VPLS

This document updates the meaning of the Control Flags field in the "Layer2 Info Extended Community" used for BGP Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) Network Layer Reachability Information (NLRI) as defined in RFC 4761. This document updates RFC 4761.

This document specifies mechanisms for backward compatibility of Ethernet VPN (EVPN) and Provider Backbone Bridge Ethernet VPN (PBB-EVPN) solutions with Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) and Provider Backbone Bridge VPLS (PBB-VPLS) solutions. It also provides mechanisms for the seamless integration of these two technologies in the same MPLS/IP network on a per-VPN-instance basis. Implementation of this document enables service providers to introduce EVPN/PBB-EVPN Provider Edges (PEs) in their brownfield deployments of VPLS/PBB-VPLS networks. This document specifies the control-plane and forwarding behavior needed for the auto-discovery of the following: 1) a VPN instance, 2) multicast and unicast operation, and 3) a Media Access Control (MAC) mobility operation. This enables seamless integration between EVPN and VPLS PEs as well as between PBB-VPLS and PBB-EVPN PEs.

This document specifies methods to interconnect multiple TRILL (Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links) sites with an intervening MPLS network using existing TRILL and VPLS (Virtual Private LAN Service) standards. This document addresses two problems: 1) providing connection between more than two TRILL sites that are separated by an MPLS provider network and 2) providing a single logical virtualized TRILL network for different tenants that are separated by an MPLS provider network.

This document describes the procedures and recommendations for Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) Provider Edges (PEs) to facilitate replication of multicast traffic to only certain ports (behind which there are interested Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) routers and/or Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) hosts) via PIM snooping and proxying.

With PIM snooping, PEs passively listen to certain PIM control messages to build control and forwarding states while transparently flooding those messages. With PIM proxying, PEs do not flood PIM Join/Prune messages but only generate their own and send them out of certain ports, based on the control states built from downstream Join/Prune messages. PIM proxying is required when PIM Join suppression is enabled on the Customer Edge (CE) devices and is useful for reducing PIM control traffic in a VPLS domain.

This document also describes PIM relay, which can be viewed as lightweight proxying, where all downstream Join/Prune messages are simply forwarded out of certain ports and are not flooded, thereby avoiding the triggering of PIM Join suppression on CE devices.

This document specifies a generic Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) solution, which uses VLANs to indicate root or leaf traffic to support Ethernet-Tree (E-Tree) services. A VPLS Provider Edge (PE) model is illustrated as an example for the solution. In the solution, E-Tree VPLS PEs are interconnected by Pseudowires (PWs), which carry the VLAN indicating the E-Tree attribute. The MAC address-based Ethernet forwarding engine and the PW work in the same way as specified in RFC 4762 and RFC 4448, respectively. A signaling mechanism is described to support E-Tree capability and VLAN mapping negotiation.

RFC 4762 describes a mechanism to remove or unlearn Media Access Control (MAC) addresses that have been dynamically learned in a Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) instance for faster convergence on topology changes. The procedure also removes MAC addresses in the VPLS that do not require relearning due to such topology changes. This document defines an enhancement to the MAC address withdraw procedure with an empty MAC list (RFC 4762); this enhancement enables a Provider Edge (PE) device to remove only the MAC addresses that need to be relearned. Additional extensions to RFC 4762 MAC withdraw procedures are specified to provide an optimized MAC flushing for the Provider Backbone Bridging (PBB) VPLS specified in RFC 7041.

In many existing Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) inter-domain deployments (based on RFC 4762), pseudowire (PW) connectivity offers no Provider Edge (PE) node redundancy, or offers PE node redundancy with only a single domain. This deployment approach incurs a high risk of service interruption, since at least one domain will not offer PE node redundancy. This document describes an inter-domain VPLS solution that provides PE node redundancy across domains.

This memo defines a portion of the Management Information Base (MIB) for use with network management protocols in the Internet community. In particular, it describes managed objects to configure and/or monitor Virtual Private LAN services. It needs to be used in conjunction with the Pseudowire (PW) Management Information Base (PW-STD-MIB from RFC 5601).

This document provides functional requirements for the support of Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) Ethernet Tree (E-Tree) in multipoint Layer 2 Virtual Private Network solutions (referred to as simply "L2VPN"). It is intended that potential solutions will use these requirements as guidelines.

RFCs 4761 and 4762 describe a solution for Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) multicast that relies on the use of point-to-point or multipoint-to-point unicast Label Switched Paths (LSPs) for carrying multicast traffic. This solution has certain limitations for certain VPLS multicast traffic profiles. For example, it may result in highly non-optimal bandwidth utilization when a large amount of multicast traffic is to be transported.

This document describes solutions for overcoming a subset of the limitations of the existing VPLS multicast solution. It describes procedures for VPLS multicast that utilize multicast trees in the service provider (SP) network. The solution described in this document allows sharing of one such multicast tree among multiple VPLS instances. Furthermore, the solution described in this document allows a single multicast tree in the SP network to carry traffic belonging only to a specified set of one or more IP multicast streams from one or more VPLS instances.

The scalability of Hierarchical Virtual Private LAN Service (H-VPLS) with Ethernet access networks (RFC 4762) can be improved by incorporating Provider Backbone Bridge functionality in the VPLS access. Provider Backbone Bridging has been standardized as IEEE 802.1ah-2008. It aims to improve the scalability of Media Access Control (MAC) addresses and service instances in Provider Ethernet networks. This document describes different interoperability scenarios where Provider Backbone Bridge functionality is used in H-VPLS with Ethernet or MPLS access network to attain better scalability in terms of number of customer MAC addresses and number of service instances. The document also describes the scenarios and the mechanisms for incorporating Provider Backbone Bridge functionality within H-VPLS with existing Ethernet access and interoperability among them. Furthermore, the document discusses the migration mechanisms and scenarios by which Provider Backbone Bridge functionality can be incorporated into H-VPLS with existing MPLS access.

The IEEE 802.1 Provider Backbone Bridges (PBBs) specification defines an architecture and bridge protocols for interconnection of multiple Provider Bridged Networks (PBNs). Provider backbone bridging was defined by IEEE as a connectionless technology based on multipoint VLAN tunnels. PBB can be used to attain better scalability than Provider Bridges (PBs) in terms of the number of customer Media Access Control addresses and the number of service instances that can be supported.

The Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) provides a framework for extending Ethernet LAN services, using MPLS tunneling capabilities, through a routed MPLS backbone without running the Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) or the Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) across the backbone. As a result, VPLS has been deployed on a large scale in service provider networks.

This document discusses extensions to the VPLS Provider Edge (PE) model required to incorporate desirable PBB components while maintaining the service provider fit of the initial model.

This document describes a framework comprised of a number of scenarios and associated requirements for pseudowire (PW) redundancy. A set of redundant PWs is configured between provider edge (PE) nodes in single-segment PW applications or between terminating PE (T-PE) nodes in multi-segment PW applications. In order for the PE/T-PE nodes to indicate the preferred PW to use for forwarding PW packets to one another, a new PW status is required to indicate the preferential forwarding status of active or standby for each PW in the redundant set. This document is not an Internet Standards Track specification; it is published for informational purposes.

One of the main motivations behind Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) is its ability to provide connectivity not only among customer routers and servers/hosts but also among customer IEEE bridges. VPLS is expected to deliver the same level of service that current enterprise users are accustomed to from their own enterprise bridged networks or their Ethernet Service Providers.

When customer edge (CE) devices are IEEE bridges, then there are certain issues and challenges that need to be accounted for in a VPLS network. The majority of these issues have been addressed in the IEEE 802.1ad standard for provider bridges and they can be leveraged for VPLS networks. This document extends the provider edge (PE) model described in RFC 4664 based on IEEE 802.1ad bridge module, and it illustrates a clear demarcation between the IEEE bridge module and IETF LAN emulation module. By doing so, it shows that the majority of interoperability issues with CE bridges can be delegated to the 802.1ad bridge module, thus removing the burden on the IETF LAN emulation module within a VPLS PE. This document is not an Internet Standards Track specification; it is published for informational purposes.

This document provides functional requirements for network solutions that support multicast over Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS). It specifies requirements both from the end user and service provider standpoints. It is intended that potential solutions will use these requirements as guidelines. This memo provides information for the Internet community.

Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS), also known as Transparent LAN Service and Virtual Private Switched Network service, is a useful Service Provider offering. The service offers a Layer 2 Virtual Private Network (VPN); however, in the case of VPLS, the customers in the VPN are connected by a multipoint Ethernet LAN, in contrast to the usual Layer 2 VPNs, which are point-to-point in nature.

This document describes the functions required to offer VPLS, a mechanism for signaling a VPLS, and rules for forwarding VPLS frames across a packet switched network. [STANDARDS-TRACK]

This document describes a Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) solution using pseudowires, a service previously implemented over other tunneling technologies and known as Transparent LAN Services (TLS). A VPLS creates an emulated LAN segment for a given set of users; i.e., it creates a Layer 2 broadcast domain that is fully capable of learning and forwarding on Ethernet MAC addresses and that is closed to a given set of users. Multiple VPLS services can be supported from a single Provider Edge (PE) node.

This document describes the control plane functions of signaling pseudowire labels using Label Distribution Protocol (LDP), extending RFC 4447. It is agnostic to discovery protocols. The data plane functions of forwarding are also described, focusing in particular on the learning of MAC addresses. The encapsulation of VPLS packets is described by RFC 4448. [STANDARDS-TRACK]

This document provides requirements for Layer 2 Provider-Provisioned Virtual Private Networks (L2VPNs). It first provides taxonomy and terminology and states generic and general service requirements. It covers point-to-point VPNs, referred to as Virtual Private Wire Service (VPWS), as well as multipoint-to-multipoint VPNs, also known as Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS). Detailed requirements are expressed from both a customer as well as a service provider perspectives. This memo provides information for the Internet community.