Multiprotocol Label Switching Transport Profile Survivability Framework

Network survivability is the network's ability to restore traffic following failure or attack; it plays a critical factor in the delivery of reliable services in transport networks. Guaranteed services in the form of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) require a resilient network that detects facility or node failures very rapidly, and immediately starts to restore network operations in accordance with the terms of the SLA. The Transport Profile of Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS-TP) is a packet transport technology that combines the packet experience of MPLS with the operational experience of transport networks like SONET/SDH. It provides survivability mechanisms such as protection and restoration, with similar function levels to those found in established transport networks such as in SONET/SDH networks. Some of the MPLS-TP survivability mechanisms are data plane-driven and are based on MPLS-TP OAM fault management functions which are used to trigger protection switching in the absence of a control plane. Other survivability mechanisms utilize the MPLS-TP control plane. This document provides a framework for MPLS-TP survivability.