Table Of Contents

Multi Protocol Label Switching Traffic Engineering (MPLS-TE)

Technology Description

MPLS-TE

Inventory and Information Model Objects (IMOs)

MPLS TE Tunnel Interface

MPLS TE Properties

MPLS TE Allocation Entry

MPLS TE Tunnel Segment

Network Topology

Service Alarms

Multi Protocol Label Switching Traffic Engineering (MPLS-TE)

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This chapter describes the level of support that Cisco ANA provides for MPLS-TE, as follows:

•Technology Description

•Inventory and Information Model Objects (IMOs)

•Network Topology

•Service Alarms

Technology Description

MPLS-TE

Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Traffic Engineering software enables an MPLS backbone to replicate and expand upon the traffic engineering capabilities of Layer 2 ATM and Frame Relay networks. MPLS-TE is in wide use on service-provider backbone networks where extreme levels of efficient resource usage and failure recovery are essential.

MPLS-TE lets network operators route traffic using "constraint-based routing," in which the path for a traffic flow is the shortest path that meets the resource requirements (constraints) of the traffic flow. These constraints can include bandwidth requirements, media requirements, priority versus other flows, and so on. MPLS-TE gracefully recovers from link or node failures that change the topology of the backbone by adapting to the new set of constraints.

MPLS-TE is founded on the MPLS integration of Layer 2 and Layer 3 technologies. By making traditional Layer 2 features available to Layer 3, MPLS enables traffic engineering. Providers can offer in a one-tier network what could be achieved otherwise only by overlaying a Layer 3 network on a Layer 2 network.

MPLS-TE tunnel paths are calculated at the tunnel head based on a fit between required and available resources (constraint-based routing). The IGP automatically routes the traffic into these tunnels. Typically, a packet crossing the MPLS traffic engineering backbone travels on a single tunnel that connects the ingress point to the egress point.

Inventory and Information Model Objects (IMOs)

This section describes the following IMOs:

•MPLS TE Tunnel Interface (IMplsTETunnel)

•MPLS TE Properties (IMplsTEProperties)

•MPLS TE Allocation Entry (IMplsTEPropertiesAllocationEntry)

•MPLS TE Tunnel Segment (IMplsTESegment)

MPLS TE Tunnel Interface

The Network/Data Link layer MPLS TE Tunnel Interface object is bound by its Containing Termination Points attribute to a Data Link Layer Interface object. It is accessed primarily by the Network layer IP Interface object bound by its Contained Connection Termination Points attribute. It is also accessed by Label Switching Entity.

Table 13-1 MPLS TE Tunnel Interface (IMplsTETunnel) 

Attribute Name	Attribute Description	Scheme	Polling Interval
Destination Address	Destination IP address	IP Core	Configuration
Outgoing Interface and Label	Outgoing interface and label	IP Core	Configuration
Path Identification	Label Switching Path (LSP) identification	IP Core	Configuration
Requested Bandwidth	Requested bandwidth	IP Core	Configuration
Measured Average, Burst and Peak Bandwidth	Measured average, burst and peak bandwidth	IP Core	Configuration
Setup and Hold Priority	Setup and hold priority of the tunnel	IP Core	Configuration
Affinity Bits and Mask	Required traffic engineering affinity bits and mask attributes of the tunnel's links	IP Core	Configuration
Automatic Route Announcement Status	Automatic route announcement status (Enable, Disable)	IP Core	Configuration
Optimization Lock Down Status	Label switching path optimization lock down status (Enable, Disable)	IP Core	Configuration
Path Option	Label switching path option (Explicit, Dynamic)	IP Core	Configuration
Name	Interface name	IP Core	Configuration
Description	Interface description	IP Core	Configuration
Administrative Status	Administrative status (Unknown, Up, Down)	IP Core	Status
Operational Status	Operational status (Unknown, Up, Down)	IP Core	Status
IANA Type	IANA type of the sublayer	N/A	N/A
Containing Termination Points	Underlying termination points (MPLS Interface)	IP Core	N/A
Contained Connection Termination Points	Bound Connection Termination Points (IP Interface or MPLS Interface)	IP Core	N/A

MPLS TE Properties

The MPLS TE Properties object and its MPLS TE Allocation Entry objects describe the traffic engineering properties of an MPLS Interface object, to which they bound are by the MPLS Interface object's Traffic Engineering Properties attribute.

Table 13-2 MPLS TE Properties (IMplsTEProperties)

Attribute Name	Attribute Description	Scheme	Polling Interval
Administrative Weight	Administrative weight	IP Core	Configuration
Attributes Identifier	Attributes list identifier	IP Core	Configuration
Signalling Protocol	Signalling protocol (None, RSVP, CR-LDP, Other)	IP Core	Configuration
Available, Physical and Reserveable Bandwidth	Available, physical and reserveable bandwidth	IP Core	Configuration
Reserved Bandwidth	Arrays of MPLS TE Allocation Entry	IP Core	Configuration

MPLS TE Allocation Entry

Table 13-3 MPLS TE Allocation Entry (IMplsTEPropertiesAllocationEntry)

Attribute Name	Attribute Description	Scheme	Polling Interval
Priority Level	Allocation priority level (0-7)	IP Core	Configuration
Allocated and Cumulative Bandwidth	Allocated and cumulative bandwidth at and up this priority level	IP Core	Configuration

MPLS TE Tunnel Segment

The MPLS TE Tunnel Segment object describes the properties of a single segment of an MPLS TE Tunnel. Cisco ANA uses this object to help users visualize MPLS TE Tunnels networks, and it affects the Virtual Network Element (VNE) logic implementation. Tunnel segments are aggregated in the MPLS TE Tunnel Segments table of the Label Switching Entity.

Table 13-4 MPLS TE Tunnel Segment (IMplsTESegment)

Attribute Name	Attribute Description	Scheme	Polling Interval
Source and Destination Addresses	Source and destination IP addresses of the tunnel	IP Core	Configuration
Incoming Interface and Label	Incoming interface and label (if not head segment)	IP Core	Configuration
Outgoing Interface and Label	Outgoing interface and label (if not tail segment)	IP Core	Configuration
Segment Type	Segment type (Head, Intermediate, Tail)	IP Core	Configuration
Measured Average, Burst and Peak Bandwidth	Measured average, burst and peak bandwidth	IP Core	Configuration
Path Identification	Label Switching Path (LSP) identification	IP Core	Configuration
Name	Segment name	IP Core	Configuration

Network Topology

Cisco ANAdoes not support discovery of Multi Protocol Label Switching Traffic Engineering [MPLS-TE] Network layer topology.

Service Alarms

The following alarms are supported for this technology:

•MPLS TE Tunnel Down/MPLS TE Tunnel Up

•MPLS TE Tunnel Flapping/MPLS TE Tunnel Up or Down

These alarms are disabled by default.

For detailed information about alarms and correlation, see the Cisco Active Network Abstraction 3.6.5 User Guide.