Evolution to a Converged Layer 1, 2 in a Global-Scale, Native Ethernet Over WDM-Based Optical Networking Architecture

There is an emerging wide interest to transition from legacy WAN transport technologies to Ethernet-based technology. The current round of carrier Ethernet standards will successfully equip service providers (SPs) with the required tools to provide carrier-grade scalability and to provision and engineer connection-oriented point-to-point (P2P) packet trunks across a native Ethernet infrastructure. Building on these standards, this paper demonstrates how to support and implement full traffic engineering in a global-scale, two-tiered native Ethernet-over-WDM optical networking architecture. To achieve these objectives, several networking innovations are presented and developed including: 1) a GMPLS-based unified control plane that offers a tighter integration between layer-1 (optical transport layer) and layer-2 (Ethernet layer), 2) a fully distributed integrated routing and signaling framework for dynamically provisioning Ethernet switched paths (ESPs) at any bandwidth granularity including both full wavelength and finer granularity (sub-lambda) ESPs in an integrated Ethernet-optical networking environment, and 3) a novel notion of an integrated link-state advertisements strategy that is consistent with a fully integrated routing and signaling protocol     

Next-generation 100-gigabit metro ethernet (100 GbME) using multiwavelength optical rings

This paper investigates the challenges for developing the current local area network (LAN)-based Ethernet protocol into a technology for future network architectures that is capable of satisfying dynamic traffic demands with hard service guarantees using high-bit-rate channels (80...100 Gb/s). The objective is to combine high-speed optical transmission and physical interfaces (PHY) with a medium access control (MAC) protocol, designed to meet the service guarantees in future metropolitan-area networks (MANs). Ethernet is an ideal candidate for the extension into the MAN as it allows seamless compatibility with the majority of existing LANs. The proposed extension of the MAC protocol focuses on backward compatibility as well as on the exploitation of the wavelength domain for routing of variable traffic demands. The high bit rates envisaged will easily exhaust the capacity of a single optical fiber in the C band and will require network algorithms optimizing the reuse of wavelength resources. To investigate this, four different static and dynamic optical architectures were studied that potentially offer advantages over current link-based designs. Both analytical and numerical modeling techniques were applied to quantify and compare the network performance for all architectures in terms of achievable throughput, delay, and the number of required wavelengths and to investigate the impact of nonuniform traffic demands. The results show that significant resource savings can be achieved by using end-to-end dynamic lightpath allocation, but at the expense of high delay.     

Efficient multicasting and broadcasting in layer 2 provider backbone networks

Ethernet has grown from its roots in LANs to contend in previously unchartered territory of MANs and WANs. A slew of projects underway in the IEEE 802 standards bodies plan to groom Ethernet with carrier grade features like high availability, fault management, and resiliency thus far found only in other circuit-switched technologies. These include, among others, IEEE 802.1ag (connectivity fault management), IEEE 802.1ad (provider bridges), and IEEE 802.1ah (provider backbone bridges). IEEE 802.1ah addresses the service and MAC address scalability of provider backbone bridges. Since Ethernet has been architected and designed for a shared medium, it inherently handles broadcast and multicast traffic very efficiently, unlike layer 3 technologies, where multicasting and broadcasting rely on using multiple point-to-point connections. With IEEE 802.1ah, Ethernet would be able to provide millions of service instances in a provider backbone network. While flooding of frames in a LAN may provide for good multicasting, flooding of data in a MAN or WAN could mean huge bandwidth wastages, especially when the remote peers are geographically distant, and the traffic is not necessarily destined to any of its local ports of the peers. In this article we explore technologies to Address efficient multicasting in provider backbone networks. We also consider extending this technology to address unknown unicast floods and efficient proxy of customer multicast frames.     

以太网的环路检测技术

以太网在局域网中取得了巨大的成功,但是在城域网应用领域中仍需要解决网络环路的相关问题。根据不同的以太网应用领域,文章分析了几种环路检测的解决方案,包括生成树协议(STP)、以太网环路保护切换协议(ERPS)、环回检测和成环点定位技术。其中,成环点定位技术新颖实用,非常适合各种以太网局域网和城域网,对于以太网的运行和维护都有很大的意义。目前,全球的标准组织均正在积极对以太网环路检测技术进行标准化,随着标准的不断成熟,以太网的环路检测技术将逐步降低以太网的环路风险,提高以太网的可靠性,便于网络的管理。     

Metropolitan-area networks

Metropolitan-area networks (MAN), which fill the gap between local area networks (LANs) and wide-area networks (WANs), are discussed. MANs were originally oriented toward data, but now often carry voice and video traffic as well. Supplying more bandwidth than LANs, they support two-way communication over a shared medium such as an optical-fiber cable, and may offer point-to-point high-speed circuits or packet-switched communication. The two most favored topologies, double-star and double-ring, are described and emerging MAN protocols are examined     

Next generation local area networks

Many people now consider the local area network (LAN) to which their desktop personal computer (PC) is attached to be more important to them than the telephone network, resulting in a drive to increase both the performance and the reliability of LANs. This paper examines the key drivers for new LAN technologies, summarising LAN developments over previous years. It then looks at possible options for future LANs, which will need to evolve to meet changing traffic patterns brought about by widespread use of intranets and multimedia applications. This encompasses both new technologies such as Gigabit Ethernet, and new architectures such as virtual LANs (VLANs), multi-protocol over ATM (MPOA) and multi-protocol over LANs (MPOL).     

Flight of the FALCON [ATM]

The fabric-based ATM oriented local connectivity (FALCON), an ATM-based customer premises network (CPN), is described. FALCON supports access using traditional local area networks (LANs) such as Ethernet and token rings and supports a LAN emulation mode for its native ATM interface. This service allows a set of terminals, workstations, and servers to connect to the switch-based network and to interact as if they were attached to a traditional LAN. FALCON's backbone structure is based exclusively on ATM technology, all following CCITT or industry standards wherever they apply. The FALCON control structure is outlined     

Topological design of interconnected LAN/MAN networks

The authors describe a methodology for designing interconnected LAN/MAN networks with the objective of minimizing the average network delay. They consider IEEE 802 standard LANs interconnected by transparent bridges. These bridges are required to form a spanning tree topology. The authors propose a simulated annealing-based algorithm for designing minimum delay spanning tree topologies. In order to measure the quality of the solutions, a lower bound for the average network delay is found. The algorithm is extended to design the overall LAN/MAN topology consisting of a MAN or high-speed data service interconnecting several clusters of bridged LANs. Comparison with the lower bound and several other measures show that the solutions are not very far from the global minimum     

The road to carrier-grade ethernet - [Topics in optical communications]

Carrier-grade Ethernet is the latest step in the three-decade development of Ethernet. This work describes the evolution of Ethernet technology from LAN toward a carrier-grade operation through an overview of recent enhancements. After reviewing native Ethernet and its transport shortcomings, we introduce the major carrier-grade upgrades. We first discuss the evolution of layer-2 architectures. Then, we detail the service specifications and their QoS and traffic engineering requirements. Finally, we describe the new OAM and resilience mechanisms.     

High bandwidth metropolitan area networking architecture

The evolution of optical transmission media and laser technology has made bandwidth an abundant commodity rather than a scarce one. This factor has been clearly recognized by the communications community. As a result metropolitan area networks have been described by some as an extension of local area networks, with the major distinction being that MANs cover a larger distance than LANs. There are several limitations to the approach of simply extending LAN technology to the MAN environment. In this paper a new perspective on MAN architecture is provided that differs from the evolving LAN architecture.     

Optical local area network technologies

To utilize the large bandwidth of optical fiber, optical LANs must employ architectures that fundamentally differ from current single-channel LAN architectures. With computer processor speeds continuing to grow exponentially and multimedia applications growing even faster, there is a strong need for higher-speed local area networks (LANs) that can handle the traffic generated by tomorrow's LAN users. Optical fiber is well suited for high-speed traffic transport, but the busty nature of computer traffic and large number of users makes it difficult to utilize the fiber's capacity in LANs. The incorporation of multiple payload channels in future LANs is seen as a necessity; WDM is a good candidate for achieving this. The rapidly improving optical component technologies allow more flexible WDM architecture designs for various emerging applications     

The Demand Priority MAC protocol

A new technology needs to offer more than just 100 Mb/s. To succeed in the LAN marketplace, a new LAN technology must be very cost competitive with the established LANs, such as Ethernet and Token Ring, while also providing backwards compatibility with existing network software. We describe a new 100-Mb/s LAN technology that has these characteristics This technology is being defined as an open standard within the IEEE Project 802.12 Demand Priority group. Two important objectives were established for this LAN technology: first, it should be able to use the unshielded twisted pair (UTP) wiring found in a large number of installations and, in particular, to use the same wiring as defined for use in 1OBase-T. This objective was later extended to encompass support for the shielded twisted pair (STP) used for IEEE 802.5. This will enable the majority of current LAN users to benefit from their enormous investment in cable plant. The second objective was that the network should support new applications, such as video conferencing and remote training, while also providing backwards compatibility with the massive installed software base. Both objectives have been met. The Demand Priority MAC protocol currently being standardized in IEEE 802.12, offers substantial benefits over the CSMA/CD protocol of IEEE 802.3. By preserving both the current wiring infrastructure and investment in software, and by using the very simple Demand Priority MAC protocol, 100 Mb/s LANs could soon be as low-cost as 10Base-T is today     

100Base-T/IEEE 802.12/packet switching

Three LAN technologies look set to satisfy the ever-increasing demand for LAN bandwidth. Two of these technologies are 100 Mb/s shared-medium LANs: 100Base-T (aka IEEE 802.3 Fast Ethernet) and IEEE 802.12 (aka 100VG-AnyLAN or 100VG). The third technology is packet switching, which is really an extension of existing LAN bridge technology, but offers excellent performance gains at very low cost. The authors describe the three technologies and provide a comparison between the two 100 Mb/s LANs. Also presented are results that compare the measured performance of 100 Mb/s shared-medium LANs with switched LANs     

Ed-net; A multi-Protocol educational local area network

The last decade has witnessed tremendous productivity in the field of local area networks (LANs). The productivity has ranged from many different available commercial LANs to detailed technical analyses, performance evaluation models and simulation results. The need now arises for networks to teach students in university and engineers in industry how to build and design LANs. The purpose of this paper is to present the Ed-Net; a multi-protocol local area network for educational and design purposes. The network uses available VLSI chips that implement LAN protocols. The intelligent co-processors LAN controllers such as INTEL 82586 for the Ethernet and Western Digital WD 2840 for the token-passing are used. Also advanced encoder/decoder chips such as Seeq 8023 and Harris HD-6409 are utilized. Ed-Net can be configured as an Ethernet, or a tokenpassing bus. Number of experiments can be run on the network. These experiments range from: interfacing the main CPU to the LAN controller, memory sharing, FIFO and DMA operation, error detection, and synchronization to framing, data encryption and successful transmission and reception.     

IP网络传输技术的研究与发展

分析了IP网络传输技术的现状和以太网技术的发展 ,研究了几种新的以太网传输技术 ,提出了以太网技术将覆盖从LAN、MAN乃至WAN ,成为全面构建下一代网络主流技术的新观点。     

基于OPNET交换式局域网仿真建模与分析

常规局域网存在信道利用率不高、时延较大的问题,用户迫切需求使用一种方便快捷、性能良好的网络。针对这一问题,提出了常规局域网的一种改进方式---交换式局域网（ Switching LAN）。介绍了OPNET仿真软件的主要特性、建模机制及仿真步骤。采用OPNET网络仿真软件设计实验,根据2种网络特点建立不同的场景并进行仿真,并通过对比以太网时延、接收数据包流量、数据包冲突数目在不同场景时的变化,证明了交换式局域网的性能明显优于常规局域网。     

光纤以太网技术在城域网中的应用

光纤以太网网是指在光纤上运行以太网局域网（LAN）数据包接入服务的网络，底层连接可以以任何标准的以太网速度运行，包括10Mbit/s、100Mbit/s、1Gbit/s或10Gbit/s。光纤以及网把以太网技术扩展到LAN之外，进入城域网（MAN）。光纤以太网也将以太网的优越性扩展到了MAN，大大降低了运营商的网络建设成本。     

Design and implementation of an RSVP-based quality of servicearchitecture for an integrated services Internet

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is currently in the process of overhauling the architecture of the Internet to meet new challenges and support new applications. One of the most important components of that venture is the enhancement of the Internet service model from a classless best effort service architecture to an integrated services architecture supporting a multitude of classes and types of services. This paper presents the design, implementation, and experiences with a protocol architecture for the integrated services Internet. It is based on the emerging standards for resource reservation in the Internet, namely, the RSVP protocol and the associated service specifications defined by the IETF. Our architecture represents a major functional enhancement to the traditional TCP/IP protocol stack. It is scalable in terms of performance and number of network sessions, and supports a wide variety of network interfaces ranging from legacy LAN interfaces, such as Token Ring and Ethernet, to high-speed ATM interfaces. The paper also describes the implementation of this architecture on the IBM AIX platform and our experiences with the system. We then present a performance analysis of the system which quantifies the overheads imposed by all components of the QoS support, such as traffic policing, traffic shaping, and buffer management     

Internetting LAN's and MAN's to B-ISDN's for connectionless trafficsupport

One of the challenges in the interconnection of LANs and MANs to asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks is the support of connectionless traffic in the ATM network. A commonly proposed strategy consists of maintaining a thin, low bandwidth virtual path (VP) between each pair of gateways and requesting more bandwidth whenever a burst comes in from the LAN or MAN. Unfortunately, this strategy places a heavy burden on the ATM control processors; furthermore, it is overly conservative in the use of bandwidth. An alternative solution is proposed: on the-fly tranmission of bursts without prior bandwidth reservation. The key conditions for this scheme to work are the use of the cell loss priority (CLP) bit in the ATM cell header and the knowledge of available bandwidth on the path through bandwidth advertising. An on-the-fly strategy for connectionless traffic is described and is compared with a bandwidth renegotiation strategy     

Provider link state bridging

Wide area communications technology has been challenged to virtualize large numbers of Ethernet LAN segments. This is a consequence of a mismatch between the broadcast nature of the LAN segment and the extremely constrained connectivity implied by the p2p connections or tunnels available in the WAN environment, which have been combined to create virtual LAN segments. PBB-TE has been a practical demonstration of how filtering applied to a broadcast media can result in a connection. This article introduces provider link state bridging (PLSB), which adds a control plane to the PBB data plane in order to extend the techniques for manipulation of Ethernet bridges for unicast paths pioneered by PBB-TE. PLSB solves the problem of largescale virtualization of LAN segments over an Ethernet infrastructure by applying advances in computation performance to the multicast capabilities inherent in the Ethernet data plane. The result is that the fundamental primitives of connectivity today, the broadcast LAN segment and the connection, can be virtualized in a scalable manner on a common (but substantially larger and better utilized) Ethernet-based infrastructure.