MEF Technical Activities
Paul Bottorff, Co-Chair MEF
Technical Committee
1
What is the MEF
• The Metro Ethernet Forum is a non-profit
organization dedicated to accelerating the
adoption of optical Ethernet as the technology of
choice in metro networks worldwide.
• The Forum is comprised of leading service
providers, major incumbent local exchange
carriers, top network equipment vendors and
other prominent networking companies that
share an interest in metro Ethernet. It has 60
members as of February, 2002.
2
MEF Key Objectives
• Build consensus and unite service providers, equipment
vendors, end customers on optical Ethernet
• Facilitate implementation of optical Ethernet standards to allow
delivery of Ethernet services and make Ethernet-based metro
transport networks carrier-class
• Enhance worldwide awareness of the benefits of optical
Ethernet services and Ethernet-based metro transport
networks
• Enable Ethernet applications and services, building on the
physical transport specified by e.g. 10GEA
3
MEF Structure
Members
Officers
Board of Directors
Marketing Committee
Technical Committee
Awareness
Standards
4
MEF: Diverse Leadership
The MEF Board of Directors is comprised of
representatives from:
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–
–
–
–
–
–
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BellSouth
SBC
France Telecom
Rockefeller Group Telecommunications Services
Agilent Technologies
Procket Networks
Atrica
Nortel Networks
Alcatel
For more information about the MEF leadership please
visit http://www.MetroEthernetForum.org/
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Marketing Committee Structure
Marketing
Committee
Messaging
Collateral
Sub-committee
Events
Sub-committee
Economic
Analysis
Sub-committee
• Marketing committee is divided into three areas
6
Technical Committee Structure
Technical
Committee
All Members
Areas
Architecture
Sub-committee
Services
Sub-committee
Protocol &
Transport
Sub-committee
Management
Sub-committee
Test
Methods
Sub-committee
• Technical committee is divided into five specialization areas
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Approach to Technical
Standards
Use existing Standards and only fill the
technical gaps for Metro Ethernet
IEEE
802
ITU
OIF
IETF
MPLS
Forum
Etc.
MEF
Etc.
Etc.
10 GE
Alliance
Etc.
8
Document Types
• Implementation Agreements
– Building consensus on existing standards
• Test Procedures
– Promoting/Performing Interoperability testing
• Position Statements
– Proposing work for existing standards bodies
• Technical Specifications
– Developing new standards within MEF
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TC Work Is Divided By
Specialization Area
Technical
Committee
All Members
Areas
Architecture
Sub-committee
Services
Sub-committee
Protocol &
Transport
Sub-committee
Management
Sub-committee
Test
Methods
Sub-committee
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Architecture
• Metro Ethernet Network (MEN) Reference Model
– User Network Interface (UNI)
– Network to Network Interfaces (NNIs)
• MEN Framework
– defines the modeling conventions for the functional elements
which compose a MEN
– Provides common terminology for all MEF technical documents
• User Network Interface (UNI)
– The demark for customer or subscriber attachment
• Ethernet Interworking NNI (EI-NNI)
– Interface between autonomous systems
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Services
• Ethernet Services Model
• Ethernet Definitions
– Ethernet Line Services (ELINE)
– Ethernet LAN Services (ELAN)
– Circuit Emulation Service (CES)
• Bandwidth Profiles Parameters
– Committed Information Rate (CIR)
– Peak Information Rate (PIR)
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Transport and Protocol
• Protection
– Protection Framework describes a model and framework
to deliver network protection schemes
• EMF
– Ethernet Multiplexor provides a subset of the functions
under discussion at IEEE 802.1 Provider Bridges
• EoS
– Agreements for transport of Ethernet over Sonet
13
Management
• Element Management System
– defines the requirements for the central systems which
manage the network elements of a MEN
• EMS/NMS Information Model
– defines a vendor independent data model for
information exchanged between the service provider’s
NMS and the MEN EMS
• OAM Management
– defines end-to-end OAM for the service assurance
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MEF Technical Committee Dash Board
MEF Technical Committee
Conformance &
Performance
Management
Area
Test
Area
Process Ad-Hoc
TC Rules and
Procedures
Architecture
Area
Protocol & Transport
Area
MEN Architecture
OAM&P
Ethernet Services
OAM d4
EMS Mgmt
EMS Requirements d1
EMS-NMS If
EMS-NMS
Information Model d3
MEN Architecture FW Part 1 d1
MEN Architecture FW Part 2
MEN Architecture FW part 3
MEN Architecture FW part 4
MEN Architecture FW part 5
UNI
QOS
QOS Framework d2
Protection
Protection Requirements d3
Protection
Framework d3
UNI PVC IA d1
EI-NNI
EI-NNI TS d1
Ethernet
Services
EoS
EoS IA d1
Traffic Performance
Parameters d3
CES
NI-NNI
MPLS NI-NNI D1
EMF
EMF TS d1
Ethernet
Services
Model d4
Ethernet
Services
Definitions d2
TM
MPLS Protection IA d1
UNI Requirements d2
UNI Framework d3
Services
Area
CES Requirements d2
Legend
Gray Color = Not Approved Project
Orange Color = Approved Project
Blue Color = Draft Status
Green Color = Approved Standard
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Red Color = Sent to Ballot
16 Approved Drafts
Doc #
D00001
D00002
D00003
D00004
D00005
D00007
D00008
D00009
D00011
D00012
D00013
D00014
D00015
D00016
D00017
D00018
D00019
Draft#
Title
First Draft Current Draft Status
4 Ethernet Service Model
Apr-02
Jan-03 Straw
3 A Framework For Metro Ethernet Protection
Apr-02
Oct-02 Letter
1 Implementing Metro Ethernet Protection using MPLS Mechanisms
Jul-02
Jul-02 Straw
3 Requirements for Metro Ethernet Protection
Jan-02
Oct-02 Straw
4 Ethernet Service OAM
Apr-02
Jan-03 Draft
1 Metro Ethernet Architecture Framework- Part 1: Generic Framework
Jul-02
Jul-02 Draft
2 UNI Requirements
Jul-02
Oct-02 Straw
3 UNI Framework Specification
Apr-02
Jan-03 Draft
2 Ethernet Layer 2 Service Definitions
Apr-02
Oct-03 Straw
3 EMS-NMS Information Model
Apr-02
Oct-02 Draft
2 CES Requirements
Jul-02
Oct-03 Draft
1 EMS Requirements
Jan-02
Jan-02 Straw
3 Traffic Performance Parameters
Apr-02
Oct-02 Straw
2 QoS Framework
Apr-02
Jul-02 Draft
1 EOS Implementation Agreement
Jul-02
Jul-02 Draft
1 EI-NNI TS
Oct-02
Oct-02 Draft
1 EMF TS
Jan-03
Jan-03 Draft
Approved interworking project
CES contributions to straw ballot
Ballot%
81/19/74/26/65/35/77/23/-
#Votes January
16 Straw
27
17
22
x
x
68/32/0
19 Straw
70/29/-
17 Straw
Straw
82/18/-
17 Straw
Straw
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
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Basic Metro Ethernet Model
• Ethernet Service provided by Metro Ethernet Network (MEN)
• Customer Equipment (CE) attaches to MEN at User-Network
Interface (UNI) using 10, 100, 1000 Mbps Ethernet interface.
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MEN Layered Network Model
Application Services
Layer (s)
(VoIP, IP, MPLS, PDH, ...)
Ethernet Services
Layer
(Ethernet)
Transport
Layer (s)
• Ethernet Services
layer (ETH)
• uses services from
its Transport
Layer(s)
• provides services to
its Application
Services Layer(s)
Domain
(802.3 PHY, SDH/SONET,
MPLS, OTN, ...)
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MEF External Reference Points
Public Service
Networks
Internet, FR, etc.
UNI
Subscriber
Network
Interworking
NI-NNI
Service Interworking SI-NNI
Metro Ethernet
Network (MEN)
Autonomy X
Transport
Network
Metro Ethernet
Network (MEN)
Autonomy X
Intercarrier
Network
Metro Ethernet
Network (MEN)
Autonomy Y
Ethernet
Interworking
EI-NNI
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MEF External Reference Point
• User Network Interface (UNI)
– Reference point between Metro Ethernet
Network (MEN) and directly/virtualized
attached interfaces of customer equipment.
– Interfaces between MEN and customer
equipment.
– Is the subscriber demark point
• Service Interworking NNI (SI-NNI)
– Reference point between MEN and other public
service networks (IP).
– Interfaces between MEN and other public
services networks (ex: ATM, FR, T1/T3, IP-Sec,
etc).
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MEF External Reference Point
(Cont.)
• Ethernet Interworking NNI (EI-NNI)
• Reference point between MENs in
different autonomys
• Network Interworking NNI (NI-NNI)
– Reference point between MENs in same
autonomy.
– Interface between MEN and other public
transport networks (GE, SDH/SONET,
ATM, RPR, etc).
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Services Definition
Customer
Equipment
(CE)
User Network
Interface
(UNI)
Metro
Ethernet
Network
Service Provider
Responsibility
Service Model: Services described as seen by CE, UNI to UNI
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Ethernet Virtual Connection
Types (EVC)
Point-to-Point
Multipoint-to-Multipoint
Leaf
Root
Leaf
Point-to-Multipoint
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Some Service Features
Bandwidth Profile: Defines the way in which less
than the full physical bandwidth of UNI can utilized
by the subscriber. Basis of the “pay for the
bandwidth that you need” capability of an Ethernet
Service.
Service Multiplexing: Multiple EVCs accessible at a
single UNI. Reach multiple destinations across the
MEN via a single UNI, e.g., a Gigabit Ethernet UNI.
IWF
IWF
Interworking Function: Non-Ethernet
services via an Interworking Function
(IWF), e.g., TDM over Ethernet
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Ethernet Line Service
(ELINE)
ELINE
• ELINE service is Point-to-Point and may describe both
Private Lines and Virtual Private Lines
• May build a Frame Relay like service
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ELINE Service Multiplexing
• In this example a single site has multiple ELINE
connections to other sites multiplexed over a
single UNI.
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Ethernet LAN Service
(ELAN)
ELAN
• Service is Multipoint-to-Multipoint fully
connected
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Protection Model
Multiple levels of service resiliency enabled
by flexible protection mechanism
Application Protection Constraint Policy
End-to-End Path
Protection
Aggregated Line and
Node Protection
MEF Protection Mechanism
Topology
Transport
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Aggregated Line and Node
Protection
Detour
Path
Network
Element
Ingress
Network
Element
Primary
Path
Network
Element
Network
Element
Network
Element
Egress
Network
Element
Detour
Path
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End-to-End Path Protection
Network
Element
Ingress
Network
Element
Network
Element
Primary
Path
Secondary
Path
Network
Element
Egress
Network
Element
Network
Element
Network
Element
Network
Element
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End-to-end OAM
Customer
Edge
Customer
Edge
LMI
UNI
Provider
Edge
Internet
Access
Ethernet Virtual Connection (EVC)
Ethernet
Access
Network
Metro
Ethernet
Network
Ethernet
Access
Network
LMI
Provider
Edge
Metro
Ethernet
Network
ISP
Router
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OAM Management
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Availability
Status Monitoring
Scalability
Extensibility
Security
Tunnel and Transport Independence
Layer 3 Independence
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Summary
• MEF is working to fill the gaps between
existing standards needed to standardize
complete MEN systems.
• Technical work is focused on
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–
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Customer Service Specifications
User Interface Definition
Network To Network Interface Definitions
Transport Network Features for Protection,
QoS, and EoS
– End-to-end Management
– Network Element Management
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