The use of Ethernet by Telecommunications Service Providers, for Corporate connectivity services, is growing rapidly and is set to dominate within just a few years.End-to-end Ethernet networks offer a number of advantages, particularly in terms of reduced cost and complexity, compared against today's 'managed Router' networks, deployed by the majority of Service Providers.Nevertheless, in today's deregulated Telecoms environment, many Ethernet Service Providers deploy Infrastructure Networks acquired on a wholesale basis, for either for long-haul circuits, local 'last mile' access, or both. Only by having their own manageable network demarcation entities at the customer premises can the Service Provider achieve effective visibility to both local customer connections and end-to-end circuits.Our White Paper examines the challenges of Management of end-to-end network connections experienced by Ethernet Service Providers and looks at how the use of cost-effective, manageable Ethernet Demarcation Devices can help them to meet those challenges
5G O-RAN (Open RAN): Architecture, Procedures And Use Cases. Path to O-RAN, RAN Functional Splits, Split 7.2x for O-RAN, O-RAN Virtualization, Non & Near RT RIC, Slicing in O-RAN. Learn how OPEN RAN implementation increases not only security advantages, but also security risks like attack surfaces. How to mitigate the risk level? Tonex can help. See why dozens of corporates prefer Tonex Open RAN training course, seminars and consulting services. Gain knowledge about Evolution to O-RAN (vRAN, C-RAN, D-RAN, RAN Disaggregation).
Earn your certificate online. Ask a question. Sign up as a business group. https://www.tonex.com/training-courses/open-ran-security-fundamentals-o-ran-security-training/
CR : smart radio that has the ability to sense the external environment, learn from the history and make intelligent decisions to adjust its transmission parameters according
to the current state of the environment.
This paper provides a high-level comparison
between LTE and WiMAX. The focus is on two primary areas: System Architecture and Physical Layer. The System Architecture describes the different functional elements in LTE and WiMAX and attempts to map similar functionality (such as mobility, security, access-gateway). We also compare and contrast the various aspects (such as transmission modes, duplexing types) of the physical layer.
5G O-RAN (Open RAN): Architecture, Procedures And Use Cases. Path to O-RAN, RAN Functional Splits, Split 7.2x for O-RAN, O-RAN Virtualization, Non & Near RT RIC, Slicing in O-RAN. Learn how OPEN RAN implementation increases not only security advantages, but also security risks like attack surfaces. How to mitigate the risk level? Tonex can help. See why dozens of corporates prefer Tonex Open RAN training course, seminars and consulting services. Gain knowledge about Evolution to O-RAN (vRAN, C-RAN, D-RAN, RAN Disaggregation).
Earn your certificate online. Ask a question. Sign up as a business group. https://www.tonex.com/training-courses/open-ran-security-fundamentals-o-ran-security-training/
CR : smart radio that has the ability to sense the external environment, learn from the history and make intelligent decisions to adjust its transmission parameters according
to the current state of the environment.
This paper provides a high-level comparison
between LTE and WiMAX. The focus is on two primary areas: System Architecture and Physical Layer. The System Architecture describes the different functional elements in LTE and WiMAX and attempts to map similar functionality (such as mobility, security, access-gateway). We also compare and contrast the various aspects (such as transmission modes, duplexing types) of the physical layer.
Content
Brief history about wireless ecosystem.
What is LTE (Long Term Evolution) ?
How is it different from older technologies ?
Network architecture in LTE
Radio Access network (RAN)
Evolved Packet Core (EPC)
Bearers in LTE
Interfaces in LTE
Life Cycle of a UE
LTE RAN overview
Architecture and requirements
Channel bandwidths and operating bands
OFDMA and SC-FDMA
Frequency (LTE-FDD) and time division duplexing (LTE-TDD)
Multiple Antenna techniques in LTE
Channels in LTE and protocol Stack
LTE EPC overview
Architecture
Functions of various elements in EPC
cintains basic modes of router ,sub-modes , set line/login password in ccna, how to assign ip address, configure telnet , break router password ,.. etc
Mobile spectrum and network evolution to 2025 slides coleago - 24 mar 21Coleago Consulting
A review for telecoms regulators and operators of key global developments, insights, trends, and best international practices, to inform future spectrum policy and management and operator strategies.
Small cells are Low-powered radio access nodes, Operate in licensed and unlicensed spectrum, Short range mobile phone base stations, Range from very compact residential femto-cells of area 10 meters to larger equipment used inside commercial offices or outdoor public spaces of area 1 or 2 kilometers, "small" compared to a mobile macro cell, with range of a few tens of kilometers, Complements mobile phone service from larger macro cell towers, Offer excellent mobile phone coverage and data speeds at home, in the office and public areas for both voice and data, Developed for both 3G and the newer 4G/LTE radio technologies.
Femto cells are Initially designed for residential and small business use with a short range and a limited number of channels. Femtocell devices use licenced radio spectrum. Femto cells must be operated and controlled by a mobile phone company, One cell with one mobile phone operator. When in range, the mobile phone will detect cell and use it in preference to the larger macrocell sites. Calls are made and received in exactly the same way as macrocell. Except, the signals are sent encrypted from the small cell via the public or private broadband IP network to one of the mobile operators main switching centres.
Class lecture by Prof. Raj Jain on Carrier Ethernet. The talk covers Options to Connect Two Data Centers?, Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy (PDH), SONET/SDH, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), Label Switching Example, IP over MPLS over Ethernet, Martini Draft, Pseudo Wire: L2 Circuits over IP, Ethernet over PWE3 over MPLS, Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS), Differentiated Services, Carriers vs. Enterprise, Issue: UNI vs Peer-to-Peer Signaling, UNI vs. ENNI, Operator Virtual Connection (OVC), Metro Access Ethernet Private Line, End-to-End Metro Ethernet Connection, Ethernet Virtual Connections (EVCs), Metro Ethernet Service Attributes, Metro Ethernet OAM, Metro Ethernet OAM Messages, Metro Ethernet Use Cases, Ethernet Provider Bridge (PB), Provider Backbone Network (PBB), MAC-in-MAC Frame Format, PBB Service Instance, Connection Oriented Ethernet, VLAN Cross-Connect, PBB-TE, PBB-TE QoS, Ethernet Tagged Frame Format Evolution, Comparison of Technologies. Video recording available in YouTube.
Content
Brief history about wireless ecosystem.
What is LTE (Long Term Evolution) ?
How is it different from older technologies ?
Network architecture in LTE
Radio Access network (RAN)
Evolved Packet Core (EPC)
Bearers in LTE
Interfaces in LTE
Life Cycle of a UE
LTE RAN overview
Architecture and requirements
Channel bandwidths and operating bands
OFDMA and SC-FDMA
Frequency (LTE-FDD) and time division duplexing (LTE-TDD)
Multiple Antenna techniques in LTE
Channels in LTE and protocol Stack
LTE EPC overview
Architecture
Functions of various elements in EPC
cintains basic modes of router ,sub-modes , set line/login password in ccna, how to assign ip address, configure telnet , break router password ,.. etc
Mobile spectrum and network evolution to 2025 slides coleago - 24 mar 21Coleago Consulting
A review for telecoms regulators and operators of key global developments, insights, trends, and best international practices, to inform future spectrum policy and management and operator strategies.
Small cells are Low-powered radio access nodes, Operate in licensed and unlicensed spectrum, Short range mobile phone base stations, Range from very compact residential femto-cells of area 10 meters to larger equipment used inside commercial offices or outdoor public spaces of area 1 or 2 kilometers, "small" compared to a mobile macro cell, with range of a few tens of kilometers, Complements mobile phone service from larger macro cell towers, Offer excellent mobile phone coverage and data speeds at home, in the office and public areas for both voice and data, Developed for both 3G and the newer 4G/LTE radio technologies.
Femto cells are Initially designed for residential and small business use with a short range and a limited number of channels. Femtocell devices use licenced radio spectrum. Femto cells must be operated and controlled by a mobile phone company, One cell with one mobile phone operator. When in range, the mobile phone will detect cell and use it in preference to the larger macrocell sites. Calls are made and received in exactly the same way as macrocell. Except, the signals are sent encrypted from the small cell via the public or private broadband IP network to one of the mobile operators main switching centres.
Class lecture by Prof. Raj Jain on Carrier Ethernet. The talk covers Options to Connect Two Data Centers?, Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy (PDH), SONET/SDH, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), Label Switching Example, IP over MPLS over Ethernet, Martini Draft, Pseudo Wire: L2 Circuits over IP, Ethernet over PWE3 over MPLS, Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS), Differentiated Services, Carriers vs. Enterprise, Issue: UNI vs Peer-to-Peer Signaling, UNI vs. ENNI, Operator Virtual Connection (OVC), Metro Access Ethernet Private Line, End-to-End Metro Ethernet Connection, Ethernet Virtual Connections (EVCs), Metro Ethernet Service Attributes, Metro Ethernet OAM, Metro Ethernet OAM Messages, Metro Ethernet Use Cases, Ethernet Provider Bridge (PB), Provider Backbone Network (PBB), MAC-in-MAC Frame Format, PBB Service Instance, Connection Oriented Ethernet, VLAN Cross-Connect, PBB-TE, PBB-TE QoS, Ethernet Tagged Frame Format Evolution, Comparison of Technologies. Video recording available in YouTube.
This presentation reviews the various tools that carrier-grade Ethernet offers to meet the performance required from the ICT network and discusses strategies for the transition to Smart Grid communications
Cisco Webex dictado por el Cisco Learning Partner en Fundación Proydesa a más de 20 Academias Locales del país, Bolovia y Paraguay. Realizada en marco del acuerdo entre Fundación Proydesa y la filial Argentina de SLS LATAM, con el objeto de investigar, desarrollar y promover la formación en y con tecnología. Más info. en http://proydesa.org/portal/
With worldwide mobile backhaul connections increasing from 5 to 10 Mbps in 2009 to 50 Mbps by 2012, mobile operators, network equipment vendors and others must implement new strategies to cope with the influx. Fiber, copper, microwave, millimeter wave—each backhaul medium has its own advantages and limitations in terms of availability, cost to deploy, operational cost, speed/distance and regulatory considerations. What is the right strategy for today’s 3G and emerging 4G ecosystem, and is there any hope of leveraging today's backhaul assets for three (let alone five) years?
In this webinar, Jennifer Pigg, Yankee Group research VP, examines the mobile backhaul solutions operators are deploying today and the emerging strategies for tomorrow.
An overview of Ethernet WAN deployment and of the benefits to the Service Provider of Ethernet Demarcation Devices, for both 'wires only' Ethernet Access to IP VPNs and for native Ethernet WAN Services.
The importance of Ethernet, as the all-pervasive fixed infrastructure data transport vehicle of the Corporate 'Local-Area Network' (LAN), is such that it can be regarded as nothing less than a fundamental utility for IT connectivity. Increasingly, Ethernet is also the network media of choice for Corporate Telephony deployments, via the growth of Voice over IP (VoIP). Not surprisingly, Ethernet is now starting to be adopted as a transport for Wide-Area Network (WAN) connectivity. In fact, Telecoms Service Providers have offered physical Ethernet access for many years, but most almost exclusively such connections have been delivered via Edge Routers, supplied as the 'Customer Premise Equipment' (CPE) element of a 'Managed IP' network service. Only relatively recently though has Ethernet been offered as a native transport solution, offering the Corporate user a highly flexible, scalable bandwidth solution, unfettered by the complexity of IP addressing schema and the potential performance and limited 'Quality of Service' characteristics of Routed infrastructures.The MetroCONNECT family of Ethernet Service Delivery products enables the Telecoms Service Provider to offer Ethernet services delivered over a range of Access Network Transport architectures.
Telecoms Carriers and Service Providers use Managed Ethernet Demarcation Devices (EDDs) to provide full end-to-end visibility and control of their Layer-2 infrastructure.
Advanced EDDs incorporate test-traffic generation and protocols such as ITU-T Y.1731 to monitor key service-level characteristics such as Frame Loss, Latency and Jitter.
Now, it is possible to incorporate fibre integrity checking and fault-reporting to such devices. Specifically, Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) functionality, integrated directly into EDD fibre interfaces, provides a cost-effective solution to Carriers for fibre fault determination and localisation, reducing costs and time-to-repair for customer services.
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Transport networks have witnessed two significant trends over the past half decade or so. The first has been an explosion in the bandwidth that these networks can support and the distances over which they can support it. This is due to the advent of cost-effective wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) and dense-WDM (DWDM), as well as a slew of technologies that extend transmission range, such as...more
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with ParametersSafe Software
Are you looking to streamline your workflows and boost your projects’ efficiency? Do you find yourself searching for ways to add flexibility and control over your FME workflows? If so, you’re in the right place.
Join us for an insightful dive into the world of FME parameters, a critical element in optimizing workflow efficiency. This webinar marks the beginning of our three-part “Essentials of Automation” series. This first webinar is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to utilize parameters effectively: enhancing the flexibility, maintainability, and user control of your FME projects.
Here’s what you’ll gain:
- Essentials of FME Parameters: Understand the pivotal role of parameters, including Reader/Writer, Transformer, User, and FME Flow categories. Discover how they are the key to unlocking automation and optimization within your workflows.
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Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your FME expertise and drive your projects to new heights of efficiency.
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Neuro-symbolic (NeSy) AI is on the rise. However, simply machine learning on just any symbolic structure is not sufficient to really harvest the gains of NeSy. These will only be gained when the symbolic structures have an actual semantics. I give an operational definition of semantics as “predictable inference”.
All of this illustrated with link prediction over knowledge graphs, but the argument is general.
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Here is something new! In our next Connector Corner webinar, we will demonstrate how you can use a single workflow to:
Create a campaign using Mailchimp with merge tags/fields
Send an interactive Slack channel message (using buttons)
Have the message received by managers and peers along with a test email for review
But there’s more:
In a second workflow supporting the same use case, you’ll see:
Your campaign sent to target colleagues for approval
If the “Approve” button is clicked, a Jira/Zendesk ticket is created for the marketing design team
But—if the “Reject” button is pushed, colleagues will be alerted via Slack message
Join us to learn more about this new, human-in-the-loop capability, brought to you by Integration Service connectors.
And...
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Akshay Agnihotri, Product Manager
Charlie Greenberg, Host
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GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...James Anderson
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The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
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State of global ICS asset and network exposure
Sectoral targets and attacks as well as the cost of ransom
Global APT activity, AI usage, actor and tactic profiles, and implications
Rise in volumes of AI-powered cyberattacks
Major cyber events in 2024
Malware and malicious payload trends
Cyberattack types and targets
Vulnerability exploit attempts on CVEs
Attacks on counties – USA
Expansion of bot farms – how, where, and why
In-depth analysis of the cyber threat landscape across North America, South America, Europe, APAC, and the Middle East
Why are attacks on smart factories rising?
Cyber risk predictions
Axis of attacks – Europe
Systemic attacks in the Middle East
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Ethernet Demarcation Devices for managing end to end Ethernet service delivery
1. Carrier Ethernet Services
White Paper
Ethernet Demarcation Devices
for managing
End-to-End Ethernet Service Delivery
July, 2012
Metrodata Ltd Fortune House, TW20 8RY U.K.
Tel: +44 (0)1784 744700 www.metrodata.co.uk E-mail: sales@metrodata.co.uk
2. Carrier Ethernet Services
Introduction
The use of Ethernet by Telecommunications Service Providers, for Corporate connectivity services, is
growing rapidly and is set to dominate within just a few years.
'Layer 2' (i.e. of the OSI connection hierarchy model) Ethernet offers some attractive advantages to both
Infrastructure Carriers and Telecoms Service Providers in terms of service provisioning, the inherent set-
up complexities of Managed Router networks being largely eliminated. Nevertheless, challenges still exist
in both the provisioning and ongoing management of Ethernet services, particularly since not only the
quantity, but also the sophistication of services demanded by customers is rising. For example, until very
recently even in the more advanced economies, the norm for Voice and Data services has been for two
separate infrastructures. Now, co-incident with the rise of Ethernet as a transport vehicle, the emergence
of SIP trunking for Voice over IP (VoIP) communications, and its associated need for tighter constraints in
service quality than is required for most Data (e.g. simple Internet access) applications, is creating a need
for greater management visibility to Ethernet service delivery on the part of the Service Provider.
Much effort, by both Carriers and Telecoms Equipment Manufacturers, principally under the auspices of
the 'Metro Ethernet Forum' (MEF), has been put into the development of management tools for both
Connectivity and, latterly, Performance Assurance for Ethernet services. Nevertheless, a reality today is
that relatively few Infrastructure Carriers (by which we mean those with either Long-haul or local transport
infrastructure, i.e. cable and/or fibre) make use of the capabilities now potentially available to them for
management control and performance validation. Moreover, those which do generally choose to limit the
extent of their 'manageable domain' to network segments bounded by their own Ethernet Demarcation
Devices (EDDs). As National Telecommunications markets become increasingly de-regulated, there has
been a corresponding growth in the number and diversity of Telecoms (in this case Ethernet) Service
Providers, offering both a range of Value-Added Services (i.e. Data and/or Voice 'cloud' services) and
Connectivity, some or all of which they typically secure under wholesale agreements from the
Infrastructure Carriers.
Network
Operations Value-Added
Services
Centre
Service Provider
Core Network
Infrastructure Carrier
Infrastructure Carrier
Ethernet Circuit
Ethernet Circuit
(Typ. via wholesale)
Customer (Typ. via wholesale) Customer
Site A Site B
Customer's
L2 Network
Fig. 1: Typical Ethernet Service Provision model, within which Service Providers may exist in
separation from Infrastructure Carriers, from whom they acquire wholesale links
Managing End-to-End Ethernet Service Delivery
Page 1 of 9
3. Carrier Ethernet Services
It is worth making a distinction between Ethernet Service Providers and Infrastructure Carriers, albeit that
particularly in the case of the large National Providers, they may well be the same entity. The point here is
that the Service Provider more often than not acts in the role of 'Aggregator', piecing together an end-to-
end connectivity solution for their customers from elements of their own Core network, on which their
value-adding services are based, and long or short-haul (i.e. 'tail') circuits from other Infrastructure
Carriers.
This paper examines the challenges of Management of end-to-end network connections experienced by
Ethernet Service Providers and looks at how the use of cost-effective, manageable Ethernet Demarcation
Devices can help them to meet those challenges.
Backgrounder
It will not be a surprise to hear that much has changed over the past quarter century in the range and
nature of the Telecommunications Services offered by Carriers to Corporate customers. In reality though,
much of the change in Wide Area Networking (WAN) services has occurred in a rather compressed
timescale relative to the evolution of the Local Area Networking (LAN) services used within customer
premises, at least in terms of speed if not so much of the underlying technology.
With the advent of Ethernet in the mid 1980s, Corporates have (with a few distractions along the way)
kept their faith with Ethernet in the LAN through a continual evolution process, which has seen Ethernet
progress rapidly from a 'shared' 10Mbps bandwidth environment to the relatively common 'per-port'
Switched 1Gbps and 10Gbps Ethernet services of today.
In contrast, Wide-Area Network (WAN) bandwidths and technologies remained relatively static for long
periods over the past 25 years. Even as the relatively much faster Ethernet Corporate LAN environment
progressed, WAN services, barriered by Routers, evolved independently and at a slower pace.
Over the past ten years, and in particular the past five, this picture has started to change dramatically.
During the ten-year timeframe, there has been an inexorable evolution from SDH-based to so-called 'Next
Generation' packet-based core switching in Carrier networks. Whilst SDH is still very much at the heart of
many Carrier networks most, if not all, no longer invest in any development of their SDH infrastructure
and look to their emerging Packet-based networks for development. In general, Next Generation packet
networks have used IP/MPLS switching at the core and the choice of many Service Providers has been to
offer 'Managed IP' network services across these platforms.
Over the past five years, the ubiquity of Ethernet in the LAN, driven not only by its connection speed but
also by its relative simplicity, has led the Telecoms Carrier community to start to offer WAN services
based on Layer-2 Ethernet connection, enabling Corporates to use largely the same familiar technologies
in both LAN and WAN. Whilst 'Ethernet over SDH' services have emerged, extending the return of
investment by the traditional infrastructure Carriers in their SDH core switched networks, for the majority
of newer entrants, leveraging their MPLS switched core platforms to offer layer-2 point-to-point VPN and
VPLS multi-point connectivity services has become an increasingly significant part of their service
portfolio.
Coming right up to date, the diverse manner in which Ethernet WAN services are delivered today is
something of a minefield of complexity, with several core network architectures being used, often
championed by competing Network Equipment Manufacturers. A debate about the different WAN
technologies underpinning the transport of Ethernet services today might invoke a deeply technical foray
into the relative merits of;
Ethernet over SDH / SONET, typically today via GFP encapsulation with VCAT
Ethernet over MPLS, via Point-to-Point L2 VPN or VPLS Pseudowire tunnelling
Ethernet over Carrier-Ethernet Transport (CET)
Managing End-to-End Ethernet Service Delivery
Page 2 of 9
4. Carrier Ethernet Services
The last of these, and the most recent, might itself lead to a sub-debate over the merits of alternative
approaches such as 'MPLS-TP' and 'PBB-TE' which is beyond the focus of this paper.
If this may sound a little bewildering, there is a similarly varied approach to the so-called 'last-mile'
delivery of Ethernet services, i.e. between 'local' Carrier exchanges and customer premises.
In this area, amongst the transport mechanisms in regular deployment are;
Ethernet over both Passive (i.e. PON) and Active Fibre
Ethernet over TDM services, including single or multiple 'bonded' SDH/PDH circuits
Ethernet over multiple bonded 'telephony' grade copper wiring
Ethernet over cable-modem (Co-ax) infrastructure
Increasingly, these Ethernet services are being used not only for Data, but also for Voice, i.e. for the
delivery of VoIP 'SIP' Trunks directly to the modern generation of Corporate IP-PBX Servers.
One of the main challenges to Ethernet as a delivery vehicle for Corporate Voice and Data services is
that, unlike its SDH predecessor, Ethernet is not intrinsically deterministic, nor does it carry, at least by
default, clock synchronisation signalling for Voice and other services, so it is not sufficient simply to
provision an end-to-end Ethernet network connection safe in the knowledge that any underlying
architecture will assure the performance of the link for a given customer application. Verification of the
integrity of the circuit is set to become an important aspect of Carrier Ethernet implementation.
Ethernet Demarcation Devices, otherwise known as Network interface Devices (NIDs) are being deployed
by Carriers as a manageable interface between the edge of their network and their customers' switched
Ethernet LANs.
NOC
Management Management
Access Access
Customer Customer
Site A Site B
Carrier Ethernet
Network
Ethernet Circuit Ethernet Circuit
demarcation demarcation
Fig. 2: Deployment of Ethernet Demarcation Devices (EDDs) for end-point management
Increasingly, Corporate clients are asking of their Ethernet Service Provider not just that they provide a
certain bandwidth of connection, but that they demonstrate, both at the time of network provisioning and
on an ongoing basis during in-service use, that they are meeting specific 'Service Level Agreement' (SLA)
conditions. To add further complexity, the customer SLA may not relate to the singular 'pipe' of the
Ethernet connection, but may indeed relate to a number of distinct service 'flows' within the pipe, such as
VoIP, Video or Internet Data traffic, for which markedly different service parameters may apply.
Managing End-to-End Ethernet Service Delivery
Page 3 of 9
5. Carrier Ethernet Services
Management Challenges for the Ethernet Service Provider
For the Ethernet Service Provider, the management of customer end-points may be a challenge. As
National Telecommunications Services worldwide undergo deregulation, opening up to an ever-
increasing number of Service Providers, more and more often a Customer's Service Provider is not itself,
either wholly or partially, an Infrastructure Carrier, but acts as an 'Aggregator', deploying Infrastructure
Networks acquired on a wholesale basis for either for long-haul circuits, local 'last mile' access, or both.
Typically, although Infrastructure Carriers may have their own manageable circuit end-points, they do not
typically grant management access to these devices to wholesale customers. Unless the Service Provider
has their own manageable entities at the customer premises they may not be able, without sending an
Engineer to site, to be certain either that an effective connection is made to the customer network, or that
the Infrastructure Carrier's circuit is fully configured and operational. In short, they have little or no
customer premise or 'end-to-end' circuit visibility. This scenario is illustrated in fig. 3 below.
Value-Added
NOC Services
INTERNET
PSTN
(via SIP G/W)
Service Provider
Core Network
Typically
VPLS over MPLS
Infrastructure Carrier Infrastructure Carrier
Ethernet Circuit Ethernet Circuit
(Typ. via wholesale) (Typ. via wholesale)
Problem!
Lack of Management Customer
Customer Visibility here for the SP Site B
Site A
Customer demarcation
(Ethernet connection)
Customer's L2 Switches
Fig. 3: The Ethernet Service Provider may only have visibility to customer connections and the end-
to-end network path by deployment of their own managed Ethernet Demarcation Devices
By introducing their own manageable Ethernet Demarcation Devices, the Service Provider gains
management visibility to the end-points of the network, between Carrier 'tail' circuits and the Customer
LAN.
One requirement for the Service Provider is to keep their own management traffic separated from that of
their Customer(s). This is normally achieved via the use of a dedicated VLAN for Network Management,
within which typically resides the management tools and platforms associated with the Service Provider's
Operations Centre (NOC). It should be possible to terminate a given management VLAN within the
Demarcation Device at the customer premises, in such a manner that management traffic does not
propagate through the customer facing network port(s) of the device. The management VLAN itself may
be designated either via a dedicated 'carrier-class' Q-in-Q S-Tag or alternatively, for less convoluted
multi-Carrier networks, via a more conventional customer C-Tag designation, which requires the Service
Provider to ensure that the customer itself does not use the same VLAN designation for their own traffic
separation and/or prioritisation purposes.
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6. Carrier Ethernet Services
Management visibility Vs. Performance assurance
In order to provide a degree of Management visibility at the customer premise, only a limited capability is
required for Ethernet Demarcation Device functionality. The Service Provider requires to 'see' beyond any
demarcation device deployed by their 'tail circuit' infrastructure carrier, with the ability both to report on
connectivity both towards the network and similarly towards the customer's switched LAN environment. In
general, switch-based demarcation devices, supporting VLAN/prioritisation and software-based
management functionality, accessible via SNMP and/or a command-line interface via Telnet, can be
sufficient. This scenario is illustrated in Fig. 4 below:
Value-Added
NOC Services
Management Ethernet Management
Access Service Provider Access
Core Network
Customer Infrastructure Carrier Infrastructure Carrier Customer
Site A Ethernet Circuit 1 Ethernet Circuit 2 Site B
(Typ. via wholesale) (Typ. via wholesale)
Carrier Circuit 1 Carrier Circuit 2
demarcation demarcation
Service Provider Service Provider
demarcation Basic Ethernet Demarcation Devices provide End- demarcation
Point Manageability, typically via dedicated
Management 'Carrier VLAN' (Q-in-Q S-Tag), or via
protected 'Customer VLAN' (Reserved C-Tag)
Fig. 4: Basic end-point management via cost-effective Ethernet Demarcation Devices such as the
Metrodata FCM8000
In recent times, support for various degrees of Carrier Ethernet 'Operations, Administration and
Management' (OAM) protocols has been promoted, mostly via the auspices of the 'Metro Ethernet Forum'
(MEF), which is active in the promotion of Carrier Ethernet Services.
Relatively simple visibility and connectivity checking of single segment Ethernet connections is supported
by the 'Link OAM', or 'Ethernet First Mile' (EFM) protocol, formalised initially as IEEE 802.3ah, by which it
is still generally best known, albeit that this functionality has now been fully incorporated to the core of the
802.3 standard itself.
An additional level of connectivity assurance is offered by those Demarcation Devices adopting the
'Connectivity Fault Management' (CFM) protocol, sometimes referred to as a member of the 'Service
OAM' (S-OAM) suite, and formalised under IEEE 802.1ag. CFM offers the ability for a number of end-
point devices to establish and monitor a 'community' of reachable end-points corresponding to a
customer's network, which can offer some degree of pro-activity to the Service Provider with regard to
connectivity fault detection.
Above and beyond connectivity management though, customers are increasingly asking of their Service
Providers that they provision multiple traffic streams across their Ethernet 'pipe' connections, to which
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7. Carrier Ethernet Services
potentially different criteria may apply for key network performance parameter, including latency and
delay variation (a.k.a. 'jitter').
In a more advanced deployment, a Service Provider may need to provision multiple services per physical
Ethernet connection. They may then be faced with the challenge to demonstrate to their customer, at the
time of provisioning, that specific performance parameters are complied with for each individual Service
data stream within a given end-to-end Ethernet connection. Such parameters may be detailed within a
tightly defined 'Service Level Agreement' (SLA), to which compliance should be verified.
Furthermore, Service Providers may not only need to demonstrate SLA compliance at the time of
provisioning, but they may be required to subsequently monitor 'in service' traffic and take a pro-active
position with regard to any potential breach of SLA.
Ethernet Demarcation Devices equipped with more advanced packet processing capabilities can offer a
very effective tool to Service Providers in this regard. For example if a Service Provider, from a Network
Management console, can interact with an EDD in such a manner as to configure this device to issue one
or more test traffic streams across the network to a corresponding remote end-point, at which traffic may
be 'looped' and returned, this can be highly beneficial. Such test stream(s) can enable accurate reporting
of throughput, packet loss, latency and delay variation, for the end-to-end network link. Demarcation
Devices with such capabilities are now emerging. Necessarily, such devices contain more than simple
switch and management processing functionality. Dedicated packet processing hardware is required in
order to ensure accurate time-stamping, test collation and reporting in real-time for line rates up to 1Gbps
and beyond.
Another of the Service-OAM protocols, this time the ITU-T's Y.1731 suite, relates to the ability to provide
in-service testing and reporting of SLA compliance, which a number of vendors refer to as 'Performance
Assured Ethernet' (PAE). Fig. 5 below, indicates the use of advanced Ethernet Demarcation Devices,
such as the Metrodata FCM9004, for SLA verification:
Value-Added
NOC Services
Management Ethernet Management
Access Service Provider Access
Core Network
Customer Infrastructure Carrier Infrastructure Carrier Customer
Site A Ethernet Circuit 1 Ethernet Circuit 2 Site B
(Typ. via wholesale) (Typ. via wholesale)
Carrier 1 Carrier 2
Circuit 1 SLA SLA Circuit 2
demarcation demarcation
Service Provider Service Provider
demarcation Service Provider's
End-to-End SLA demarcation
Infrastructure Carriers may offer a clear SLA for their short or long-haul circuits, but this does
not provide full end-to-end SLA assurance. Advanced EDD equipment offers this functionality
Fig. 5: Performance Assured Ethernet with Customer SLA verification via Advanced Ethernet
Demarcation Devices, such as the Metrodata FCM9004.
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8. Carrier Ethernet Services
Metrodata Ltd Ethernet Demarcation Devices
For basic managed Demarcation applications, Metrodata offers the FCM8000 & FCM9000 products,
members of the popular family of 'MetroCONNECT' Ethernet Service Access and LAN Extension
solutions.
The FCM8000 and FCM9000 provide the following common features:
10/100Mbps or 1Gbps Service Delivery:
Copper or Fibre network port, Copper or Fibre user port
VLAN tag-switching (802.1q) & prioritisation (802.1p) with Q-in-Q support
IEEE 802.3ad with LACP support and RSTP for link resilience
Per port traffic Policing/Shaping
Jumbo Frame Support (10k byte)
Management via Console port, Telnet, SNMP & Carrier E'net OAM (802.3ah, 802.1ag CFM)
Service Provider's Management traffic isolation via designated VLAN
Link loss forwarding
Zero-touch provisioning in association with other MetroCONNECT family members
TACACS+ & SSH for secure authentication & access
Fig. 6: Metrodata FCM8000 (front) and FCM9000 (rear) Managed Ethernet Demarcation Devices
For advanced applications, enabling the Service provider to provision and validate end-to-end Ethernet
Performance, Metrodata offers the FCM9004 product. This product offers Copper (RJ45) or Fibre (SFP)
Network Connection up to 1Gbps and up to 4x RJ45 & 1x SFP/Fibre LAN Connections up to 1Gbps.
Fig. 7: Metrodata FCM9004 Advanced Managed Ethernet Demarcation Device
In addition to the features of the more basic managed devices, the FCM9004 offers:
Advanced VLAN Traffic Mapping & Q-in-Q handling
ITU-T Y.1731 for in-service performance monitoring
Core-Edge and End-End Network SLA verification capabilities, including:
Embedded wirespeed test traffic generator with packet time-stamping
Layer 2/3 SA/DA Loopback for assurance measurement over extended networks
Embedded wirespeed SLA calculation & reporting tools
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9. Carrier Ethernet Services
Dedicated hardware Service Assurance Module, 'MetroSAM', ensuring effective SLA
measurements for wire-speed applications to 1Gbps, including:
Sophisticated provisioning and in-service measurement tools
Throughput, Frame Loss, Frame Delay and Frame Delay Variation analysis
Multiple traffic flow characterisation
A typical (simplified) scenario for deployment of the FCM9004, illustrating test-traffic generation and loop-
back during initial circuit provisioning, is represented in Fig. 8 below:
FCM9004 A Core Network FCM9004 B
Customer Site A Customer Site B
NMS
Fig. 8: FCM9004 SLA Verification during initial circuit provisioning
In this scenario, under control from the Service Provider's Network Management console, FCM9004-A is
instructed to instigate loop-back at corresponding end-point FCM9004-B and then to generate and launch
a test traffic stream (or streams) towards FCM9004-B. Using accurate time-stamping and wire-speed
computation, FCM9004-A can provide a detailed analysis of traffic compliance Vs. the customer's
required SLA with respect to throughput, packet loss, circuit latency and latency variation (jitter) per traffic
flow for the A-B connection, as illustrated in fig. 9 below. Thereafter, during in-service use, 'background'
test-packets are exchanged (using mechanisms of the Y.1731 S-OAM protocol) to continually monitor
SLA adherence, alerting the Management Console to any potential breach of required performance
levels.
SLA Verification Testing / Circuit Provisioning
A-end: "Site A" B-end: "Site B" Test Traffic Type: L2, MAC Addr Loop-back
Traffic Parameters Stream 1 Stream 2 Stream 3 Stream 4
Traffic Category: Real-Time High Priority Best-Effort Best-Effort
EVC Number (S-Tag): 100 100 100 100
VLAN Number (C-Tag): 101 102 103 104
Frame Size (Byte): 250 250 1000 10000
Committed SLA
CIR (Mbps): 100 10 0 0
CBS (Bytes):
EIR (Mbps):
Site B
Site A EBS (Bytes):
Core Colour Mode: Blind Blind Blind Blind
Frame loss (%): <0.05 <0.001 N/A N/A
Frame delay (µs): <300 <5000 N/A N/A
NMS
Frame delay variation (µs): <100 <2000 N/A N/A
Test Results
Throughput (Mbps): 100 10 10 80
Lost frames (%): 0.0250 0.0005 0.0100 0.0250
Typical Management Average frame delay (µs): 100 1000 5000 10000
Screen Presentation Frame delay variation (µs): 10 100 250 1000
Pass/Fail Pass Pass Pass Pass
Fig. 9: FCM9004 SLA verification report for end-to-end circuit Site A - Site B
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10. Carrier Ethernet Services
Summary
Infrastructure Carriers and Telecoms Service Providers alike see advantages in the provision of end-to-
end Layer-2 Ethernet connectivity as a solution to their clients' connectivity needs. Some of the
advantages of Ethernet, Vs. the current generation of largely 'Managed Router' services are:
Lower provisioning complexity, no need for IP address schema
Lower costs: Fewer Routers, lower cost CPE & lower complexity
Lower network latency
Protocol-agnostic network
More rigorous QoS with precise end-to-end service levels in terms of throughput, loss, latency
and jitter
Scalable bandwidth
Evolution flexibility: Core network may transition from MPLS/VLPS to pure Ethernet Transport
(e.g. PBB-TE, MPLS-TP) with little or no impact on customer connection configuration
Whilst Infrastructure Carriers utilise their own manageable end-points for the link-services which they
provide, Service Providers generally require their own manageable Demarcation devices if they are to be
able to ensure even the most basic of management visibility, both towards their customers' LAN
connection point and towards their Wide-Area network infrastructure provider's termination point.
By using advanced, and increasingly cost-effective Demarcation Devices, such as the FCM9004 from
Metrodata, the Service Provider is potentially able to gain a high degree of Performance Assurance in
relation to their customers' end-to-end Ethernet networks. By deployment of Demarcation Devices based
on architectures incorporating custom packet-processing hardware for the generation of test-traffic, loop-
back and data collation, the Service Provider can verify, both at the time of circuit provisioning and
subsequently in-service, that their service meets stringent SLAs increasingly being demanded by their
customers. Such SLAs may relate not only to the Ethernet service 'pipe' between sites, but to multiple
traffic streams, of different types and potentially demanding different levels of performance in relation to
the key parameters of throughput, packet loss, latency and jitter, contained within the service pipe.
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