Multiprotocol Label Switching

The future of IP Backbone Technology

Ravikumar Pragada
&
Girish Srinivasan

1
 Overview
• Need for MPLS
• MPLS Basics
• Benefits
• Label Switched Path
• Label Distribution Protocol
• Hierarchy in MPLS
• Explicit Routing
• Loop Detection
• Traffic Engineering
• Constraint Based Routing
• Tag Switching
• IP Switching

2
 Conventional IP Networks & Routing
• Client networks are connected to backbone via edge routers
– LAN, PSTN, ADSL
• Data packets are routed based on IP address and other information in the header
• Functional components
– Forwarding
• responsible for actual forwarding across a router
• consists of set of procedures to make forwarding decisions
– Control
• responsible for construction and maintenance of the forwarding table
• consists of routing protocols such as OSPF, BGP and PIM
 Need for Multiprotocol Label
Switching (MPLS)
• Forwarding function of a conventional router
– a capacity demanding procedure
– constitutes a bottle neck with increase in line speed
• MPLS simplifies forwarding function by taking a
totally different approach by introducing a connection
oriented mechanism inside the connectionless IP
networks

4
 Label Switching
• Decomposition of network layer routing into
control and forwarding components
applicable
• Label switching forwarding component
algorithm uses
– forwarding table
– label carried in the packet
• What is a Label ?
– Short fixed length entity
5
 MPLS Basics
• A Label Switched Path (LSP) is set up for each route
• A LSP for a particular packet P is a sequence of routers,
<R1,R2………..Rn>
for all i, 1< i < n: Ri transmits P to R[i+1] by means
of a label
• Edge routers
– analyze the IP header to decide which LSP to use
– add a corresponding local Label Switched Path Identifier, in the form of a
label
– forward the packet to the next hop

6
 MPLS Basics contd..
• Subsequent nodes
– just forward the packet along the LSP
– simplify the forwarding function greatly
– increase performance and scalability dramatically
• New advanced functionality for QoS, differentiated
services can be introduced in the edge routers
• Backbone can focus on capacity and performance
• Routing information obtained using a common intra
domain routing protocol such as OSPF

7
 Basic Model for MPLS Network

Internet

LER
IP
LER
LSR
LSR

MPLS
LSR MPLS
LSR

LER IP

LSR = Label Switched Router

LER = Label Edge Router 8
 MPLS Benefits
Comparing MPLS with existing IP core and IP/ATM
technologies, MPLS has many advantages and benefits:
• The performance characteristics of layer 2 networks
• The connectivity and network services of layer 3 networks
• Improves the price/performance of network layer routing
• Improved scalability

9
 MPLS Benefits contd..
• Improves the possibilities for traffic
engineering
• Supports the delivery of services with QoS
guarantees
• Avoids need for coordination of IP and
ATM address allocation and routing
information

10
 Necessity of L3 Forwarding
• For security
– To allow packet filtering at firewalls
– Requires examination of packet contents,
including the IP header
• For forwarding at the initial router - used
when hosts don’t do MPLS
• For Scaling
– Forward on a finer granularity than the labels
can provide
11
 Carrying a Label
• Certain link layer technologies can carry
label as a part of their link layer header
– e.g ATM & Frame Relay
• Link layers that do not support labels in
their header carry them in a “shim” label
header
Link layer “Shim” label Network Network
header header layer header layer data

12
Establishing Label Switched Path
• LSPs are generated and maintained in a
distributed fashion
• Each LSR negotiates a label for each
Forwarding Equivalence Class (FEC) with
its upstream and downstream neighbors
using a distribution method
• Label Information Base (LIB) - Result of
negotiation
13
 LDP - Terminology
• Label Distribution Protocol (LDP)
– set of procedures by which LSRs establish LSPs
– mapping between network-layer routing information
directly to data-link layer switched paths
• LDP peers:
– two LSRs which use LDP to exchange label/stream
mapping
– information exchange known as “LDP Session”

14
 LDP Message Exchange
• Discovery messages - used to announce and
maintain the presence of an LSR
• Session messages - used to establish, maintain and
terminate sessions between LDP peers
• Advertisement messages - used to create, change,
and delete label mappings
• Notification messages - used to provide advisory
information and to signal error information

15
 LDP Message Format
0 1 2 3
01234567890123456789012345678901
U Message Type Message Length

Message ID

Mandatory Parameters

Optional Parameters

16
LDP Protocol Data Units (PDUs)
• LDP message exchanges are accomplished
by sending LDP PDUs
• Each LDP PDU is an LDP header followed
by LDP message
• The LDP header is:
0 1 2 3
01234567890123456789012345678901
Version PDULength

LDP Identifier

17
 Forwarding Equivalence Class
(FEC)
• Introduced in MPLS standards to denote packet forwarding
classes
• Comprises traffic
– to a particular destination
– to destination with distinct service requirements
• Why FEC?
– To precisely specify which IP packets are mapped to each LSP
– Done by providing a FEC specification for each LSP

18
 LSP - FEC Mapping

• FEC specified as a set of two elements

(currently)
1. IP Address Prefix - any length from 0 - 32
2. Host Address - 32 bit IP address
• A given packet matches a particular LSP if and
only if IP Address Prefix FEC element matches
packet’s IP destination address

19
Rules for Mapping packet to a LSP
• If exactly one LSP’s Host Address FEC element ~ packet’s IP destination
address, packet is mapped to that LSP
• If there are multiple LSPs satisfying the above condition, then the packet
is mapped to one of those LSPs†
• If a packet matches exactly one LSP, packet is mapped to that LSP
• If packet matches multiple LSPs, mapped to one with the longest prefix
match
† WhichLSPtobechosen-outsidethescopeofthispresentation

20
 Label Spaces
• Useful for assignment and distribution of labels
• Two types of label spaces
– Per interface label space: Interface-specific labels
used for interfaces that use interface resources for
labels
– Per platform label space: Platform-wide incoming
labels used for interfaces that can share the same
label space

21
 LDP Identifiers
• A six octet quantity
• used to identify specific label space within an LSR
• First four octets encode LSR’s IP address
• Last two octets identify specific label space
• Representation <IP address> : <label space id>
– e.g., 171.32.27.28:0, 192.0.3.5:2
• Last two octets for platform-wide label spaces are
always both zero

22
 LDP Discovery
• A mechanism that enables an LSR to discover
potential LDP peers
• Avoids unnecessary explicit configuration of
LSR label switching peers
• Two variants of the discovery mechanism
– basic discovery mechanism: used to discover LSR
neighbors that are directly connected at the link level
– extended discovery mechanism: used to locate LSRs
that are not directly connected at the link level
23
 LDP Discovery contd..
• Basic discovery mechanism
– To engage - send LDP Hellos periodically
– LDP Hellos sent as UDP packets for all routers on that subnet
• Extended discovery mechanism
– To engage - send LDP targeted Hellos periodically
– Targeted Hellos are sent to a specific address
– Targeted LSR decides whether to respond or to ignore the targeted Hello
• LDP Link Hello sent by an LSR
– carries the LDP identifier for the label space the LSR intends to use for the interface

24
 Session establishment
• Exchange of LDP discovery Hellos triggers session establishment
• Two step process
– Transport connection establishment
• If LSR1 does not already have a LDP session for the exchange of label spaces
LSR1:a and LSR2:b, it attempts to open a TCP connection with LSR2
• LSR1 determines the transport addresses at it’s end (A1) and LSR2’s end (A2) of
the TCP connection
• If A1>A2, LSR1 plays the active role; otherwise it is passive
– Session initialization
• Negotiate session parameters by exchanging LDP initialization messages

25
 Session Initialization State Transition Diagram
NON EXISTENT
Session connection Rx Any LDP msg except
established Init msg or Timeout
Rx Any other
msg or Timeout
(Passive Role) INITIALIZED
Tx NAK msg (Active Role)
Rx Acceptable
Tx Init msg
Init msg/
Tx Init msg &
KeepAlive msg

OPENREC OPENSENT Rx Any other

Rx KeepAlive msg or Timeout
msg Rx Acceptable Init msg Tx NAK msg
Tx KeepAlive msg
OPERATIONAL Rx Shutdown
All other LDP msgs msg or Timeout
Tx Shutdown msg
Rx - Receive
Tx - Transmit
Session Initialization State Transition Table
STATE EVENT NEW STATE

NON Session TCP connection established INITIALIZED

EXISTENT
INITIALIZED Transmit initialization message OPENSENT
(Active Role)

Receive acceptable initialization OPENREC

message (Passive role)
Action: Transmit initialization
message and Keep alive message

Receive Any other LDPmsg NON

Action: Transmit error notification EXISTENT
msg (NAK) and close transport
connection
27
 Session Initialization State Transition Table (cont.)
STATE EVENT NEW STATE
OPENREC Receive KeepAlive msg OPERATIONAL
Receive Any other LDP msg
Action: Transmit Error NON EXISTENT
Notification msg (NAK) and close
transport connection
OPENSENT Receive acceptable Init msg OPENREC
Action: Transmit KeepAlive msg
NON EXISTENT
Receive Any other LDP msg
Action: Transmit Error msg
(NAK) and close transport
connection

OPERATIONAL Receive Shutdown msg NON EXISTENT

Action: Transmit Shutdown msg
and close transport connection

All other LDP messages OPERATIONAL

 Label Distribution and
Management
• Two label distribution techniques
– Downstream on demand label distribution:
An LSR can distribute a FEC label binding in response to an
explicit request
– Downstream Unsolicited label distribution:
Allows an LSR to distribute label bindings to LSRs that have
not explicitly requested them
• Both can be used in the same network at the same time; however,
each LSR must be aware of the distribution method used by its
peer

29
Label Distribution Control Mode
• Independent Label Distribution Control
– Each LSR may advertise label mappings to its neighbors at
any time
– In independent Downstream on Demand mode - LSR answers
without waiting for a label mapping from next hop
– In independent Downstream Unsolicited mode - LSR
advertises label mapping for a FEC whenever it is prepared
– Consequence: upstream label can be advertised before a
downstream label is received

30
Label Distribution Control Mode contd..
• Ordered Label Distribution Control
– Initiates transmission of label mapping for a FEC only if
it has next FEC next hop or is the egress
– If not, the LSR waits till it gets a label from downstream
LSR
– LSR acts as an egress for a particular FEC, if
• next hop router for FEC is outside of label switching network
• FEC elements are reachable by crossing a domain boundary

31
 Label Retention Mode
• Conservative Label Retention Mode
– Advertised label mappings are retained only if they are used for
forwarding packets
– Downstream on Demand Mode typically used with Conservative
Label Retention Mode
– Advantage: only labels required are maintained
– Disadvantage: a change in routing causes delay
• Liberal Retention Mode
– All label mappings are retained regardless of whether LSR is next
hop or not
– reaction to routing changes will be quick

32
 Label Information Base
• LSR maintains learned labels in Label
Information Base (LIB)
• Each entry of LIB associates an FEC with an
(LDP Identifier, label) pair
• When next hop changes for a FEC, LSR will
retrieve the label for the new next hop from
the LIB

33
 Hierarchical Operation in MPLS
Example:
•External Routers A,B,C,D,E,F - Talk BGP
•Internal Routers 1,2,3,4,5,6 - Talk OSPF

C D
Domain #2
1 6
2 3 4 5
A B E F
Domain #1 Domain #3
34
Note: Internal routers in domains 1 and 3 not shown
 Hierarchical Operation contd..
• When IP packet traverses domain #2, it will contain two labels,
encoded as a “label stack”
• Higher level label used between routers C and D, which is
encapsulated inside a lower level label used within Domain #2
• Operation at C
– C needs to swap BGP label to put label that D expects
– C also needs to add an OSPF label that 1 expects
– C therefore pushes down the BGP label and adds a lower level label

35
 Label Stack
• Multiple labels are carried in data packets
– e.g. data packet carried across Domain #2
• Concept of stacking
– provides a mechanism to segregate streams within a switched
path
– one useful application of this technique is in Virtual Private
Networks
• Advantage of Hierarchical MPLS is that the internal
routers need not know about higher level (BGP) routing

36
 Multipath
• Many IP routing protocols support the notion of
equal-cost multipath routes
• Few possible approaches for handling multipath
within MPLS
• First approach:
– separate switched path from each ingress node to the
merge point
– preserves switching performance, but at the cost of
proliferating the number of switched paths

37
 Multipath contd..
• Second approach
– Only one switched path from one ingress node to a destination
– Conserves switched paths but cannot balance loads across downstream links
as well as other approaches
– LSP may be different from the normal L3 path
• Third approach:
– Allows single stream to be split into multiple streams, by using L3 forwarding
– e.g. might use a hash function on source and destination IP addresses
– Conserves paths at the cost of switching performance
 Explicit Routing in MPLS
• Two options for route selection:
– Hop by hop routing
– Explicit routing
• Explicit Routing (aka Source Routing) is a very
powerful technique
– With pure datagram routing overhead of carrying complete
explicit route is prohibitive
– MPLS allows explicit route to be carried only at the time the
LSP is setup, and not with each packet
– MPLS makes explicit routing practical

39
Explicit Routing in MPLS contd..
• In an explicitly routed LSP
– the LSP next hop is not chosen by the local node
– selected by a single node, usually the ingress
• The sequence of LSRs may be chosen by
– configuration (e.g., by an operator or by a centralized
server)
– an algorithm (e.g., the ingress node may make use of
topological information learned from a link state
routing protocol)

40
 Loops and Loop Handling
• Routing protocols used in conjunction with
MPLS are based on distributed computation
which may contain loops
• Loops handling - 3 categories
– Loop Survival
– Loop Detection
– Loop Prevention

41
 Loop Survival
• Minimizes the impact of loops by limiting
the amount of resources consumed by the
loop
• Method
– based on use of TTL field which is decrement
at each hop
– Use of dynamic routing protocol converging
rapidly to non-looping paths
– Use of fair queuing
42
 Loop Detection
• Loops may be setup but they are
subsequently detected
• The detected loop is then broken by
dropping label relationship
• Broken loops now necessitates packets to
be forwarded using L3 forwarding

43
 Loop Detection (cont.)
• Method is based on transmitting a Loop
Detection Control Packet (LDCP) whenever
a route changes
• LDCP is forwarded towards the destination
until
– last MPLS node along the path is reached
– TTL of the LDCP expires
– it returns to the node which originated it
44
 Loop Prevention
• Ensures that loops are never set up
• labels are not used until it is sure to be loop
free
• Methods
– labels are propagated starting at the egress
switch
– use source routing to set up label bindings from
the egress switch to each ingress switch
45
Leaf Leaf
Leaf

Detects loop
immediately

Link removed Change in Link

LSR from tree

Ingress Node

Egress Node 46
 Traffic Engineering and
Performance Objectives
• Traffic Engineering (TE) is concerned with
performance optimization of operational
networks
• The key performance objectives
– traffic oriented - aspects that enhance the QoS
of traffic streams e.g minimization of packet
loss
– resource oriented - aspects that pertain to the
optimization of resource utilization e.g
efficient management of bandwidth 47
 Performance Objectives (cont.)
• Minimizing congestion is a major traffic
and resource oriented performance
objective
• Congestion manifest under two scenarios
– network resources are insufficient or inadequate
• can be solved by capacity expansion or classical
congestion control techniques
– traffic streams are inefficiently mapped onto
available resources
• can be reduced by adopting load balancing policies 48
 Traffic and Resource Control
• The traffic engineer acts as the controller in
an adaptive feedback control system which
includes
– a set of interconnected network elements
– a network performance monitoring system &
– network configuration management tools
• The traffic engineer formulates control
policies, observes the state of the network,
characterizes the traffic and applies the
control actions in accordance to the control
policy 49
 MPLS and Traffic Engineering
• Main components used
– Traffic Trunk - aggregation of traffic flows of
the same class which are placed inside a Label
Switched Path
– Induced MPLS Graph
• analogous to a virtual topology in an overlay model
• logically mapped onto the physical network through
the selections o LSPs for traffic trunk
• comprises a set of LSRs which act as nodes of the
graph and a set of LSPs which provide logical point
to point connectivity between LSRs and thus act as
edges of the graph 50
 Augmented Capabilities
• Set of attributes associated with traffic trunks
which collectively specify their behavioral
characteristics
• Set of attributes associated with resources which
constrain the placement of traffic trunks through
them
• A “constraint based routing” framework which is
used to select paths for traffic trunks subject to
constraints imposed

51
 Basic operation on traffic trunks
• Establish - create an instance of a traffic trunk
• Activate - cause to start passing traffic
• Deactivate - stop passing traffic
• Modify Attributes
• Reroute - administratively or by underlying
protocols
• Destroy - reclaim all resources such as label
space and bandwidth
52
 Basic attributes of traffic trunk
• Traffic parameter attribute - capture the
characteristics of the traffic streams
• Generic Path selection and maintenance attributes
- defines rules for selecting route taken by traffic
trunk and rules of maintaining the paths
• Priority attribute
• Preemption attribute
• Resilience attribute
• Policing attribute
53
 Resource Attributes
• Part of the topology state parameters used to constrain the
routing of traffic trunks through specific resources
• Main components
– Maximum Allocation Multiplier (MAM) - administratively
configured to determine the proportion of resource available for
allocation
– Resource Class Attribute - administratively assigned parameters
which express some notion of “Class” for resources

54
 Constraint Based Routing
• Enables a demand driven, resource reservation
aware, routing paradigm to co-exist with current
topology driven protocols
• uses the following inputs
– traffic trunk attributes
– resource attributes
– other topology state information
• Basic features
– prune the resources that do not meet the requirements
of the traffic trunk attribute
55
– run a shortest path algorithm on the residual graph
Constraint Based Routing (cont.)
• Strict & Loose Explicit Routes
– Constraint Based LSP (CRLSP) is calculated at
one point at the edge of the network based on
certain criteria
– special char. such as assigning certain
bandwidth can be supported
– The route is encoded as a series of Explicit
routed hops contained in a CR based route TLV

56
Constraint Based Routing (cont.)
• Traffic Characteristics
– Described in the Traffic Parameter TLV in terms of
peak rate, committed rate and service granularity
• Preemption
– Setup and Holding priorities are used to rank new and
existing paths respectively to determine if new paths
can preempt existing paths
– Allocation of these priorities is a network policy

57
Constraint Based Routing (cont.)
• Route Pinning
– applicable to segments of an LSP that are
loosely routed i.e the next hop is an abstract
node
– used if the LSP need not be changed
• Resource Class
– While setup , indication must be given as to
which class the CRLSP can draw resources
from
58
Implementation Consideration

Management Interface

Constraint Based Conventional

MPLS
Routing Process IGP Process

Resource Attribute Link State

Availability Database Database
59
 Quality of Service using CRLSP
• Delay Sensitive Service
– the network commits to deliver with high probability,
user datagrams at a rate of PDR with minimum delay and
delay requirements
– Datagrams in excess of PDR will be discarded
• Throughput Sensitive Service
– the network commits to deliver at a rate of at least CDR
– Datagrams with higher CDR have lower probability of
being delivered
• Best Effort Service
60
– No expected service is guaranteed
 Tag Switching
Terminologies Analogies in Label
Switching
Tags Labels

Tag Switching Router (TSR) Label Switching Router

Tag Edge Router (TER) Edge Label Switching

Router
Tag Forwarding Information Label Switching Forwarding
Base (TFIB) Table
Tag Distribution Protocol Label Distribution Protocol
(TDP) 61
 Destination Based Routing
• A TSR participates in unicast routing
protocols to construct its mapping between
FECs and next hops
• This mapping is used by the Tag Switching
Control component for constructing the
TFIB which is used for actual packet
forwarding

62
 Destination Based forwarding
model of Tag Switching
A B

if0 if1 if2

if1 E
if2 if0
if0

if1 if2 192.16/16

if0 if2 if1 if0 TSR

C D
63
 Information for constructing
TFIB
• A local binding between the FEC and a tag
– takes a tag from the pool of free tags and uses it
as an index in the TFIB to set the incoming tag
entry
• A mapping between the FEC and the next
hop for that FEC (provided by the routing
protocol(s) running on the TSR)
• A remote binding between the FEC and a
tag that is received from the next hop
64
 Initial TFIB Entries

Incoming Outgoing Next Outgoing

tag tag hop Interface
On TSR A 100 ? TSR B If1
On TSR B 6 ? TSR E If1
On TSR C 17 ? TSR D If2
On TSR D 5 ? TSR E If0
On TSR E 6 ? TSR E If0

65
TFIB Entries after Tag Distribution

Incoming Outgoing Next Outgoing

tag tag hop Interface
On TSR A 100 6 TSR B If1
On TSR B 6 6 TSR E If1
On TSR C 17 5 TSR D If2
On TSR D 5 6 TSR E If0
On TSR E 6 ? TSR E If0

66
 Behavior during routing change
A B

if0 if1 if2

if1 E
if2 if0
if0

if1 if2
Link Down

if0 if2 if1 if0 TSR

C D
67
 Updated TFIB
Incoming Outgoing Next Outgoing
tag tag hop Interface
On TSR A 100 6 TSR B If1
On TSR B 6 6 TSR E If1
On TSR C 17 5 TSR D If2
On TSR D 5 6 TSR B If0
On TSR E 6 ? TSR E If0

68
Hierarchy of Routing Knowledge
• All TSRs within a routing domain participate
in a common intra-domain routing protocol
and construct TFIB corresponding to
destinations within the domain
• All border TSRs or TERs within a domain
and directly connected TERs from other
domains also exchange Tag binding
information via inter-domain routing
protocol
69
Hierarchy of Routing Knowledge
(cont.)
• To support forwarding in the presence of
hierarchy of routing knowledge, Tag
switching allows a packet to carry several
tags organized as a tag stack
• At the ingress a tag is pushed onto the tag
stack, and at the egress a tag is popped off a
the stack

70
 Hierarchy of Routing knowledge
model
Routing Routing
domain Routing domain A domain
B C

V T X Y W Z

TSR

71
TFIB Entries in Routing Domain A

Incoming Outgoing Next

tag tag hop
On TSR A N/A 10 TSR X
On TSR B 10 12 TSR Y
On TSR C 12 17 TSR W
On TSR D 17 N/A TSR W

72
 Label Stack During Hierarchical
Routing
TSR Z distributes label 2 to TSR W and TSR W gives
label 5 to TSR T for the purpose of inter-domain routing

Top of
Stack
10 Top of
Stack
2 2
Stack after processing in Stack after processing in
TSR T TSR W
73
 Multicast in Tag Switching
• Selects the distribution tree based only on
– tag carried in a packet
– interface on which the packet arrives
• TSR maintains its TFIB on a per interface
basis
• TSRs connected to a common sub-network
agree among themselves on a common tag
associated with a particular multicast tree
74
Multicast in Tag Switching (cont.)
• Procedures are used to partition the set of
tags for use with multicast into disjoint
subsets and care is taken to avoid
overlapping with the help of HELLO
packets
• TSR connected to a common sub-network
and those which are a part of the same
distribution tree elect one TSR that will
create the tag bindings and distribute them
and any TSR can join the group using the
JOIN command 75
Multicast model in Tag Switching
A B
TSR

if0
D
if0 if1

if2

if0 if0

E F 76
 RSVP with Tag Switching
• RSVP is supported by the help of a RSVP
object - the tag Object
• The tag object binding information for an
RSVP flow is carried in the RSVP “RESV”
message
• The RESV message carries the tag object
containing the tag given by a TSR and also
information about the local resources to be
used
• The reservation state is refreshed once the
77
flow is set up using the RESV message
 Explicit Routes
• Tag switching supports explicit routes with
the help of a RSVP object - the Explicit
Route Object
• The object is carried in the RSVP “PATH”
message
• The tag information is carried in the Tag
Object by the RSVP “RESV”

78
 IP Switching
• Introduced by Ipsilon
• Already been tested in the field
• Significant Innovation: Defined a switch
management protocol (GSMP) along with label
binding protocol called Ipsilon Flow Management
Protocol (IFMP)
• General Switch Management Protocol (GSMP) -
allows an ATM switch to be controlled by an “IP
switch controller”

79
 IP Switching Overview
• IP over ATM models are complex and inefficient -
involve running two control planes
– ATM Forum signaling and routing
– IP routing and address resolution on top
• In contrast IP Switching uses
– IP component plus label binding protocol
– completely removes ATM control plane
• Goal: To integrate ATM switches and IP routing in
a simple and efficient way

80
Removing ATM Control Plane

IP
ATM MARS NHRP
ARP
PNNI
IP IFMP
Q.2931
ATM hardware ATM hardware
(a) (b)

(a) IP over Standard ATM

(b) IP Switching 81
 IP Switching Architecture
• Switch controller
– control processor of the system
– uses GSMP to communicate with ATM switch itself
– runs IP routing and forwarding code
• Default VC
– defined to get control traffic before IP Switching is performed
– uses well known VCI/VPI value
– also used for data that doesn’t yet have a label
 IP Switch Architecture
Switch controller
Flow Classification and control
To
To Routing downstream

GSMP
IFMP
upstream and switch
switch forwardin
g

GSMP
Default Default
VC VC
Data Data
VC VC
Switch
83
 IP Switching Basics
• IP Switching relies on IP protocols
– to establish routing information
– to determine next hop
• Flow classification and control module selects flows from incoming
traffic
• IP flow refers to a sequence of datagrams
– from one source to one destination, identified by the ordered pair <source
address, destination address>
– can also refer to a flow at finer granularity, e.g., different applications between
same pair of machines, identified by < source address, source port, destination
address, destination port>
 Flow Redirection
• Redirection: Process of binding labels to flows and
establishing label switched paths
• Example:
– data is flowing from A via B to C on default VC
– B sends a redirect to A specifying flow y and the label (VPI/VCI) on
which it expects to receive
– If C issues a redirect to B for flow y, B forwards y on the VPI/VCI
specified by C
– Since same flow y enters B on one VC and leaves on another, B uses
GSMP to inform its switching element to set up the appropriate
switching path
 Flow Redirection
Redirect:
Flow y VPI/VCI 3/57
Switch
A B C Controller
Default VC Default VC Switch
3/57 Element

Switch B issues a REDIRECT message to switch A

Redirect: Redirect:
Flow y VPI/VCI 3/57 Flow y VPI/VCI 2/22
Switch
A B C Controller
Default VC Default VC Switch
Element
3/57 2/22
Switch B and C redirect the same flow, allowing it to be switched at B
 Ipsilon Flow Management
Protocol (IFMP)
• Designed to communicate flow to label binding information
• IFMP is a soft state protocol
• IFMP’s Adjacency Protocol:
– Used to communicate and discover information about neighbors
– Adjacency message sent as limited broadcast
• IFMP’s Redirection Protocol
– used to send appropriate messages for flow-label bindings

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 IFMP’s Redirection Protocol
• Different message types defined:
– REDIRECT: used to bind label to a flow
– RECLAIM: enables label to be unbound for
subsequent re-use
– RECLAIM ACK: Acknowledgement for RECLAIM
message
– ERROR: Used to deal with various error conditions
• Common header format

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IFMP Redirect Protocol Message Format
Version Opcode Checksum

SenderInstance

PeerInstance

SequenceNumber

Messagebody:variablelength

IFMP REDIRECT message body

Flowtype FlowIDlength Lifetime

Label

Flowidentifier
Encapsulation of Redirected Flows

LLC SN AP IP header Data AAL5

trailer
Encapsulation of IP packet on the default VC

IFMP flow Data AAL5

type header trailer
Encapsulation of IP packet on the redirected VCs

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 General Switch Management
Protocol (GSMP)
• GSMP is a master/slave protocol
– ATM switch is the slave
– Master could be any general purpose computer
• The protocol allows the master to
– Establish and release VC connections across the switch
– Perform port management (Up, Down, Reset, Loopback)
– Request Data (configuration information, statistics)
– Allows slave to inform master if something interesting, such as
link failure, happens on the switch

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 GSMP contd..
• GSMP packets are LLC/SNAP encapsulated and sent
over ATM link using AAL5
• GSMP Adjacency Protocol
– used to gain information about the system at the other end of
the link and
– to monitor link status
• GSMP Connection Management Protocol
– used to ensure consistency between the GSMP master and
slave
– also specifies the QoS using a priority field

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 Implementations & Contributions
• IP Switching products
– available since 1996
– Ipsilon product family uses Intel Pentium-based PC as the switch controller
– Also offers a number of ATM switches that are controlled by the switch controller
• IP Switching made the following significant contributions to label switching
effort:
– first to deliver real products and caused activity that resulted in the development of Tag
Switching and ultimately the formation of MPLS working group
– contributed GSMP

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