The MPLS WG Archive

[Yakov Rekhter <yakov@juniper.net>]

Dirk,

> Yakov,
> 
> Indeed, in the control plane IP and MPLS are intertwined, but in the
> data plane MPLS is a separate layer (GMPLS isn't) and don't forget that
> this BoF was about data plane OAM.

While we are busy arguing about whether MPLS is a separate layer or not,
please bear in mind that the whole concept of a layer assumes (among other
things) a single format for transport of the data from the layer above.
Since MPLS doesn't make such an assumption (as in some cases it uses
the "shim" header, in other cases it uses the VCI/VPI, etc...) one could
conclude that perhaps MPLS doesn't fit into the traditional layering
model at all.

Yakov.

> 
> dirk
> 
> Yakov Rekhter wrote:
> > 
> > Shahram,
> > 
> > > Hi All,
> > >
> > > I have received two comments from George Swallow and Ben Mack-Crane,
> > > and corrected their comments accordingly. This is the revised
> > > minutes. Please let me know if further correction is needed.
> > 
> > see in-line...
> > 
> > [clipped...]
> > 
> > > Yakov - Ron's comments that there are two views - MPLS being a layered ne
twor
> > > network - is not true. MPLS doesn't exist outside IP because it uses IP
> > > routing and signaling.
> > 
> > What I said is that Ron's slides showed that there are two views on MPLS,
> > with one of these views saying that MPLS is a layer on its own. The point
> > I made is that this view doesn't match the reality, as in reality MPLS, and
> > specifically its control plane, doesn't exist outside IP because MPLS
> > control plane uses IP addressing, routing (OSPF, ISIS), and signaling
> > (RSVP-TE, LDP, CR-LDP).
> > 
> > Yakov.
> 
> -- 
> Dirk Ooms                       mailto:dirk.ooms@alcatel.be
>                                 tel:+32 3 2404732
> Network Strategy Group (NSG)    http://aww.alcatel.com/nsg
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