Key Technologies of PTN - OAM

V1.0
Contents

 Basic Concepts of OAM

 MPLS-TP OAM
 Ethernet OAM
Definition of OAM
 OAM: The short form of Operation, Administration
and Maintenance.
 Operation: Mainly includes the routine network
status analyzing, alarm monitoring and performance
controlling, such as fault detection, fault
classification, fault locating, and fault notification.
 Administration: Mainly includes the analyzing,
forecasting, planning and configuring of the network
and service, such as performance monitoring,
performance analyzing and performance controlling.
 Maintenance: Mainly includes the testing and fault
management of the network and services, such as
the protection mechanism and the recovery
mechanism.
Contents

 Basic Concepts of OAM

 MPLS-TP OAM
 Ethernet OAM
 MPLS-TP OAM provides precise end-to-end
operation, administration and maintenance

PE P PE

E1 PWE3
Section Tunnel ATM PWE3
Ethernet PWE3

Section OAM ： PW OAM ：

PHY layer OAM:
Guarantee the ring network
protection and save the
bandwidth.
Tunnel OAM ：
Monitor the connection
\Implement the monitoring
and performances of the
and protection on the LSP services, create
layer. Prvent the performance excellent environment
for end-to-end
decline due to the increase of
OAM service. management of the
service.

The PTN OAM has a hierarchical architecture which is similar to that of the SDH.
Via layered monitoring, detect and locate the failure quickly.
PTN OAM adopts the carrier-class design of SDH. The OAM function is based on the hardware, which
supports the fixed 3.3ms OAM protocol packets monitoring.
Hierarchical Structure of MPLS-TP OAM
PTN
CE PE Tunnel 1 P Tunnel 1
PE CE

Tunnel 2 Tunnel 2

Section Section

Tunnel / Path

PW / Channel
 Channel layer - TMC: the channel layer indicates the features of the
service, such as the type of connection, the type of topology (point-to-point,
point-to-multi points, multi points-to-multi points), and the type of service etc.
Its function is similar to the pseudo wire or the virtual circuit layer in PWE3.
 Path layer -TMP: The path layer indicates the features of the end-to-end
logical connection. Its function is similar to the tunnel layer in IETF MPLS.
 Section layer - TMS: The section layer is optional. It indicates the physical
connection, such as the SDH (Synchronous digital hierarchy), OTH (Optical
Transport Hierarchy), the Ethernet or wavelength channel.
MPLS-TP OAM Terms
 Maintenance Entity (ME)
 The ME is an entity to be managed. It represents the relationship between
the two MEPs. The basic ME in MPLS-TP is the MPLS-TP path. Nesting is
allowed between MEs, but interleaving between more than two MEs is not
allowed.
 ME Group (MEG)
 A MEG is a group of MEs which belong to the same management domain
and have the same MEG level, and these MEs must belong to the same
MPLS-TP connection.
 MEG End Point (MEP)
 MEP is used to mark the start and the end of the MEG. It can initiate and
terminate the fault management OAM frame and the performance monitoring
OAM frame.MEP can be used to test the connectivity of the link.
 MEG Intermediate Point (MIP)
 MIP is the intermediate point of the MEG. It can have some impact on the
OAM frame, but it cannot initiate the OAM frame. The MIP can select certain
actions for some OAM packets, and it can transmit the MPLS-TP frames
transparently.
 MEG Level (MEL)
 The MEL is used to identify the MEG packets layers in multi-MEG nesting.
The OAM frame of each MEG must be identified.
MPLS-TP OAM Network Model

MPLS-TP Network

UNI NNI UNI

Subnet Subnet
User A B User

1 1
User domain 1 1

1
Network domain 1

Subnet domain Interconnection domain Subnet domain

1 1 1 1

MEP 1
MIP

For a MPLS-TP network, the OAM frame of different management domain will be initiated at the MEP
of the domain boundary. The node between the source MEP and the destination MEP is MIP.
All MEPs and MIPs are configured by the management plane or control plane, where the
management plane configuration can be implemented on the NMS or according to the local
management manual.
TMC/TMP/TMS Layer Detection
 OAM can be used in the detection of the
following three layers:
 OAM detection on the TMC layer, used to detect
whether the pseudo wire in PWE3 is faulty.
 OAM detection on the TMP layer, used to detect the
whole tunnel.
 OAM detection on the TMS layer, used to protect the
segments of the tunnel.
 The OAM packets for each layer contains
corresponding labels.
Packets Format on TMC/TMP/TMS Layer
MPLS-TP OAM Multi-MEG Enbedding

OAM frame OAM frame OAM frame

MEL plus 1 MEL minus 1

OAM frame

There are 2 MEGs in the network, one is TMC MEG 10, the other one is TMP
MEG 20. TMP MEG 20 is embedded in TMC MEG 10.
1) When the OAM frame is generated at the TMC X point, the MEL=0.
2) When the OAM frame enters the TMP MEG 20, the NEL=1.
3) When the OAM frame leaves the TMP MEG 20, the MEL=0.
4) When the OAM frame is received by the TMC Y point, the MEL=0. And the TMC Y
point will start to process the frame.
Common OAM Frame Structure
 The OAM packet carries the dedicated OAM label, which
is used to identify the protocol packet of the OAM
detection function so as to distinguish the packet from
the other packets. Each MEP or MIP can recognize and
process the OAM packets.
Common OAM PDU Format
 The fields are defined as follows:
 The 4-byte OAM label is made up of the Label, MEL, S, and TTL
fields. This label is contained in all the OAM packets.
 Label: 20-bit, the value is "14". RFC3032 has define 4 reserved
label values, and "14" is recommended for OAM;
 MEL: 3-bit, it indicates the MEG layer, the value range is 0-7;
 S: 1-bit, the value is always "1". It indicates the packet to be
processed by the OAM module;
 TTL ： 8-bit, it indicates the hop-count.
 The header of MPLS-TP OAM packet is made up of the Function
Type, Res, Version, Flags, and TLV Offset fields. The header is
contained in all the OAM packets.
 Res: the 3-bit reserved field, the value is "000";
 The contents of the Version, Flags, TLV Offset fields are
depending on the specific OAM packets (e.g. CV, RDI, and FDI);
Common OAM PDU Format
 Function Type ： 8-bit, used to identify the type of OAM
packet. The following table lists the OAM function types.
Type (Hex) Name Type (Hex) Name
01 CV 2D 1DM
02 FDI 2E DMR
20 LBR 2F DMM
21 LBM 30 EXR
23 LCK 31 EXM
25 TST 32 VSR
27 APS 33 VSM
28 SCC 35 SSM
29 MCC 37 CSF
2A LMR
2B LMM
MPLS-TP OAM Functions
 Alarm  Performance  Other OAM
Management
Function Management Functions
 CC Function  APS
 AIS  LM  MCC
 RDI
 DM  CSF
 LB

 LT  SCC
 Lck
 SSM
 TST
MPLS-TP OAM Functions
 Alarm-related OAM Functions
 CC (Continuity and Connectivity Check): check whether the

connection is normal.
 AIS (Alarm Indication Signal): used to notify the client layer that

the path to the server layer is invalid.

 RDI (Remote Defect Indication): used to inform the remote end

that the remote end is faulty.

 eLB （ Loopback ） :The loopback is initiated by the MEP. The
loopback function is implemented by MEP or MIP.
 LT (Link Tracing):Used to search the neighboring relationship

and locate the problem.

 Lck （ Lock ） : used to inform the MEP that the corresponding
service layer or sub-layer MEP has aborted the service.
According to this signal, the MEP will know whether the
interruption is scheduled or caused by failure.
 TST （ Testing ） :Used to diagnose the service interruptions.
MPLS-TP OAM Functions
 Performance-related OAM Functions
 LM (Frame Loss Measurement): used to measure the amount of frame
loss between two MEPs.
 DM (Packet Delay and Packet Delay Variation Measurements): used to
measure the delay and delay variation when the packets are transmitted
from one MEP to another MEP or during the whole process that the
packets are transmitted between the two MEPs.
 Other OAM Functions
 APS (Automatic Protection Switching): It is defined by G.8131/G.8132. It
is used to send the APS frame to protect the switching.
 MCC (Management Communication Channel): used to send the MCC
frame to transmit the management data.
 CSF (Client Signal Fail): used to transmit the signal failure on the client
layer from the source of the MPLS-TP path to the sink of the MPLS-TP
path.
 SCC (Signaling Communication Channel): used to provide the control
plane channel.
 SSM (Synchronization Status Message): used to transmit the
synchronization message.
Alarm Management
 The alarm management provides the functions including
alarm detection, fault verification, fault locating and fault
notification. It is used to work together with the NMS to
improve the reliability and availability of the network. It is
the most important part of the MPLS-TP OAM.
 Alarm Management Methods:
 Continuity check
 Alarm indicator
 Remote defect indication
 Link tracing
 Loopback
 Lock
 Test
Continuity Check (CC)
 It periodically sends the CV frames containing the CC
information between the source MEP and destination
MEP to check whether the connection is under normal
status.
 This function can detect the loss of continuity between
the MEPs and the mismerge of MEGs. It also can detect
error MEP connection and other defects (e.g. error MEP
or error period). It is mainly used for fault management,
performance monitoring and switching protection.
 The types of CC message sending period include: 1s for
fault management (1 frame/second), 100ms for
performance monitoring (10 frames/second), and 3.33ms
for switching protection (300 frames/second).
Fault Management - CC Function
 When the MEP receives a CV/CC frame, it will immediately check
whether the MEG ID in the frame is consistent with the MEG ID in
the MEP and whether the MEP ID is contained in the corresponding
MEP ID list. The defects can be detected by comparing this
information with the configuration information in the destination MEP.
 Detection Process (from top to bottom):
1. If the destination MEP doesn't receive the CV/CC frames within 3.5
sending periods (i.e. 10ms), "loss of continuity (LOC)" occurs.
2. If the destination MEP receives the CV/CC frames, but the MEL in the
frame is lower than that of the destination MEP, "Unexpected MEL"
occurs.
3. If the destination MEP receives the CV/CC frames, the MEL in the
frame is the same with that of the destination MEP, only the MEG IDs
are different, "Mismerge" occurs.
4. If the destination MEP receives the CV/CC frames, the MEL and MEG
ID in the frame are the same with that of the destination MEP, only the
MEP IDs are different, "Unexpected MEP" occurs.
5. If the destination MEP receives the CV/CC frames, the MEL, MEG ID
and MEP ID in the frame are the same with that of the destination MEP,
only the period range is different from the sending period of CC
message, "Unexpected Period" occurs.
 CC alarm restriction relationship: LOC>mismerge>Unexpected
MEP>Unexpected Period
CC Fault Detection Process
Received the CV/CC
Destination N
MEP entrance
frame within 3.5 LOC
periods？

MEL in the frame is

lower than the N
destination MEP
Unexpected MEL
MEL？

MEG ID in the frame is

the same with the
configured
N Mismerge
MEG ID of the
destination MEP？

Y
MEG ID in the
frame is the same
with the N
Unexpected MEP
MEG ID of the
destination
MEP？

Period in the frame is

the same with the N
sending period of Unexpected Period
CCM?

Y
Source MEP and Notify the fault
Destination destination MEP management program
well connected
MEP exit
Alarm Indication Signal (AIS)
 AIS is used to notify the client layer that the connection is
faulty after the defect on the service layer is found, and to
suppress the LOC alarm from the client layer at the same
time. It is very important for preventing the alarm chain
and starting the troubleshooting procedure promptly.
 When the defect occurs on the service layer, the MEP will
initiate the FDI/AIS frames according to the MEL of the
client layer, and it will periodically send the frames to the
MEP of the client layer until the defect is cleared.
 After all the defects are cleared, the MEP can stop
initiating the AIS. If the MEP doesn't receive the FDI/AIS
frames within 3.5 periods for receiving the AIS message,
the MEP will clear off all the alarms and the AIS defects.
AIS Implementation Process

触发条件：服务层缺陷，
Trigger ： defects on the service
包括CC有效时信令失效
layer, including that signaling is invalid
when CC is valid or AIS connection is
/CC无效时AIS/连接被锁定
locked when CC is invalid
Check the AIS and restrain the LOC
检测AIS，抑制与其关联的所有
alarms from all the corresponding MEPs.
对等MEP的LOC告警。若无
If there is no AIS, you can resume the
FDI/AIS帧
FDI/AIS frame AIS，可恢复连续性检测机制。
continuity checking.

A
B

MEP MIP MEP

Fault Management - RDI Function
 The RDI function is used to notify the remote end
that the local end is faulty when the alarm on the
local end is detected.
 It is similar to the RDI of SDH.
 It is accompanied by the AIS alarm.
 It is only applicable to the bi-directional
connection.
 RDI is contained in the CV packet. It only
requires to add a RDI identifier in the "flags" field
of the CC frame.
RDI Implementation Process
Trigger ： MEP CV/RDI frame Check the RDI
触发条件：MEP缺陷 检测RDI
defects
CV/RDI帧

A
B

MEP MIP MEP

 Fault management of single end: when the RDI defect is associated with the other
defects in the MEP, network failure may occur. If the single MEP has not receives
the RDI ， it means the entrance of the entire MEG is normal.
 Performance monitoring of remote end: input the performance monitoring program
to show whether the remote end has any error.
 Difference between RDI and BDI ： RDI is very similar to BDI, and its functions all
can be implemented by BDI. The difference is that RDI doesn't support the
unidirectional P-to-MP MPLS-TP connection.
Uni-cast LB
 As an on-demand OAM function, uni-cast loopback can be used to
check the bidirectional connectivity between the MEP and the MIP
(or the peer MEP), it also can be used to test the bidirectional
service interruption between the pair of peer MEPs, such as check
the throughput of bandwidth and check the bit error.
 The uni-cast LB messages include the uni-cast LB request and uni-
cast LB response, which are contained in the LBM frame and LBR
frame respectively. The uni-cast LB can implement the bi-directional
connectivity test and diagnosis test functions. The two functions
cannot be implemented at the same time. Before starting to execute
the on-demand commands of the new application, you have to
terminate all the commands related to the previous application.
 When starting the LB function, you should configure the local MEP
node. The loopback status should be "enabled", the loopback type
should be "connection test" or "diagnosis test"; The peer end node
should be MEP or MIP node, and the other LB parameters can be
the default value.
Uni-cast LB Implementation Process
Check the MEP MAC and the sequence number in the LBR.

Received the LBR within 5 seconds? Check the LB Target MIP and the Transaction ID.

Bi-directional connection （ MEP->MI

P）
Diagnostic test (MEP->MEP)

Difference between LB and CC: Both LB and CC can be used to check the
connectivity. LB is suitable for testing the bi-directional connectivity failure,
CC is suitable for testing the uni-directional connectivity failure. In the actual
application, you should use both methods to confirm the failure.
Implementation of Unicast LB
 Key stage: judging the validity of the LBR frame. The details are as
follows:
 When the function is used to verify the connectivity, the source MEP
will judge whether the “LB Target MIP/MEP MAC Address” and
“Transaction ID” are correct and determine whether the frame is
received within 5 seconds after the LBM frame is sent. If yes, the frame
is valid; if not, the frame will be dropped.
 When the function is used for diagnosis test, the source MEP mainly
judges whether the "Target MIP/MEP MAC Address" is the same with its
MAC address and whether the "Sequence Number" is valid (according to
the testing signal receiver). If yes, the frame is valid; if not, the frame will
be dropped.
 Besides, the MIP can judge the validity of the received LBR frame by
comparing whether the "Target MIP/MEP MAC Address" is the same
with its MAC address. If not, the LBR frame will be dropped.
Note: The two functions cannot be implemented at the same time. Before
starting to execute the on-demand commands of the new application, you have to
terminate all the commands related to the previous application.
Multi-cast LB
 Multi-cast LB is used to test the bi-directional
connectivity between the MEP and multiple peer
MEPs. Multi-cast LB is more complicated than
uni-cast LB.
 In the multicast LB, the MEP needs to send the
list of all the peer MEPs with bi-directional
connectivity to the source MEP.
 The multicast LB messages include the multicast
LB request and multicast LB response, which are
contained in the LBBM frame and LBBR frame
respectively.
Link Trace (LT)
 LT is Used to search the neighboring relationship
and locate the problem.
 It is mainly used in ：
 Neighbor relationship retrieval: The LT function can be
used to recognize the neighbor relationship between
the MEP and the remote MEP or MIP.
 Fault locating: The LT function can be used to locate
the fault. When the fault (e.g. link or device problem)
or forwarding plane loop occurs, the sequence of the
MIP and/or MEP may be different from the
expectation. The difference in sequence provides
information for locating the fault.
Lock (LCK)
 The LOCK function is used to inform the
adjacent client layer MEP of its scheduled
management or diagnostic behavior.
 This function enables the client layer MEP to
distinguish the errors from the data stream
interruption caused by scheduled management
or diagnostic behaviors of the service layer MEP.
The MEP needs to report the interruption caused
by errors, and it doesn't need to report the
interruption caused by scheduled behaviors.
Implementation Process of LCK
检测LCK情况，3.5
Check the LCK condition. If the MEP
Trigger: 触发条件：MEP被锁
MEP is locked under MEL LCK frame
management/diagnostic behavior doesn’t receive the LCK frame
周期内没有收到
定为管理/诊断行为
MEL LCK帧 within 3.5 periods, remove the LCK.
LCK，清除LCK情况

A
B

MEP MIP MEP

 Implementation process of LCK function: when the

source end function of the MEP is locked, the MEP will
send the LCK packets to the peer end. If the sink
functions are locked, the MEP will send the MEP packets
to all the MEPs on its client layer. The period of sending
the LCK packets is 1 second. The MEP stops forwarding
the packets to the locked end during the locking period.
Test (TST)
 The TST function is used to diagnose the uni-
directional on-demand service interruption,
including checking the throughput of bandwidth,
the frame loss and the bit error.
 These functions are implemented by inserting
the TST frames that have specific throughput,
frame size, and sending model. And the TST
frames contain the testing signal information.
Implementation Process of TST
 When the TST implements the interruptive service test of
MPLS-TP, the customer data traffics are broken in the
diagnosed entity. The MEP configured for interruptive
service test will send the LCK frames to the adjacent
client layer (sub-layer).
 When the TST implements the non-interruptive service
test function of MPLS-TP, the data traffics will not be
broken, and the MEP will send the frames that contain
the MPLS-TP test signal information. So that the
restrained service bandwidth can be fully used. Before
implementing this function, you need to confirm the
transmission rate of the TST frames in advance.
Performance Management
 The function of performance management is to improve the quality of
network service and the efficiency of network operation. For this purpose,
the performance management module should provide the functions including
performance monitoring, performance analysis and performance control, as
well as database maintenance. It also needs to start the fault management
system when it finds serious performance decline.
 The performance management of the MPLS-TP network is implemented
mainly by collecting and measuring the QoS data.
 The performance parameters mainly include:
 Fame loss ratio (FLR): FLR refers the percentage of the lost frames among the
total amount of sent frames during the interval T in the point-to-point MPLS-TP
connection.
 Frame delay (FD): FD refers to the loopback delay of the frames. The loopback
delay means the interval between the time when the first bit of the frame is sent
by the source node and the time when the last bit of the frame is received by the
same source node. The loopback action is conducted by the destination node of
the frame.
 Frame delay vibration (FDV): FDV is used to measure the vibration of delay for
the two frames with the same service level in the MPLS-TP connection.
Frame Loss Measurement (LM)
 The main function of LM is to provide the frame loss statistics, icluding the
frame loss ratio and the amount of lost frames at the near end, the frame
loss ratio and the amount of lost frames at the remote end.
 It is used to calculate the difference of the amounts of the sent and received
frames at the outgoing and incoming interfaces in the point-to-point MPLS-
TP connection. It is implemented by sending and receiving the LM frame
between a pair of MEPs, combined with the maintenance of the two local
counters TxFCI and RxFCI. TxFCI counts the frames sent to the peer MEP,
RxFCI counts the frames received from the peer MEP. The default sending
period is 100ms.
 Near-end frame loss: It refers to the frame loss at the incoming interface of the
MPLS-TP connection. It may cause the near-end severe error seconds (Near-end
SES).
 Far-end frame loss: It refers to the frame loss at the outgoing interface of the
MPLS-TP connection, and it may cause the far-end severe error seconds (Far-
end SES).
 LM function includes the dual-end LM and the single-end LM.
 The LM function is also divided into the pre-activated LM and the on-demand
LM. If the CV packet sending function is started, the pre-activated LM will be
started automatically by default.
Frame Delay Measurement (DM)
 The DM function is one of the on-demand OAM functions. It can be
used to measure the frame delay and the frame delay vibration. The
function is implemented by sending the DM frames between the
source MEP and the destination MEP periodically during the
diagnostic interval. The detailed operation method is to set the time
stamps in the request and response frame and calculate the
difference.
 The DM of MPLS-TP includes the uni-directional DM and the bi-
directional DM. The frame carrying the uni-directional DM
information is called as the 1DM frame. The frame carrying the bi-
directional DM information is called as the DMM frame. The frame
carrying the response DM information is called as the DMR frame.
 In the MPLS-TP network, the uni-directional DM has very strict
requirements for the clock synchronization between the sending
MEP and the receiving MEP. If the clocks are not synchronized, it
can only measure the uni-directional frame delay vibration. In
contrast, the bi-directional frame delay measurement can get
accurate result easily, and it doesn't require clock synchronization.
Implementation Process of DM
IDM, configure IDM, configure
1DM, 配置 1DM, 配置
TxTimeStamp_f Frame Delay=RxTime_f-TxTimeStamp_f RxTime_f
TxTimeStamp_f RxTime_f

A
B

MEP MIP MEP

Request 请求DMM,
DMM, 配置 应答DMR, 配置 configure
Reply DMR,
configureTxTimeStamp_f Frame Delay=RxTime_b-TxTimeStamp_f RxTime_b
RxTime_b
TxTimeStamp_f

 In order to let the result of bi-directional frame delay measurement to be

more accurate, the receiving MEP can configure the RxTimeStamp_f
and TxTimeStamp_f information in the DMR frames. Then the bi-
directional frame dealy can be calculated as follows:
 Frame Delay = ( RxTime_b–TxTimeStamp_f ) – ( TxTimeStamp_b–
RxTimeStamp_f )
Contents

 Basic Concepts of OAM

 MPLS-TP OAM
 Ethernet OAM
Position of Ethernet OAM

Ethernet Packet Transport

以太网网络
network Network

In-domain ： CFM Link

链路层 链路层
Link
EFM 域内：CFM layer
MPLS-TP
T-MPLS 域内：CFM EFM
CFM CFM
layer In-domain ： CFM
CFM CFM
Basic Functions of Ethernet OAM
 Ethernet OAM is used to manage the links
between the two directly connected devices, and
it mainly provides the following functions:
 OAM capability discovering
 Fault notification
 Remote loopback
 Link monitoring
OAM Capability Discovering
 OAM capability discovering is the foundation of the OAM
mechanism. The device that implements the Ethernet OAM must
detect the OAM capability of the remote DTE device.
 The OAM discovering must be conducted before the OAM operation.
 The Ethernet OAM interaction can be started normally only after the
consistent OAM peer end is discoverd.
 There are two types of OAM:
 Active OAM: The active OAM can initiate the link discovering and remote
loopback functions actively.
 Passive OAM: The passive OAM cannot initiate the link discovering and
remote loopback actively, but the other processing operations are the
same with that of the active OAM.
 In actual configuration, one end must be active OAM. If both ends
are passive OAM, the capability discovering cannot be succeeded.
Display after Successful Discovery
 9000-3(config)#show ethernet-oam gei_2/20 discovery
 PortId 20: Ethernet OAM Enable
 Local DTE
 -----------
 Config:
 Mode : active Mode of local end
 Period : 1*100(ms) Packet sending period of local end
 Link TimeOut : 2(s) Over-long time
 Unidirection : nonsupport
 PDU Max Size : 1518(bytes)
 Status:
 Parser : forward Under forwarding state
 Multiplexer : forward
 Stable : yes
 Discovery : done
 Loopback : off
 PDU Revision : 0

 Remote DTE
 -----------
 Config:
 Mode : active Mode of remote end
 Link Monitor : support
 Unidirection : nonsupport
 Remote Loopback : support
 Mib Retrieval : nonsupport
 PDU Max Size : 1518
 OUI : zte
 Status:
 Parser : forward Under forwarding state
 Multiplexer : forward
 Stable : yes
 Mac Address : 00.d0.d0.c0.0b.80 Remote MAC address （ I f sending failed, the characters in this field will be all “0”. ）

 PDU Revision :0
Fault Notification
 This function periodically sends the OAM PDU
via the Ethernet OAM device. The PDU contains
the TLV information of the local device and the
TLV information of the remote device. The device
can get to know the status of the remote link or
local link from the data interaction.
 The notification displayed on the device is the
fault alarm. For example, when the port
shutdown occurs,the alarm indicator will be
displayed.
Remote Loopback
 The remote loopback is configured for certain purpose on
the point-to-point peer end device by the network
administrator. When the remote device is in loopback
status, it will not forward the data packets normally, but it
will send all the received non-OAM packets to the source
port. This function can be used in fault locating and
packet loss testing.
All packets except for the OAM
packets

Initiator of the
loopback
Data stream

Diagram of Remote
Loopback
Link Monitoring
 The link monitoring function is used to send the event notification to
inform the peer end of the detected fault. It has two parameters, the
window size and the threshold value.
 The typical fault notification events include:
 Error symbol period event: it counts the error symbols in the packet
window and determines whether to generate the event notification
according to the preset threshold value of the error symbol.
 Error frame event: it counts the error frames in the specific period and
determines whether to generate the event notification according to the
preset threshold value of the error frame.
 Error frame period event: it counts the error frames in the specific packet
window and determines whether to generate the event notification
according to the preset threshold value of the error frame.
 Error frame seconds accumulated event: it counts the error frames in the
specific period and determines whether to generate the event notification
according to the preset threshold value of the error frame seconds.
Classification of Ethernet OAM
 Ethernet OAM is classified into two levels:
 Ethernet Link layer OAM, EFM ： Ethernet in the First
Mile
 Ethernet service layer OAM, CFM ： Connectivity
Fault Management
Ethernet Link Layer (EFM)
 Ethernet Link Layer OAM technology (EFM):
 Based on the IEEE 802.3ah agreement, EFM is used to solve the problem in the
final mile to the customer. It is usually used on the physical Ethernet link between
the UPE device and the CE device of the network for monitoring the status of the
link between the customer's network and the operator's network so as to
guarantee that the networks are reliable and stable.
 EFM is implemented on the data link layer of the Ethernet, which is an optional
sub-layer. The position of the OAM sub-layer in the data link layer flow is shown
as follows:
Fucntions of EFM
 Information OAM PDU
 The information OAM PDU implements the automatic discovering of the
heartbeat signal.
 After the OAM link is created, the MEP will periodically send the
information OAM PDU to monitor the link. The information OAM PDU
contains the local and remote TLV information. The link monitoring is
implemented via periodical exchanging of OAM PDU packets.
 If the MEP doesn't receive the information OAM PDU within the specified
period, it means the link layer has some problem.
 Event notification OAM PDU:
 The event notification OAM is used to inform the remote end of the link
status alarms, such as emergent link event, link events (error signal
period, error frame, error frame period, error frame accumulated
seconds) and the events specified by the customer.
 When the amount of the errors on the link is lager than the threshold
value, the OAM will send responding OAMPDU event notification
packets to the peer end. The alarm may be local emergency alarm. The
OAM can notify the peer end device via it.
Functions of EFM
 Variable Request and Variable Response OAM PDU
 To request and respond to one or multiple MIB variables of the remote
DTE.
 In the variable request OAMPDU, the local device encapsulates the MIB
variables of the requested peer end device into the request packet and
sends them to the peer end device. When the peer end device receives
the variable request, it collects the local MIB variable information which
is filled in and replied to in the way of variable response OAMPDU.
 To query remote MIB variable at local end.
 Via the variable request and variable response function, the final-mile
equipment can monitor and manage the user devices.
 Loopback Control OAM PDU:
 The loopback control OAMPDU is enabled by an active OAM entity or to
disable the peer loopback function of the remote passive OAM.
 When the loopback function on the remote device is enabled, all non-
OAMPDU packets cannot be forwarded and need to be returned to the
local end. Therefore, this loopback function is a service-break-off
function
 Specific organization OAMPDU: Reserved OAM packets for device
manufacturers.
Ethernet Service Layer OAM - CFM
 Ethernet Link Layer OAM technology (EFM):
 The Ethernet Link Layer OAM technology is based on the IEEE
802.1ag protocol standard. It is also called as Connectivity Fault
Management (CFM). It is mainly applied on the access
convergence layer of the network. It is used to monitor the
connectivity of the whole network and locate the connectivity
fault.
 CFM can be used to manage, detect, confirm and isolate the
connectivity fault quickly. The user data are transparently
transmitted via the CFM entities.
 It provides an end-to-end network management approach for the
service provider, And it allows the service provider to manage the
service individually. CFM can be applied in the bridge network of
the operators, providers and users, and it can be used to
implement end-to-end OAM monitoring and management of the
service-layer.
Ethernet Service Layer OAM - CFM
 The functions of CFM are achieved through five
CFM packets:
 Continuity Check Message (CCM)
 Link Trace Message (LTM)
 Link Trace Reply (LTR)
 Loopback Message (LBM)
 Loopback Reply (LBR)
CFM Packets
 Continuity Check Message (CCM): A CCM is a multi-cast
CFM protocol data unit. It is periodically sent by the MEP
to verify the continuity of the connection between the
MEP and the MA. The MP receiving the CCM will not
reply to it.
 Link Trace Message (LTM): An LTM is a CFM PDU sent
by the MEP to trace the route between the MIP and the
destination MAC address. Each MP on the route to the
destination will generate an LTR.
 Link Trace Reply (LTR): An LTR is a uni-cast packet sent
by the MP to the MEP as the response to the LTM.
 Loopback Message (LBM): An LBM is a uni-cast CFM
PDU sent by the MEP to the specified MP.
 Loopback Reply (LBR): An LBR is a uni-cast packet sent
by the MP to the MEP as the response to the LBM.
Concept of CFM Domain
CFM Maintenance Entity
CFM Maintenance Entity
 Maintenance Domain (MD)
 MD refers to the network or the part of the network of which the
connectivity can be managed. The MD border can be defined by using a
group of DoSAPs. Each DoSAP can become a connectivity point of the
service instance.
 Maintenance Association (MA)
 A group of MEPs with the same MAID and MD level, which are created
for checking the integrity of the service instance.MA can be considered
as a whole-network-grid management entity composed with a group of
configured MEPs.
 Maintenance Association Identifier (MAID)
 An ID in the maintenance association which is unique in the domain;
CFM uses MAID to protect the abnormal serial connection of a service
instance. MAID has two parts: MD name and short MA name.
 MD Level
 Each MD has a MD level which is the key parameter to achieve CFM
nest.VID in VLAN label of MD level is used to identify a CFM frame. VID
associates the MD and identifies CFM MA. The range of MD level is 0 –
7.
CFM Maintenance Entity
 Maintenance Association End Point (MEP)
 An CFM entity of an active management related with DoSAP of a
specific service entity. It can generate and receive CFM PDU and
trace any responses. It is an end point of an MA and is an end
point of an isolated MA of other MEPs in the same MA.
 MIP Half Function (MHF)
 A CFM entity associated with an individual MD and thus
associated with an individual MD level and a group VIDs. It
generates CFM PDU only when it responds to the received CFM
PDU.
 Maintenance domain Intermediate Point (MIP): An CFM
entity composed with two MHFs
 Maintenance Point (MP): MP is either a MEP or MIP.
MD Level
 CFM MD has 8 levels, from 0 to 7. The bigger value represents the
higher level. The CCM packet of the high-level MD can traverse the
low-level MD. Each MD has its own MD level, which is the key
parameter for CFM domain nesting. The low-level MD can be nested
by the high-level MD.
 The two MDs can be nested or tangential, but they can not be
crossed with each other, see the following:

MA1, MA2 ， l
MA1, MA2 ， l evel5
level3 evel5 level3

MA2 ， l MA2
MA1,， l MA1,
MA1, evel5
level3 evel5 level3 level3
Usage of CFM Levels

User Service provider User

Operator A Operator B Operator C

User domain Service

OAM
Provider domain
Network
Operator domain Operator OAM
Operator
domain domain

MEP MIP

Multi-domain CFM
Network Model
Modes of CFM
 CFM has two modes:
 Fast: Under the fast mode, the CCM packets are processed by
the chip. The minimum sending/receiving rate can be 3.3 ms per
packet. It is mainly used to trigger the switchover.
 Slow: Under the slow mode, the CCM packets are processed by
the CPU, and the minimum sending/receiving rate is 10 packets
per second.
 The difference between the fast mode and the slow mode
is the processing rate of the CCM packets. The CCM
timer-interval of the fast mode may be configured as the
1-4 level (respectively corresponding to 3.3ms, 10ms,
100ms, and 1s), and the CCM timer-interval of the fast
mode may adopt the 5-7 level (respectively
corresponding to 10s, 1min and 10min).
Main Functions of CFM
 CFM mainly provides the following functions:
 Service Connectivity Detection
 Achieved by using CCM packet exchange; It can detect
the connectivity failure and non-desirable connectivity (in
case of wrong connection).
 Fault Detection and Alarm
 The MEP periodically sends and receives the CCM to
detect the connectivity of the network. It is mainly used to
detect the connection failure and the non-desirable
connectivity (in case of wrong connection).
 Fault Verification and Isolation (LB and LT)
 This function is an administrative function. The
administrator can confirm the fault via the LBM/LBR, and
he can discover and trace the route from one MEP to
another MEP or MIP by using the LTM/LTR. Then he can
conduct specific isolation.
Service Connectivity Detection Function of
CFM
 The sending rate of the CCM packets can be set to
different values according to the application. The rate
may be a discontinuous value from 3.3ms to 10min.
 During the interaction process of the CCM packets,
besides the service connectivity detection, CFM also can
detect the abnormal access of MEP and the abnormal
maintenance level by checking the different fields of the
packet.
Alarm Function of CFM
 The alarm function is a very important function of the CFM. We can get to
know the status of the MP instance and judge the cause of the fault
according to the alarm. The alarm types are:
 Cross connection: This alarm occurs when the MP receives the CCM packets
which are not belonging to its MA, e.g. the MA names configured on the two ends
are not the same.
 Error packet: This alarm occurs when the MP receives the CCM packets with the
wrong transmission interval, e.g. inconsistent ccm time-interval, or inconsistent
MEP.
 Remote loss: This alarm occurs when the MP doesn't receive the packet within
3.5 CCM period, e.g. the CCM periods configured on the two ends are not the
same.
 Remote defect indication (RDI): If the MP doesn't receive the correct CCM
packets, it will send the CCM packets of RDI location to the remote end, and the
remote end will report the RDI alarm.
 The alarms have different priorities: The priority of the cross connection
alarm is 5; the priority of the error packet alarm is 4; the priority of the remote
loss alarm is 3, the priority of the RDI alarm is 1. You can set the lowest
alarm priority for the alarms. If the priority level of the alarm is lower than the
lowest alarm priority, the alarm will not be reported.
Alarm Function of CFM
 MP session 1
 type: local mep
 direction: down
 mep id: 2
 admi state: enable MEP status

 ccm send state: enable CCM packet sending status

 lowest alarm priority: 1
 assign port: gei_2/20

 DefXconCCM:0
 DefErrorCCM:0
 DefRemoteCCM:0
 DefRDICCM:0

 MP session 2
 type: remote mep
 mep id: 2
 remote mac: 00d0.d0c0.0001


 DefRemoteCCM:0
 DefRDICCM:0
LB Function of CFM
 The LB function of the CFM is similar to the PING function of the IP layer. It
is used to verify the connectivity between the MEPs, and it can be used for
fault locating and link performance testing. The LB function can generate the
information about the reachability of the link between the local device and
the destination device, as well as the link delay and vibration.
 The LB function is a on-demand function. The MEP sends a uni-cast
request, the destination address is the specified MP (MEP or MIP). If the
source MEP can receive the response, it means the service connectivity
between the two MEPs is normal, otherwise, it means the connectivity is
faulty.
 The destination parameter may be the MEP INDEX or the MAC address. If
the parameter is the MAC address, the LB function can be used to maintain
the MIP.

LBM packet

MEP 1 MEP 2
LBR packet
LT Function of CFM
 The LT function of CFM is similar to that of the Trace route function of the IP layer. It is
used to test the connectivity of the service between the MEPs, and it is an effective
tool for fault locating.
 The LT function can show whether the link between the local device and the
destination device is reachable. If not, it will find out which device has problem.
 The LT function is also an on-demand OAM function. It is implemented by sending a
multi-cast OAM packet, the MEP that receives the packet will respond and forward the
packet according to the route until the packet is transmitted to the final destination
address.
 When the intermediate node or the link to the destination MEP has problem, you can
use the LT function to find out the specific location of the problem.
 Every MIP and MEP in the route of the LTM packet will reply a LTR packet to the
initiator MEP1, and MEP1 will get to know the entire transmission route according to
the LTR packets

LTM (the destination MAC is MEP 2)

MEP 1 LTR from MIP MIP MEP 2

LTR from MEP2