This document provides an overview of Metro Ethernet (ME) concepts and technology. It defines ME as a carrier-class Ethernet service defined by five attributes that distinguish it from traditional Ethernet networks. The document discusses ME drivers like simplicity and transport flexibility. It also covers ME technologies like Ethernet, MPLS, VPLS, and various access methods. The author is Anuradha Udunuwara, a chartered engineer with experience in telecom network design and implementation.

1. METRO ETHERNET (ME)
OCTOBER 2012
By Eng. Anuradha Udunuwara,
BSc.Eng(Hons), CEng, MIE(SL), MEF-CECP, MBCS, ITILv3 Foundation, MIEEE, MIEEE-CS, MIEE, MIET, MCS(SL), MSLAAS

2. Agenda
2
 ME concepts
 ME technology
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

3. 3
ME concepts
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

4. Ethernet vs. ME
4
 Ethernet
 a transport technology
 an interface
 a protocol (the 1st asynchronous protocol designed to carry
data)
 ME
 a service (with defined set of attributes)
 ME = Carrier Ethernet (CE)
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

5. 5
What is CE?
definition
 Carrier Ethernet is a ubiquitous, standardized,
carrier-class SERVICE defined by 5 attributes that
distinguish Carrier Ethernet from familiar Local Area
Network (LAN) based Ethernet
Source: MEF (http://metroethernetforum.org/page_loader.php?p_id=140)
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

6. Attributes
6
Source: MEF (http://metroethernetforum.org/page_loader.php?p_id=140)
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

7. ME drivers
7
1. Simplicity
2. Any transport
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

8. 8
Yesterday
LAN Point to Point Protocol (PPP)/HDLC LAN
Ethernet Ethernet
Today (ME)
LAN Ethernet
LAN
Ethernet Ethernet
Routing over Ethernet is simple and more scalable than routing over many Point to Point (PP) links.
•Routing Information Protocol (RIP) can broadcast or multicast updates
•Intermediate System to Intermediate System (ISIS) & Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) form a single adjacency per LAN
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

9. ME
9
Wired Wireless
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

10. The stack
10
Internet Protocol
(IP) based IP-Virtual Private Network (VPN), IP Television (TV)……
Services
Ethernet
Connectivity E-LINE (ex:-VLL), E-LAN (ex:-VPLS), E-Tree, E-Access
Services
Connectivity
service VLAN (QinQ), MAC in MAC, Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS)
Transport
separation
Multiple
transport xPON, Ethernet, G.SHDSL, wireless, SONET/SDH, xWDM….
technologies
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

11. 11
E-Line E-LAN
 Ethernet Private Line
(EPL)
E-Tree
 Ethernet Virtual Private
Line (EVPL)
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

12. EPL vs. EPVL
12
User to Network Interface (UNI)
CE
Customer Edge (CE)
EPL
EPVL
Multiplexed service
UNI: Virtual LAN (VLAN)/S-VLAN/Ethernet Port
Network to Network Interface (NNI): MPLS (LDP,RSVP,BGP) LSP
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

13. L2 Switch vs. Metro Ethernet Network (MEN)
13
L2 Switch
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

14. L2 switching vs. L3 Routing
14
 Until the destination is  Does not flood the
found the network is network
flooded
 VLAN reduces
unnecessary flooding
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

15. L2 switching
15
 Media Access Control (MAC) based
 VLAN based
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

16. L2 switch
16
• MAC learning table (forwarding table)
– MAC/VLAN <-> port
• VLAN table – identification/separation (used
for tagging/un tagging)
– VLAN <-> port
A VLAN is assigned to a port by the switch. This is not
dynamic. Need to provision.
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

17. Functions of a L2 Switch
17
 MAC learning (populating the MAC/VLAN table)
 Forwarding (uses MAC/VALN table)
 If a computer does not send traffic (silent), then all
the traffic coming to that computer come as
flooding (the switch learns the computers MAC by
the source MAC).
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

18. Broadcasting
18
 Ex:- server advertises its presence to the clients
Single
Client Client
broadcast
domain
L2 Switch
(flood)
Server (broadcast)
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

19. QinQ aka stacked VLANs
19
 = Institution of Electrical & Electronic Engineers
(IEEE) 802.1QiQ = IEEE 802.1ad (provider
bridging)
 [customer (C)-VLAN inner, Service provider (S)-
VLAN outer]
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

20. MAC in MAC
20
 PBB = Provider Backbone bridging = IEEE 802.1ah
 VLAN + MAC
 PBB-Traffic Engineering = PBB-TE = IEEE 802.1Qay
 VLAN + MAC + TE
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

21. EFM = Ethernet in the First Mile = IEEE 802.3ah
21
 2 Base – TL (2Mbps min, Base Band, Twisted pair
Cu, Long Reach)
 10 Pass – TS (10Mbps min, Pass Band, Twisted pair
Cu, Short Reach)
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

22. MPLS
22
 IP/MPLS is one of the ways to path engineer an
Ethernet frame
Service
MPLS
Transport
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

23. EoMPLS (Ethernet over MPLS)
23
 Port based
 VLAN based
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

24. Transport MPLS (T-MPLS)
24
 Started as MPLS-TP (Transport Profile)
 T-MPLS = IP/MPLS - IP
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

25. Virtual Private LAN services (VPLS)
25
 RFC 4761 – VPLS with Border Gateway Protocol
(BGP) (end points are auto discovered)
 RFC 4762 – VPLS with Label Distribution Protocol
(LDP) (end points need to be manually configured)
 or use BGP auto discovery feature
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

26. Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC)
26
Fiber Coax
x
HFC {FTTx ; x= Curb, Node, Building}
FTTP (premise) {Passive Optical Network (PON),
Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM)}
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

27. Wireless backhaul using Ethernet
(Radio Access Networks –RAN)
27
 Wi-Fi, WiMAX – ex:- EoMPLS
 GSM – EoSDH
CES 2, 2.5G 3G WIMAX
E-LINE TDM (E1) ATM Ethernet,IP
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

28. ME Technology

29. Types of Networks
29
1.Local Area Network (LAN)
2.Wide Area Network (WAN)
3.Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

30. LAN
30
•A group of computers and network communication devices interconnected within
a geographically limited area, such as a building
• Characterized by,
• Transfer data at high speeds
• Exist in a limited geographical area
• Resources are managed by the company running the LAN.
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

31. WAN
31
•Interconnects LANs
• Characterized by,
• Transfer data at low speeds
• Exist in an unlimited geographical area
• Interconnects multiple LANs
• Connectivity and Resources are managed by a Telephone Company
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

32. Why Ethernet ?
32
 Most common Interface today
 Cost effective
 Supports very high Bandwidths (upto 10 Gbps)
 Flexible upgrades within a wide range (ex: 1Mbps to 1Gbps)
 Easy and simple to manage and maintain
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

33. L1, L2
33
 Connection Oriented
 Circuit Switched
Ex:-Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Asynchronous
Transfer Mode (ATM), Frame Relay (FR)
 FR and ATM have a Virtual Circuit (VC) identifier
(VCI/VPI Virtual Channel Identifier/Virtual Path
Identifier). Therefore, we do not have to create labels.
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

34. L3
34
 Connectionless
 Packet Switched
Ex:-IP
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

35. L2 & L3
35
 Traffic is switched
 Control signal is routed
Ex:-IP/MPLS
 Ethernet does not have a label. Therefore, we have
to create labels. One way is using MPLS.
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

36. Why MPLS for Ethernet Services (EoMPLS)?
36
 More Scalable (Free label Space)
 Sub 50msec resiliency (MPLS Fast Reroute (FRR))
 Traffic Engineering (RSVP-TE)
 Hierarchical QoS (HQoS)
 Easy and simple to operate and maintain
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

37. Ethernet over MPLS over Ethernet
IP
37
.1q Ethernet
MPLS Service label=VC label=inner label
MPLS or GRE Outer label
Ethernet
GE,10GE etc.
Physical Physical Network
Ethernet Service Switch
Service
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara
Traffic

38. The world of headers
38
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

39. Ethernet frame: Get me to the other side
39
RSVP-TE signaling
B D
A LDP signaling session (TCP port 646)
E
C
Ethernet Ethernet
MPLS
Outer label 1 Outer label 2 Outer label 3 Outer label 4
Inner label Inner label Inner label Inner label
Ethernet Ethernet Ethernet Ethernet Ethernet Ethernet
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

40. Redundancy
40
Protection Restoration
(before *) (after *)
Global Local Global Local
Ex: standby LSP Ex: Secondary Ex: Detour LSP
LSP in FRR
* failure
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

41. High Speed Resiliency
41
- The switchover from the working link to the protection link will happen within
sub 50ms to ensure that no impact on real time applications
- In an EoMPLS, MPLS FRR enables this feature
D 1
B
2 E
A 3
Primary Path
C
Secondary Path
Detour Path (c) Anuradha Udunuwara

42. RSVP + CSPF (=OSPF-TE)
42
RSVP - TE
FRR
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

43. QoS
43
 Latency (delay)
 Jitter (variation in delay) SLA
 Packet loss
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara

44. About the Author
44
Eng. Anuradha Udunuwara is a Chartered Engineer by profession based in Sri Lanka. He has nearly a decade
industry experience in strategy, architecture, engineering, design, plan, implementation and maintenance of CSP
Networks using both packet-switched (PS) and Circuit-Switched (CS) technologies, along with legacy to NGN
migration. Eng. Anuradha is a well-known in the field of CSP industry, both locally and internationally.
Graduated from University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka in 2001 with an honors in Electrical & Electronic Engineering,
Eng. Anuradha is a corporate member of the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka, a professional member of British
Computer Society, a member of Institution of Electrical & Electronic Engineers, a member of Institution of
Engineering & Technology (formerly Institution of Electrical Engineers), a member of the Computer Society of Sri
Lanka, a life member of Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science, senior member of the Carrier
Ethernet Forum, member of the Internet Society, member of the Internet Strategy Forum, member of the Internet
Strategy Forum Network, member of the Ethernet Academy, member of the NGN/IMS forum and member of the
Peradeniya Engineering Faculty Alumni Association. He is also an ITIL foundation certified and the only MEF-CECP in
the country.
In his spare time Anuradha enjoys spending time with his family, playing badminton, photography, reading and
travelling.
He can be reached at udunuwara@ieee.org
(c) Anuradha Udunuwara