come together?

Services Service OAM

Network Network OAM

Transport Ethernet link PW/MPLS EoSONET Other

Links OAM OAM OAM OAM

• OAM Interworking possible to utilize OAM across Layers

• However, each layer must support OAM capabilities independently

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Connectivity Fault Management
Functions

802.1ag – Connectivity Fault Management Tutorial – Part 1 (Jul 12, 2004) [Dinesh Mohan] - 18
CFM Functionality

• a) CC – Continuity Check
• Multicast unidirectional heartbeat
• Use: Fault Detection

• b) Loopback
• Unicast bi-directional request/response
• Use: Fault detection, verification

• c) Traceroute
• Multicast request/unicast responses
• Use: Fault Isolation

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Other OAM Functionality
(out of scope for .1ag)

• d) Discovery
– i) Service
• e.g. discover all PEs supporting common service instance
– ii) Network
• e.g. discover all devices (PE and P) common to a domain

• e) AIS/RDI
• Use: E<->W Fault propagation, Alarm Suppression

• f) Performance Management

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CFM Functions mapped to MEs

Customer Service Provider Customer

SP 1 SP 2 SP 2

1. a, b, c
3. a, b, c, e 2. a, b, c 3. a, b, c
4. a, b, c
5. a, b, c

6. a, b, c 6. a, b, c 6. a, b, c

• Note: Specifically for ME (3) and ME (4)

– IEEE 802.3ah OAM can be used for network/link OAM when UNI/E-NNI is an Ethernet link
– When single service carried across a link, network OAM can map to service OAM

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Summary

• Ethernet moving into Provider Networks

• Providers require fault management tools to manage
their networks
• High Industry interest in Ethernet connectivity fault
management tools

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