1

High Availability for Metro Deployments

ERP

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Why Ring Topology in MAN & Trend

Technology

SONET/SDH

SONET/SDH &
Ethernet Hybrid - RPR

Benefits/Issues

50 ms failover
Reserved BW due to Circuit based Connections

50 ms failover
Increase BW & QoS
Utilizing existing fiber ring network over MAN

Today ?
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Today Metro Ethernet

Carrier grade Reliability & L2 50 ms failover

Lowest price/BW - Ethernet for technology of choice

Ethernet - ERPS

Triple Play Services

Utilize Simplicity & Security features of Ethernet

Ethernet

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Impact of Network Down Time

Outage Time

Impacts

Sub-50ms

No outages, No TCP fallbacks

50 ~ 200ms

5% Voice band disconnects, Video pixelization

200ms ~ 2s

TCP/IP back-off

2s ~ 10s

TCP time-outs, Webpage not available, Routing protocols

get affected

10s ~ 5min

All sessions terminated, Routing table re-convergence

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Reason for Service Outage

Mis-configuration: Easily corrected
Resource failure: Major cause of failures
Fiber cut:
100 to 1000 times frequent than node failure
Metro 13 cuts every 1,000 miles per year
Long haul 4 cuts every 1,000 miles per year

Node failure:
Software
Hardware

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Ethernet Ring Protection (ERP) ITU G.8032

Why?

A standard version of the RRSTP

What?

ERP is a network protection mechanism (ring topology) that enables 50

ms convergence time upon a link or node failure

Prevents loops within the ring by blocking one of the links.

Monitoring of the ETH layer for discovery and identification of Signal

Failure (SF) conditions.

Total communication for the protection mechanism consumes a very

small percentage of total available bandwidth

Standards Supported:

Ethernet Ring Protection - ITU-T G.8032/Y.1344

Packet format compliantto OAM PDU Format - IEEE 802.1ag

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ERPS Competitive Comparison

Vendor

ALU

Solution

ERPS

Standard

RRSTP

ITU-T G.8032

Proprietary

Extreme

Foundry

Cisco

EAPS

MRP

REP

RFC 3619
(Informational =
proprietary)

Proprietary

Proprietary

50 ms ~ 100ms
Convergence

for Triple Play

Time

(Data, Voice,

50ms ~ 200ms

50 ms for Multicast

Relies on MSTP
128 Rings
40 nodes/ring

NO FDB Flip
FDB Flush msg by
Master

Sub-second for
Multicast

50 ms ~ 250 ms

Video)

Note

No STP Reconvergence
4 rings per node
16 nodes per
ring (recd)
Reliability/fast
convergence

6400/6850 w Base Image

Pricing

24 GE w 4 Combo
65.48 Mpps

3 TCN upon a link

failure. Meaning,
Switch has to
flush & learn MACs
per TCN

X450e w Edge

FWS-X424

C3750 ME Switch

24 GE w 4 Combo
65.48 Mpps

24 GE w 4 Combo
65.48 Mpps

24 FE & 4 GE
8.55 Mpps

ITU: International org. to standardize and regulate international Telecommunication

IEEE: International org. advancement of technology related to electricity. 802.3, 802.11
7 Internet Standard. RFC
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IETF:

Proposed Architecture (1 Ring With RRSTP)

Uses less fibre

Broadcast involves every
node

Site X

Convergence involves
more nodes

Site Y

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Proposed Architecture (2 Rings With ERP)

Cleaner Design, but uses

more fibre.
Site 3-1

Broadcast is isolated
and divided in 2 rings
rather than 1.

Ring 1

Ring 2

Site 3-7

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Lesser nodes involved in

convergence

Physical Connectivity

Today
GE Ring

GE Ring

OS6850

OS6850

OS6850

Increased
Resiliency
GE Ring
GE Ring
OS6850

10

OS6850

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OS6850

ERP- Ring Idle State

Logical topology has all nodes connected

without a loop.

Each link is monitored by its two adjacent

nodes using ETH CC OAM messages

RPL

ETH-CC

ETH-CC

ETH-CC

ETH-CC

ETH-CC

ETH-CC

Signal Failure (SF) is triggered to ring

protection

Loss of Continuity

Or physical link down

Configuration:
-

ring identifier

ring ports assigned

service VLAN

designate a RPL owner/master

RPL

6
5

Physical topology
2

Logical topology
11

RPL
Owner

ETH-CC

ERP guarantees lack of loop by blocking

the RPL (link between 6 & 1 in figure)

ETH-CC

ETH-CC

ETH-CC

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ETH-CC

Physical topology has all nodes connected

in a ring

ETH-CC

ERP- Ring Protection Mode

Link/node failure is detected by the

nodes adjacent to the failure.

The nodes adjacent to the failure,

block the failed link and report this
failure to the ring using R-APS (SF)
message

R-APS(SF)

R-APS(SF)

R-APS(SF)

R-APS (SF) message triggers

RPL Owner unblocks the RPL

All nodes perform FDB

flushing

Ring is in protection state

All nodes remain connected in the

logical topology.

12

RPL
Owner

RPL

R-APS(SF)

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RPL

3
5
Physical topology
6

3
5
Logical topology

RPL

ERP - Failure Recovery

A.

When the failed link recovers, the

R-APS(NR, RB)

traffic is kept blocked on the nodes

RPL

B.

R-APS(NR,R-APS(NR)
RB)

adjacent to the recovered link

RPL
Owner

The nodes adjacent to the recovered

link transmit R-APS(NR) message
indicating they have no local request

R-APS(NR)

R-APS(NR)

present
C.

R-APS(NR)

When the RPL Owner receives RAPS(NR) message it Starts WTR timer

D.

Once WTR timer expires, RPL Owner

blocks RPL and transmits R-APS (NR,

RB) message
E.

Nodes receiving the message

perform a FDB Flush and unblock

RPL

5
3
Physical topology
6

RPL

their previously blocked ports

F.
13

Ring is now returned to Idle state

3
5
Logical topology
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3

ERP ERP over STP ring

ERP frames are transparently

switched through the STP part
of the network
Node 3 and 4 use Eth OEM to
detect end to-end
connectivity

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6850 ERP vs RRSTP Performance / Configuration

6850 RRSTP Performance :

6850 RRSTP
Performance Document

RRSTP S ample
Configuration

6850 ERP Performance :

6850 ERP
Performance Document

15

ERP Sample
Configuration

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www.alcatel-lucent.com

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