This document discusses the value of MPLS-TP for utility networks. It begins with an introduction of ECI, an expert in telecommunications solutions. It then discusses the transition from TDM to packet-based networks for utilities and the key challenges in maintaining strict service requirements. MPLS-TP is presented as a solution, combining the efficiency of packet networks with the predictable performance of TDM. MPLS-TP retains key aspects of MPLS while adding transport-grade operations. It provides deterministic performance for applications like teleprotection and synchronization. Overall, the document argues that MPLS-TP is well-suited for mission critical utility applications by enabling a risk-free transition to packet-based networks with TDM-grade reliability

1. THE VALUE OF
MPLS-TP FOR
UTILITY NETWORKS
Gil Epshtein

2. AGENDA
 About ECI
 What’s the Value of MPLS for
Utility Networks ?
 From TDM to Packet
 MPLS-TP and IP/MPLS
 What’s the Value of MPLS for
Utilities Networks ?

3. ECI Telecom Proprietary and Confidential 3ECI Proprietary 3
ABOUT ECI

4. 250
More than
Over
Active
Customers
International sales
and service centers
R&D and
manufacturing
centers across
MEA and APAC
FAST
FACTS
1800Employees
Operating in more
than 70 countries
across 5 continents
25Centers
Established in
1961
Over
Years of
Experience
50
ECI Proprietary 4

5. ElastiNET™
SERVICE PROVIDERS
ElastiGRID™
UTILITIES
ElastiCLOUD™
CLOUD NETWORKING
ECI Telecom Proprietary and Confidential 5ECI Proprietary 5
ECI’S ELASTIC SOLUTIONS

6. ECI Telecom Proprietary and Confidential 6ECI Proprietary 6
HERE COMES THE CLOUDECI’S GLOBAL PROVEN TRACK RECORD
50+ YEARS SERVICING HUNDREDS OF STRATEGIC INDUSTRIES CUSTOMERS
France
Portugal
GermanyGermany
Dominican
Republic
Costa Rica
Finland
China
India
Sweden
Israel
Thailand

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WHAT’S THE
VALUE OF
MPLS-TP FOR
UTILITY
NETWORKS?

8. How
ECI Telecom Proprietary and Confidential 8ECI Proprietary 8
MPLS-TP VALUE FOR UTILITIES NETWORKS
Maintains TDM like predictable and deterministic
performance over packet infrastructure

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MPLS-TP VALUE FOR UTILITIES NETWORKS
 Critical for low latency, low jitter
and accurate timing
 Must have for mission critical
applications like Teleprotection
and synchronization
 Risk free transition to packet
Importance
Maintains TDM like predictable and deterministic
performance over packet infrastructure

10. How
ECI Telecom Proprietary and Confidential 10ECI Proprietary 10
MPLS-TP VALUE FOR UTILITIES NETWORKS
 Strictly connection oriented
 Transport like protection
 Transport like OAM
 Transport like operation
 Critical for low latency, low jitter
and accurate timing
 Must have for mission critical
applications like Teleprotection
and synchronization
 Risk free transition to packet
Importance
Maintains TDM like predictable and deterministic
performance over packet infrastructure

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FROM TDM
TO PACKET

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INEVITABLE TRANSITION FROM TDM TO PACKET
Key drivers: Smart GridAging networks

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INEVITABLE TRANSITION FROM TDM TO PACKET
Key drivers: Smart GridAging networks
TDM Packet
Reserved Statistical
Connection oriented Dynamic
Bandwidth
Connection type

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INEVITABLE TRANSITION FROM TDM TO PACKET
Key drivers:
Quality of Service EfficiencyKey Value:
Smart GridAging networks
TDM Packet
Reserved Statistical
Connection oriented Dynamic
Bandwidth
Connection type

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FROM TDM TO PACKET – NEW CHALLANGES
 Increase in networks complexity
 Rise in security threats
MPLS-TP
PACKET EFFICIENCY + TDM GRADE PERFORMANCE
CARRIER
ETHERNET

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FROM TDM TO PACKET – NEW CHALLANGES
 Increase in networks complexity
 Rise in security threats
Key challenge:
Maintain strict service requirements:
 Performance
 Service availability
CARRIER
ETHERNET

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FROM TDM TO PACKET – NEW CHALLANGES
 Increase in networks complexity
 Rise in security threats
Key challenge:
Maintain strict service requirements:
 Performance
 Service availability
Standardized
Services
Scalability
Reliability
Service
Mgmt.
Quality of
Service
CARRIER
ETHERNET

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FROM TDM TO PACKET – NEW CHALLANGES
 Increase in networks complexity
 Rise in security threats
Key challenge:
Maintain strict service requirements:
 Performance
 Service availability
MPLS-TP
PACKET EFFICIENCY + TDM GRADE PERFORMANCE
Standardized
Services
Scalability
Reliability
Service
Mgmt.
Quality of
Service
CARRIER
ETHERNET

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MPLS-TP
(MPLS TRANSPORT
PROFILE)

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MPLS-TP OBJECTIVES
 “To enable MPLS to be deployed in a
transport network and operated in a similar
manner to existing transport technologies
(SDH/SONET/OTN)”
 “To enable MPLS to support packet transport
services with a similar degree of
predictability, reliability, and OAM to that
found in existing transport networks”
Defined jointly by IETF and ITU-T
(MPLS Transport Profile Framework)

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MPLS-TP
 MPLS TP is both a subset and an
extension of IP/MPLS to meet
transport requirements
 Kept – Packet forwarding
 Discarded – Features that hurt
deterministic performance or that
are not connection oriented
 Added – Transport like OAM,
protection, operation
Interoperable Transport Grade MPLS
MPLS-TPIP/MPLS
MPLS-TPIP/MPLS
Kept
AddedDiscarded

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DISCARDED ADDEDKEPT

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DISCARDED ADDEDKEPT
A layer 2.5 networking technology
Defined by Internet Engineering Task
Force (IETF) in 1998
Designed to accelerate packet
forwarding
Multi-Protocol – L2 Protocol
independent
Label Switching – A packet forwarding
mechanism based on ‘labels’
MPLS: MULTI-PROTOCOL LABEL SWITCHING
Layer 7
(Application)
Layer 6
(Presentation)
Layer 5
(Session)
Layer 4
(Transport)
Layer 3
(Network)
Layer 2.5
MPLS
Layer 2
(Data Link)
Layer 1
(Physical)

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DISCARDED ADDEDKEPT
MULTI-PROTOCOL
Transport and Service Agnostic
Value for Utilities:
 Fits well the mixed technologies environment
 Allows gradual and controlled transition
MPLS
Ethernet TDM xDSL ATM
Fiber Copper Wireless
EthernetIP TDM ATM
Layer 1
Layer 2
Layer 2.5
Service

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DISCARDED ADDEDKEPT
LABEL-SWITCHING
 A path from source to destination
is determined and a “label” is
applied to it
 NEs Along the path, use the label
to forward the traffic without any
additional IP lookups
Value for Utilities:
 Deterministic performance –
path is known and fixed
128.79 14
171.69 33
… 48
128.79
171.69
33
33 33
14
14
14
14

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DISCARDED ADDEDKEPT
LABEL SWITCHING VS. IP ROUTING
 Requires less processing power
 Simpler to manage
 Connection oriented - Ensures known and fixed path
Value for Utilities:
 Deterministic packet forwarding over
simpler and easy to manage hardware

27. LER
LSR
LER
LSR
LSR
LSR
LSR
LSR
LSR LSR
CE CE
Customer Edge (CE)
Customer equipment
14
A B
27ECI Proprietary 27
DISCARDED ADDEDKEPT
MPLS NETWORK EXAMPLE
Customer Edge (CE)
Customer equipment

28. Label Switched Path (LSP) A
unidirectional network wide
tunnel between source and
destination routers
Label Edge Router (“LER”) –
Ingress Node. The router
which adds the MPLS label
Label Edge Router (“LER”) –
Egress Node. The final
router at the end of an LSP,
which removes the label
Label Switching Router (“LSR”) -
Transit node. Does only label
switching in the middle of an LSP
LER
LSR
LER
LSR
LSR
LSR
LSR
LSR
LSR LSR
CE CE
Customer Edge (CE)
Customer equipment
14
A B
28ECI Proprietary 28
DISCARDED ADDEDKEPT
MPLS NETWORK EXAMPLE

29. 29 29ECI Proprietary 29
DISCARDED ADDEDKEPT
MPLS-TPIP/MPLS
MPLS-TPIP/MPLS
Discarded

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DISCARDED ADDEDKEPT
NON DETERMINISTIC FEATURES
 PHP - removes the MPLS label one node before the egress node
 Makes protection and OAM functions invalid
 Assumes traffic is IP
 LSP Merge - merging two or more LSPs (going to the same
destination) to use the same MPLS label
 Source information is lost, preventing original LSPs to be monitored
 ECMP - split traffic within the same LSP over multiple LSPs that
have equal cost
 Different packets from the same LSP take different paths – not
connection oriented

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DISCARDED ADDEDKEPT
CONTROL PLANE
 IP/MPLS – strictly dependent upon control plane protocols
 MPLS-TP – does not require any control plane protocols
Value for Utilities:
Full visibility and control over the network at any given time
Reducing OPEX and CAPEX and scale easily – no distributed complex protocols
Eliminating recruiting of new personal - working procedures similar to TDM networks
IP/MPLSMPLS-TP

32. 32 32ECI Proprietary 32
DISCARDED ADDEDKEPT
MPLS-TPIP/MPLS
MPLS-TPIP/MPLS
Added

33. 33 33ECI Proprietary 33
DISCARDED ADDEDKEPT
MPLS-TP AND IP/MPLS DIFFERENCES AREAS
 Data plane – responsible for packet forwarding
 Control plane – responsible for label distribution and LSP set up
 OAM – Monitoring and troubleshooting information
 Protection and resiliency – Maintaining undisruptive service
Protection and Resiliency
OAM
Control Plane
Data Plane

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DATA PLANE

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BI-DIRECTIONAL LSP
 IP/MPLS - uses Uni-directional LSPs –
traffic from A to B can flow over different
paths than traffic from B to A
 MPLS-TP - uses bi-directional LSPs –
traffic on both directions traverse exactly
the same path
Bi-directional
Uni-directional
MPLS-TPIP/MPLS
LER
LSR
LER
LSR
LSR
LSR
LSR
LSR
LSR LSR
Value for Utilities:
Deterministic
Simplify network operation and ease control of SLA
Support 1588 v2 PTP synchronization
CE
A
CE
B

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TELEPROTECTION
Critical to keep the following
attributes over the
communication channel:
 Low latency
 Low jitter (latency variation)
 Same latency in both
directions
 Accurate timing
MPLS-TP deterministic Bi-directional LSPs keep latency and jitter
low and symmetric
Substation
TPR
Substation
TPR

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SYNCHRONIZATION – 1588V2
 Accurate timing is critical for:
 CES (Circuit Emulation)
 Synchronous Phasor Measurement
(Synchrophasors)
 Control IEDs
 Teleprotection
MPLS-TP deterministic Bi-directional LSPs keep PDV low
MPLS-TPIP/MPLS
Protection SCADA Voice
Video
Surveillance
Microwave Networking
Master clock Slave clock
 1588v2 Principles: Sync + Delay Request / Response messages
 Keeping Packet Delay Variation (PDV) low is critical

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CONTROL
PLANE

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MANAGEMENT/CONTROL & DATA PLANE SEPARATION
 IP/MPLS – No separation between control and data planes
 MPLS-TP – Control plane is totally separated from the data plane
Control Plane
Data Plane
Value for Utilities:
Better stability and security - any failure in Management /
control plane will not impact the traffic

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OAM
(OPERATION
ADMINISTRATION AND
MAINTENANCE)

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PROACTIVE IN-BAND OAM
 IP/MPLS – OAM info is carried out of band. Might not take the same
path as data traffic
 MPLS-TP - OAM is carried with the user traffic inside the MPLS-TP
frame and is proactive
MPLS-TPIP/MPLS
Data Plane
G-Ach for OAM
Value for Utilities:
In band OAM ensures transport like operation meeting connection oriented concept
Proactive monitoring triggers fast switch to protection and faster troubleshooting,
making network performance predictable

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PROTECTION

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GUARANTEED <50MSEC SWITCH TO PROTECTION
 IP/MPLS – Cannot guarantee sub-50 millisecond
convergence for any topology
 MPLS-TP – guaranteed sub-50 msec switch to protection
for any topology
1 + 1 1 : 1 1 : n
Value for Utilities:
Utilities grade service availability

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WHY MPLS-TP
FITS BETTER
UTILITIES
NETWORKS?

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SUMMARY OF DIFFERENCES
IP/MPLS
Data Plane
 Bidirectional LSPs
 No LSP merging, ECMP or PHP
Control Plane
 Optional
 NMS static control
 Separated from data plane
OAM
 In band OAM channel
 Proactive transport grade OAM
Protection and Resiliency
 Sub 50 msec protection switch
for any topology

46. 46ECI Proprietary 46
MPLS-TP
FOR
UTILITIES
Packet
Efficiency
TDM grade predictable and
deterministic performance
Best fit for packet based
mission critical networks
+
=

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ELASTIGRID™ FOR MISSION-CRITICAL NETWORKS
Backbone
Network
Aggregation
Network
Substation Generation
NMS
SCADA Data
Center
Control Center/NOC Protection SCADA Voice
Video
Surveillance
Microwave Networking
Substation Generation
Risk Free Transition from TDM to Packet
Future Proof Evolution
MPLS-TP based Packet Transport Solution for Utilities

48. ECI Proprietary
THANK YOU!
48
Wayne Hickey
Wayne.Hickey@ecitele.com
Gil Epshtein
Gil.Epshtein@ecitele.com