ABOUT GEANT

Carrier Class Transport Network Technologies

Carrier class transport network technologies provide the scale, functionality, reliability and performance required by the National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) who are the research’s primary audience.

Focus of the research:

• Identifying the key concepts and functionalities that define a transport network technology as Carrier Class. The defining criteria include manageability; reliability; scalability; Quality of Service (QoS); cost-effectiveness; conforming to standards; multi-protocol; and traffic-diverse.
• Evaluating a set of representative technologies against the defining criteria, reviewing the status of their respective standards and commercial development, and assessing their relevance to GÉANT.
• Defining test scenarios and plans, and testing in collaboration with suppliers.
• Establishing and running a demonstration facility.
• Analysing and documenting results. 

The technologies being researched are:

• Layer 2 Routing
• Ethernet over Multi-Protocol Label Switching (EoMPLS)
• Synchronous Ethernet
• Ethernet
• Multi-Protocol Label Switching – Transport Profile (MPLS-TP)
• Provider Backbone Bridge Traffic Engineering (PBB-TE)
• Next-Generation Optical Transport Network (NG-OTN)
• Control Plane (Generalised Multi-Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS) 

Results:

• The results of the research and evaluation have been documented in Deliverable DJ1.1.1: Transport Network Technologies Study
• Based on early findings, the team is conducting more detailed studies of OTN, intelligent control plane technologies, and the converged IP backbone transformation solution.
• The final results including the testing carried out during the second phase is documented in Deliverable DJ1.1.2: Transport Network Technologies – Study and testing
• JRA1 Task1 work is to be continued during Y4 focusing on the following areas:
  • MPLS-TP study (extension).
  • Ethernet OAM study (extension).
  • X-activity work with JRA2 Task 3 on PerfSONAR extensions to support Ethernet OAM.
  • Service Assurance study.
  • Networks for Time Sensitive Data Applications study.
  • Open Flow study.
• The results for Y4 are to be published in a final report at end of extension period.