Subject: RE: Information about optical routing in MPLS net.

From: Tony Li <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2000 11:28:38 -0700 (PDT)

| I would support the view that having the router control the optical domain
 | is not good.  This comes down to a simple desire to see an optical layer
 | which is open to ALL clients - not just IP.  Of course it is possible to
 | allow the router to control the optical layer ... however, this idea
 | overlooks the fact that an operator may wish to carry many other clients
 | across an optical network.

The optical plane clearly needs a control plane that provides a (lambda)
routing and signaling infrastructure.  This infrastructure is fundamentally
similar to the routing and signaling technology that we're already using
for MPLS.  Now, we can choose to re-invent this technology, or we can
leverage the technology that we have already have developed and have
started to deploy.

Note that this argument is completely independent of the nature of the
optical client.  Nothing here precludes non-IP usage of the optical core.
It would simply use the IP network as the out-of-band control plane.

Regards,
Tony

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From: Yangguang Xu <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2000 16:06:01 -0400

Our argument is not about control plane design but how data control plane
interwork with optical control plane. Even they are totally identical, they
could actually run parallel without knowing each other. 

Regarding to protocol design, I fully support to leverage MPLS, BGP and OSPF for
optical control plane. However, down to details, it's hard to only "extend"
existing protocols without modifying it. Main protocol design can be reuse, but
its content, details and infrastructure to build upon are quite different.

Yangguang

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From: George Clapp <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2000 15:24:53 -0400

I agree with the notion of optical equipment reusing IP control protocols 
to manage the network, but to what extent will routers that are clients of 
an optical network manage that network?  The ODSI is defining an interface 
(using MPLS signaling protocols) to enable a router to manage an optical 
channel, and they say that ATM switches and SONET ADMs can do the same.

Managing a channel isn't the same thing as managing a network, but it's a 
beginning.  How far do people think it will go?

George Clapp
voice     973-829-4610
email     [email-masked]