Layer 2 Virtual Private Networks (l2vpn)

Last Modified: 2005-10-27

Chair(s):

  • mailto:Shane.Amante@Level3.com

  • mailto:vach.kompella@alcatel.com

    Internet Area Director(s):

  • mailto:townsley@cisco.com

  • mailto:margaret@thingmagic.com

    Internet Area Advisor:

  • mailto:townsley@cisco.com

    Technical Advisor(s):

  • mailto:housley@vigilsec.com

  • mailto:zinin@psg.com

    Mailing Lists:

    General Discussion: l2vpn@ietf.org
    To Subscribe: https://www1.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/l2vpn
    Archive: http://www.ietf.org/mail-archive/web/l2vpn/index.html

    Description of Working Group:

    Alex Zinin is the routing advisor.
    Russ Housley is the security advisor.

    This working group is responsible for defining and specifying a
    limited number of solutions for supporting provider-provisioned
    layer-2 virtual private networks (L2VPNs).

    The WG is responsible for standardization of the following solutions:

    1. Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS)--L2 service that emulates LAN
      across an IP and an MPLS-enabled IP network, allowing standard
      Ethernet devices communicate with each other as if they were
      connected to a common LAN segment.
     
    2. Virtual Private Wire Service (VPWS)--L2 service that provides L2
      point-to-point connectivity (e.g. Frame Relay DLCI, ATM VPI/VCI,
      point-to-point Ethernet) across an IP and an MPLS-enabled IP
    network.

    3. IP-only VPNs -- An L2 service across an IP and MPLS-enabled IP
      network, allowing standard IP devices to communicate with each
      other as if they were connected to a common LAN or with some mesh
      of point-to-point circuits (not necessarily fully meshed).  The WG
      will address both of the following cases:
       
      - the customer attachment uses the same L2 protocol at all
        attachment points in the L2VPN.

      - the customer attachment uses different L2 protocols at the
        attachment points in the L2VPN. This case is intended to address
        the needs of service providers who may start out with a single L2
        protocol at attachment points, but wish to incrementally upgrade
        individual attachment points over time to newer technologies. This
        is a restricted form of "interworking" that is limited to
        providing the facilities necessary to carry IP over the L2VPN;
        general L2 interworking is not in scope.


    The WG will address intra-AS scenarios only at this point (other
    scenarios will be considered for inclusion in the updated charter when
    the current one is completed.)
         
    As a general rule, the WG will not create new protocols, but will
    provide functional requirements for extensions of the existing
    protocols that will be discussed in the protocol-specific WGs.
    As a specific example, this WG will not define new encapsulation
    mechanism, but will use those defined in the PWE3 WG.
    L2VPN WG will review proposed protocol extensions for L2VPNs before
    they are recommended to appropriate protocol-specific WGs.

    The WG will work on the following items. Adding new work items will
    require rechartering.

    1. Discovery of PEs participating in L2 service, and topology of
      required connectivity

    2. Signaling of l2vpn related information for the purpose of
      setup and maintenance of l2vpn circuits. As much as possible
      PWE3 signaling procedures should be used

    3. Solution documents (providing the framework for a specific
      solution, should include info on how discovery, signaling,
      and encaps work together, include security, AS as a separate
      document)

    4. MIBs
         
    5. L2VPN-specific OAM extensions--extensions to existing OAM
      solutions for VPLS, VPWS, and IP-only L2VPNs.

    Where necessary, the WG will coordinate its activities with IEEE 802.1

    Goals and Milestones:

    Aug 2003    Submit an I-D describing MIB for VPLS
    Aug 2003    Submit an I-D describing MIB for VPWS
    Aug 2003    Submit an I-D on OAM for VPLS
    Aug 2003    Submit an I-D on OAM for VPWS
    Oct 2003    Submit L2 requirements to IESG for publication as Informational RFC
    Done    Identify VPLS and VPWS solutions for the WG
    Done    Submit L2 framework to IESG for publication as Informational RFC
    Dec 2003    Submit VPLS solution documents to IESG
    Dec 2003    Submit VPWS solution documents to IESG
    Jan 2004    Submit IP-only L2VPN solution documents to IESG
    Feb 2004    Submit MIB for VPLS to IESG
    Feb 2004    Submit MIB for VPWS to IESG
    Mar 2004    Submit OAM for VPWS to IESG
    Mar 2004    Submit OAM for VPLS to IESG
    Apr 2004    Submit OAM for IP L2VPN to IESG

    Internet-Drafts:

    Framework for Layer 2 Virtual Private Networks (L2VPNs) (98656 bytes)
    Service Requirements for Layer 2 Provider Provisioned Virtual Private Networks (67624 bytes)
    Virtual Private LAN Service (66867 bytes)
    Virtual Private LAN Services over MPLS (68139 bytes)
    Provisioning, Autodiscovery, and Signaling in L2VPNs (72418 bytes)
    IP-Only LAN Service (IPLS) (57742 bytes)
    Using RADIUS for PE-Based VPN Discovery (29686 bytes)
    L2VPN OAM Requirements and Framework (68298 bytes)
    ARP Mediation for IP Interworking of Layer 2 VPN (39804 bytes)
    OAM Procedures for VPWS Interworking (61675 bytes)
    Requirements for Multicast Support in Virtual Private LAN Services (56317 bytes)
    Multicast in VPLS (43284 bytes)

    No Request For Comments

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