The MPLS WG Archive

[Pankaj K Jha <pkj@cypress.com>]

We are finalizing a draft that does just this (and more) - provides a way, for
instance, for ATM to be sent over non-ATM MPLS links (e.g. with frame relay)
and reach a destination node without intermediate translations. This would be
true for any layer 2 packet transport over any other layer 2 n/w using MPLS,
providing a multiservice transport with end-to-end native packets.
Multiservice also allows multiple types of native packets from one or more
nodes to share a single LSP (for common bandwidth sharing) and in general
transport of different types of native packets over a single link, over same
or different LSPs.

-Pankaj

Hamid Ould-Brahim wrote:

> Maybe another approach to support this particular case is to use a
> generic layer 2 encapsulation over MPLS (sort of "GRE" principles
> for layer-2 over MPLS - something like "GLE": generic
> layer 2 ensapsulartion over MPLS-). Therefore the end router will
> translate from one layer-2 to the other (no need for
> interworking). In reality the translation can happen
> anywhere in the network.
>
> Assume you have a FR layer-2 carried over MPLS, and
> you want the egress point to be ATM. Then you can negotiate up front
> how you want to do this translation (between the source and exit point).
> as if you have a frame relay over atm interworking interfaces
> (of course in this case you don't need anymore
> interworking interfaces).
>
> Hamid
>
> Luca Martini wrote:
> >
> >
> > It could be possible to actually do the internetworking function in the
> > end router device.
> > In this case the traffic would transit the network in native mode. If it
> > came in ATM AAL5,
> > the PDUs would be transported unchanged to the egress router , where
> > they would be converted to a different protocol. This could be a vendor
> > specific feature, and does not have to be done "in the network".
> > In this case the end router doing the conversion has all the information
> > it could possibly need to do internetworking successfully.
> >
> > Luca Martini
> >
> > > Robbie Harrell
> > > Senior Consultant
> > > Callisma
> > > 866-543-5737 pager
> > > 8772079316@skytel.com
> >
> > --
> > Just say no to summer. Ski all year !
> > Luca Martini Senior Network Architect, Level 3 Communications -
> > Broomfield, CO
> > luca@level3.net | VE2WKR/W0 | Phone 720-888-1225 | pager
> > page-luca@level3.net