CCAMP draft-many-oli-reqts-00.txt

[Andre Fredette <fredette@photonex.com>]

NAME OF I-D:

   *** NOTE: NOT PUBLISHED YET ***
   PROPOSED NAME: draft-many-oli-reqts-00.txt

SUMMARY

The title of this document is "Optical Link Interface Requirements".  The
emergence of transparent optical switches, together with a movement towards
more dynamic, multi-vendor networks, has introduced a need for information
sharing between optical line systems and client devices.  The information
that needs to be shared includes link status and link properties.  We call
this interface the Optical Link Interface (OLI).  In this document, we
provide high-level requirements for the OLI.

This work is motivated by two main issues.  The first is the need to enhance
the fault detection and recovery support for photonic switches (PXCs), and
the second is to enhance the discovery of link characteristics for optical
networks in general.  These issues are discussed separately in this
document.  We then provide more specific requirements for an interface
between the optical line system (OLS) and OLS client proposed to solve these
issues called the Optical Link Interface (OLI).

NOTE:  This document was requested by the CCAMP co-chairs based on
discussions regarding the below mentioned drafts at the last two IETF meetings.

RELATED DOCUMENTS

http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-fredette-lmp-wdm-01.txt
http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-sahay-ccamp-ntip-00.txt
http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-ietf-mpls-lmp-02.txt


WHERE DOES IT FIT IN THE PICTURE OF THE SUB-IP WORK

A protocol that would satisfy the OLI requirements would fit in the Control
part of the sub-ip work.


WHY IS IT TARGETED AT THIS WG

An OLI would enhance the ability of circuit switches and routers using
MPLS-based control protocols to dynamically discover link properties and to
learn about link status.  The link properties can be useful during
signalling of paths, and the link status information is essential for fault
detection and recovery.  Furthermore, the OLI is independent of any
signalling protocol, so it can be used by both distributed control system,
such as GMPLS, and centralized management systems.

Therefore, an OLI would support the following CCAMP objectives:

- Define signalling protocols and measurement protocols such that they
support multiple physical path and tunnel technologies (e.g. O-O and O-E-O
optical switches, ATM and Frame Relay switches, MPLS, GRE) using input from
technology-specific working groups such as MPLS, IPO, etc.

- Define signalling and measurement protocols that are independent of each
other. This allows applications other than the signalling protocol to use
the measurement protocol; it also allows the signalling protocol to use
knowledge obtained by means other than the measurement protocol.

- Abstract link and path properties needed for link and path protection.
Define signalling mechanisms for path protection, diverse routing and fast
path restoration. Ensure that multi-layer path protection and restoration
functions are achievable using the defined signalling and measurement
protocols, either separately or in combination.

- Define how the properties of network resources gathered by the measurement
protocol can be distributed in existing routing protocols, such as OSPF and
IS-IS.


JUSTIFICATION

draft-fredette-lmp-wdm-01.txt (lmp-wdm) and draft-sahay-ccamp-ntip-00.txt
(ntip) are both protocol proposals to satisfy the OLI requirements.  lmp-wdm
has been discussed in the past two ccamp sessions and ntip was discussed in
the last one.  There has been a great deal of interest in this work by both
network operators and vendors.  Given the competing proposals and some
general questions about the specific requirements that the proposals were
intended to solve, the CCAMP co-chairs asked the authors of lmp-wdm and ntip
(and other interested people) to work together on a set of requirements.
This document describes those requirements.