scope:

This Recommendation specifies the interfaces for the multi-protocol label switching transport profile (MPLS-TP) layer network, in particular the:

• encapsulation of MPLS-TP client signals into the MPLS-TP characteristic information (MPLS-TP _CI) that will be present on MPLS-TP network-to-network interface (NNI) links in the transport network;

• encapsulation of MPLS-TP_CI into the MPLS-TP link frames that will be present on MPLSTP NNI links in the transport network;

• MPLS-TP layer network within the transport network and associated MPLS-TP multiplexing;

• MPLS-TP nested connection monitoring per layer network level within the transport network;

• MPLS-TP operation, administration and maintenance (OAM) associated with nested connection monitoring in the transport network;

• encapsulation of MPLS-TP control plane information.

The MPLS-TP network uses various server layer networks like optical transport hierarchy (OTH), synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH), plesiochronous digital hierarchy (PDH) and Ethernet media access control (MAC) layer network (ETH). The detailed requirements are specified in a number of ITU-T Recommendations, ANSI Standards, IEEE Standards and IETF RFCs, which are cited.

This Recommendation specifies point-to-point label-switched paths (LSPs).

This Recommendation does not cover inter-operator control plane aspects of the MPLS-TP NNI.

This Recommendation provides a representation of the MPLS-TP technology using the methodologies that have been used for other transport technologies (e.g., SDH, optical transport network (OTN) and Ethernet).¹

¹ This Recommendation is intended to be aligned with the IETF MPLS RFCs normatively referenced by this Recommendation.