L2C Product-Decription Issue2 22jun05

Layer-2 Aggregation Functionality
at MSH / OMS / SMA Multiplexer
Generic Product Description

Issue 2.0
Product Description L2 Aggregation Card (L2C)
Document code: 1AMJ 60007 AAU-BAA

Date of issue: 22-June-2005
Issue: 2.0
Comments:
Marconi Communications Ltd. and the Marconi logo are trademarks of Marconi.
This is an unpublished work, the copyright in which vests in Marconi Communications Limited, Marconi Communications SpA and
Marconi Communications GmbH. All rights reserved. The work contains information confidential to the above companies and all
such information is supplied without liability for errors or omissions. No part may be reproduced, disclosed or used except as
authorised by contract or other written permission. The copyright and the foregoing restriction on reproduction extend to all media in
which the information may be embodied.
The above companies have used all reasonable endeavours to ensure that the information contained in this work is accurate at its
date of issue, but reserves the right to make changes, in good faith, to such information from time to time, whether by way of
correction or meet market requirements or otherwise.
Marconi Communications Ltd., Marconi Communications GmbH Marconi Communications SpA,

New Century Park, Gerberstraße 33 1A, Via Negrone
PO Box 53, Coventry CV3 1HJ, 71522 Backnang 16153 Genova, Cornigliano,
England Germany Italy
Telephone: +44 (0)24 7656 2000 Telephone: +49 (0) 71 91 13 - 0 Telephone: +39–010–60021
Fax: +44 (0)24 7656 7000 Fax: +49 (0) 71 91 13 - 32 12 Fax: +39–010–6501897
Telex: 31361 MARCOV
Page 2 of 33 Copyright – Refer to Page 2 Issue 2.0

L2 Aggregation Card (L2C) Product Description
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Abbreviations ...............................................................................................................5
1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................8
1.1 General.....................................................................................................................8
1.2 Marconi’s Solution ....................................................................................................8
1.3 Supported Products ..................................................................................................9
1.4 Supported Interfaces ..............................................................................................10
2 Network Application................................................................................................11
2.1 Traditional Ethernet Private Line Operation ............................................................11
2.2 Multiple Ethernet Private Line .................................................................................12
2.3 Optimisation of the Network....................................................................................12
2.4 Ethernet Aggregation (SDH into Ethernet) ..............................................................13
2.5 SDH Aggregation (SDH or Ethernet into SDH) .......................................................14
2.6 Trunk Aggregation with remote Ethernet Port .........................................................15
2.7 Ethernet Private LAN (EPLAN, EVPLAN) ...............................................................16
2.8 Burst Compensation ...............................................................................................17
2.9 Cascading of L2 Aggregation Cards .......................................................................18
2.9.1 “Ethernet Port” Cascade .........................................................................................18
2.9.2 “SDH Transport Channel” Cascade ........................................................................19
2.9.3 “Mixed” Cascade ....................................................................................................19
3 Product Overview...................................................................................................20
3.1 Block Diagram ........................................................................................................20
3.1.1 Physical Interface ...................................................................................................20
3.1.2 Packet Switching Unit .............................................................................................20
3.1.3 Framer Function .....................................................................................................21
3.1.4 Virtual Concatenation / Link Capacity Adjustment Function ....................................21
3.1.5 System Adaptation Function ...................................................................................21
3.1.6 Type and Number of Ethernet Ports .......................................................................22
3.2 Concatenation ........................................................................................................23
3.2.1 Support of Concatenation .......................................................................................24
3.3 Generic Framing Procedure (GFP) .........................................................................24
3.4 Link Capacity Adjustment Scheme (LCAS) .............................................................24
3.5 Supported Frame Structures and Sizes ..................................................................24
3.6 Link Loss Forwarding (LLF) ....................................................................................25
3.7 Bridging and Switching ...........................................................................................25
3.7.1 Data Plane..............................................................................................................25
3.7.2 Control Plane..........................................................................................................26
3.8 Layer 2 Control Protocols .......................................................................................26
3.8.1 Layer-2 Protocol Handling ......................................................................................26
3.8.2 Layer-2 Protocol Options ........................................................................................27
3.8.3 Layer-2 Protocol Options supported .......................................................................27
3.9 Ethernet Port Extension (EPE)................................................................................27
4 Interfaces ...............................................................................................................28
5 Protection...............................................................................................................29
5.1 LCAS Based Protection ..........................................................................................29
6 Network Management ............................................................................................30
6.1 LCT Management ...................................................................................................30
7 General Technical Specification .............................................................................31
Issue 2.0 Copyright – Refer to Page 2 Page 3 of 33
7.1 Type Connectors.................................................................................................... 31

7.2 Max. Number of Flows ........................................................................................... 31
7.3 Flow Segregation: .................................................................................................. 31
7.4 VLAN Tagging........................................................................................................ 31
7.5 Path Termination Capability ................................................................................... 31
7.6 Differential Delay.................................................................................................... 32
7.7 Ethernet Physical Port............................................................................................ 32
7.7.1 Auto negotiation ..................................................................................................... 32
7.7.2 Auto MDIX.............................................................................................................. 32
7.7.3 Flow Control ........................................................................................................... 33
7.8 Safety and Environment Conditions ....................................................................... 33
List of Figures
Figure 1: Data transport network using EPL service model .................................................. 11
Figure 2: Data transport network using EPL service model .................................................. 12
Figure 3: Ethernet Aggregation ............................................................................................ 13
Figure 4: Trunk Link Aggregation (and “L2 Blind Card Mode”) ............................................. 14
Figure 5: Trunk Link Aggregation with remote Ethernet Port ................................................ 15
Figure 6: Ethernet Virtual Private LAN Service..................................................................... 16
Figure 7: Burst Compensation.............................................................................................. 17
Figure 8: Ethernet Port Cascade.......................................................................................... 18
Figure 9: Trunk Port Cascade .............................................................................................. 19
Figure 10: L2C Block diagram.............................................................................................. 20
Figure 11: Packet Switching Function .................................................................................. 21
List of Tables
Table 1: Products that support the L2 Aggregation and Switching Card................................. 9
Table 2: Saleable Entity Codes ............................................................................................ 10
Table 3: Number of ports per card ....................................................................................... 22
Table 4: Supported concatenation schemes ........................................................................ 24
Table 5: Layer-2 Control Protocol Handling.......................................................................... 27
Table 6: Layer-2 Control Protocol Options ........................................................................... 27
Table 7: Ethernet application codes ..................................................................................... 28
Table 8: Card SDH (Trunk) capacity .................................................................................... 31
Table 9: EPL / EVPL SDH (Trunk) capacity ......................................................................... 32

List of Abbreviations
ADM Add-Drop Multiplexer
ALS Automatic Laser Shutdown
APS Automatic Protection Switching
CoS Class of Service
OMS840 Customer Premises Add/Drop Multiplexer 100M Ethernet
CPE Customer Premise Equipment
DXC Digital Cross–Connect
EPL Ethernet Private Line
ETA Ethernet Traffic Adapter
ETH Ethernet
ETSI European Telecommunication Standards Institute
EVPL Ethernet Virtual Private Line
EVPLAN Ethernet Virtual Private LAN
EVPN Ethernet Virtual Private Network
FE Fast Ethernet
GbE Gigabit Ethernet
GFP Generic Frame Procedure
GigE Gigabit Ethernet
GMPLS Generalised Multi Protocol Label/Lambda Switching
HO High Order, means n x VC-4
IEEE Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
IF InterFace
IP Internet Protocol
ITU International Telecommunications Union
ITU-T International Telecommunication Union, Telecommunications Sector
L2C Layer 2 (Aggregation) Card
LAN Local Area Network
LAPS Link Access Procedure SDH
LC Line Card
LCAS Link Capacity Adjustment Scheme (for Virtual Concatenated signals)
LCT Local Craft Terminal
LO Low Order, means n x VC-12 level
LTU Line Termination Unit
MAC Media Access Control
MNR Managed Network Release
MPLS Multi-Protocol Label Switching
MSH Product name for Marconi SDH multiplexers
MSP Multiplex Section Protection
MV36 Marconi Communications Element Level Management System
MV38 Marconi Communications Network Level Management System
NE Network Element
NMS Network Management System
NTE Network Termination Equipment
OSI Open System Interconnection
PDH Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy
PE Provider Edge
PHY Physical Layer
POS Packet Over SDH (Sonet)
QoS Quality of Service
RMON Remote Network Monitoring
SDH Synchronous Digital Hierarchy
SFP Small Form-Factor Pluggable (Optical Transceiver)
SLA Service Level Agreement

SMA Synchronous Multiplexer Add Drop

SNCP Sub-Network Connection Protection
SNMP Simple Network Management Protocol
STM Synchronous Transport Module
SW A Switch A
SW B Switch B
TDM Time Division Multiplex
TLS Transparent LAN Service
TM Terminal Multiplexer
TMN Telecommunication Management Network
TP Termination Point
UTP Unshielded Twisted Pair
VC Virtual Container
VCG Virtually Concatenated Group
VID VLAN ID
VLAN Virtual Local Area Network (IEEE 802.1Q)
VPLS Virtual Private LAN Service
VPN Virtual Private Network
WAN Wide Area Network

Foreword
The product information contained herein is independent of, and does not refer to, a defined
product release.
The technical information is offered, in good faith, as an indication of Marconi's intention to

evolve its Optical Networks portfolio to meet the demands of the marketplace. Unless
commercially agreed, the information contained herein should not to be taken as implying any
commitment or obligation on the part of Marconi.
For details concerning availability and supported features please refer to the SDH Customer
Roadmap.

1 Introduction
1.1 General
Increasing demand for Ethernet traffic over SDH networks means that bandwidth needs to be
optimised, by introducing methods to align the network transport bandwidth to the real data
speed in the Ethernet network. One mechanism for achieving this optimisation is to alter the
network topology so that physical point-to-point private lines, dedicated to one customer
connection, are changed into virtual point-to-point or virtual point-to-multipoint private lines.
Using new traffic combination techniques in conjunction with new SDH mapping capacity
adjustment standards, an Operator can significantly reduce the required SDH bandwidth whilst
simultaneously increasing the data transport capability. Single lines can be combined into
aggregated virtual lines, reducing the number of switch/router ports and therefore cost of
ancillary equipment. The physical presentation of data can be made more efficient by feeding
multiple low capacity connections (10Base-T or 100Base-Tx) into a single Gigabit Ethernet
signal.
1.2 Marconi’s Solution
Marconi has a range of Ethernet transport products available in the PacketSpan range,
providing point-to-point transport of Ethernet frames across the SDH network supporting
10Mbit/s and 100Mbit/s Ethernet interfaces on SDH tributary cards.
The next generation of PacketSpan products expands the features available by introducing new
benefits as listed below:
“Wire speed” Ethernet frame throughput
An increased Ethernet port count per card (up to 16 FastE and 8 GigE ports)
Flexible SDH capacity allocation into VC-12, VC-3, VC4, and virtual concatenation (VC-
12-nv, VC-3-nv, VC-4-nv and finally VC-4-4c) to meet demands of different applications
GFP-F mapping of Ethernet into SDH
In service re-sizing of virtual concatenated SDH VC groups carrying SDH traffic using
LCAS
Aggregation of physical available streams into virtual flows for optimising the number of
used Ethernet ports and optimisation of used transport bandwidth.
Based on all these demands Marconi has available a range of cards for its SDH platforms. The
cards support transfer of Ethernet traffic from multiple remote end user sites over a single
physical interface to the core switch/router. To optimise the use of bandwidth in the network, the
private lines are not necessarily transferred on single point-to-point links, but will be aggregated
at appropriate points in the network and forwarded as virtual lines in a high bandwidth VC-group
and terminated at a single Gigabit Ethernet port. The aggregation and switching functionality
(also well known as Layer-2 functionality) is available for the Marconi SDH product range.
There are two major service categories for packet transport across SDH networks, both of which
are supported by the Marconi Layer-2 aggregation card.
Layer-2 Transport is the connection oriented mechanism to transport data packets as

private lines transparently through an SDH network either physically separated (EPL)
with a one to one relationship between physical input and output ports or logically
separated as virtual private lines (EVPL). Input and outputs ports can be shared and
aggregation of transport channels occurs. The allocation of EPL and EVPL services to
shared ports is performed by manual configuration.
Layer-2 Bridging and Switching introduces automatic address learning mechanisms into
the transport functions. The SDH network no longer provides only private lines between

local area networks, but also provides a connection-less Ethernet bridged network within
the operator network. The operator bridge network typically transports customer LAN
protocols transparently but may also communicate with the customer bridge network
using standard Ethernet bridging protocols. This service is referred to as virtual private
LAN service (EVPLAN).
The performance of high quality data networks for business applications are very important and
performance management is essential and Marconi are providing this based on:
SDH performance management according to ITU-T G. 826 and 829
RMON defined by IETF
additional SDH-class data transport performance and alarm management based on

traffic measurements like packet loss and defect frames, which allows the monitoring of
the complete customer traffic flow similar to the way it is already provided for SDH
networks.
Integrated network management control is achieved by Marconi Management systems to

enable interworking in different existing network management environments. For details please
refer to section 6.
1.3 Supported Products
This product description gives an overview into the main functionality of the “Layer-2
Aggregation and Switching Card” (L2C) that is available for the Marconi products below:
Product Short explanation

MSH11C STM-1 ADM
MSH41C STM-1/4 ADM
MSH2K family
STM-64/OTU2 960 Gbit/s capacity DXC
OMS3200 family
OMS1664 family STM-64 60 Gbit/s capacity DXC
SMA Rel. 1.2 family STM-1/16 ADM
SMA Series 3 family STM-1/16 ADM
SMA Series 4 family STM-1/4 ADM
SMA UC&EX family STM-1/16 ADM
Table 1: Products that support the L2 Aggregation and Switching Card
The introduction of these cards is planned for different dates and different product releases.
For details concerning availability and supported features please refer to the SDH Customer
Roadmap.
The OMS3260 has the same characteristics as the stand alone OMS3250/MSH2K and
OMS3240/MSH64C, as it uses these platforms as its port subracks.
With all these products a “Ethernet L2-Aggregation functionality” is available, which delivers
similar functionality with slight differences depending on the product structure like numbers of
interfaces per card etc. The introduction of each type of card is at different dates and product
releases (see Product roadmap).
Product L2-Card SE
Codes
MSH11C
SG58A
MSH41C
MSH2K family
ST58A
OMS3200 family
OMS1664 family SK58A
SMA Rel. 1.2 family
SMA Series 3 family
SP58A
SMA Series 4 family
SMA UC&EX family
Table 2: Saleable Entity Codes
1.4 Supported Interfaces
All the Layer-2 Aggregation cards offers Ethernet, Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet interfaces
as well as SDH Transport Channels. The number of interfaces is depending of the type of
Layer-2 Aggregation card and is explained in detail in Table 3.
Marconi L2-Aggregation Cards delivers flexible interface ports based on optical / electrical
interface modules. They supports this by using Small Form factor Pluggable (SFP) modules for
bit-rates at 100 MBit/s as well as 1 Gbit/s. Therefore the network provider needs only one type
of card for all of the application codes supported.

2 Network Application
2.1 Traditional Ethernet Private Line Operation
Ethernet Private Line (EPL) Applications are very common today for interconnecting Local Area
Networks (LAN), Ethernet Metro Networks as well as Wide Area Networks (WAN). Customers
deploying Ethernet Networks are usually large corporations interconnecting their subsidiaries,
financial companies interconnecting branch offices as well as Internet Service Providers (ISP)
and many others. Their intention is to transfer data traffic from any Point of Presence (POP) to
lesser numbers of concentration centres.
Customer Edge Provider Edge Transport channels VC/VCG Provider Edge Customer Edge
• GFP-F
• LCAS FE
• Virtual Concatenation
E 2
• SDH Protection
T
A 1
Core SMA
Switch 2 1
2 E SDH Network
E 1
FE T
3 A T
3
SMA A
SMA 3
Figure 1: Data transport network using EPL service model
Figure 1 shows a network providing the EPL service. The SDH transport network connects
Ethernet ports on each side of the network. Each of the private lines (1) to (3) are completely
separated, which means there is a port per customer on each side of the network. The ports are
connected via separate SDH transport container groups.
On the network side of an EPL product, each virtual packet channel (VPC) is mapped into an
appropriate SDH transport container, either a single container (VC-12/VC-3/VC-4), a group of
contiguous concatenated containers (VC-4-4c) or a group of virtual concatenated containers
(VC-12-nv, VC-3-nv-and VC-4-nv). The transport container designates the VPL. On the
Ethernet side the VPC is mapped to an Ethernet port. The complete Ethernet frame is
transmitted, including the MAC header.

2.2 Multiple Ethernet Private Line
But consider an EPL scenario as shown in Figure 2 with tens of interfaces at the customer
premises. For each port a single VC (or VC group) has to be allocated. The high numbers of
customer interfaces require also tens of interfaces at the transport equipment connected to the
core switch and the core switch itself. As traffic has been shaped before entering the SDH
network each of the tunnels may carry only a fractional part of the physical Ethernet bandwidth.
This leads to inefficient use of interfaces in both the transport devices and the core switch
resulting in a higher than necessary network cost.
Customer Edge Provider Edge Provider Edge Customer Edge
E 2
T
D A 1
Core SMA
C
Switch D 1 C
2 E 2 SDH Network
C
T E 1
B
3 A
3 T
A B
A SMA A
B
SMA 3
Figure 2: Data transport network using EPL service model
2.3 Optimisation of the Network
The fixed network structure shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 occurs during the initial introduction
of Ethernet services on a standard SDH network. The basic network infrastructure is unchanged
because only new add-on cards are equipped to carry the extra data types. The network is still
based on SDH and does not use any typical aspects of Ethernet Data traffic behaviour, e.g.
statistical multiplexing or multipoint connectivity.
For optimisation a number of different steps of Ethernet traffic aggregation can be introduced.
These reduce the numbers of Ethernet ports in the network giving reduced network expenditure
(CAPEX) as well as reduced operating costs (OPEX) and more efficient usage of the SDH
transport capacity.
The following chapters explain the difference between EPL services and so called EVPL
networks, and point out the benefits of aggregation solutions using the Layer-2 cards.

2.4 Ethernet Aggregation (SDH into Ethernet)

Aggregated Ethernet Link FE
E 2
T
A 1
Core SMA
Switch 2 1
2 L SDH Network
3
2 E 1
GE C T
3
MUX A
SMA 3
Reduced Number of ports
Traffic separated by VLAN Tag
Figure 3: Ethernet Aggregation
In this application the aggregated signal appears on an Ethernet port (means the external GigE
or FastE ports). This is referred to as an Ethernet Aggregation function.
When both private lines (2) and (3) are terminated on the same equipment at the same location,
e.g. at the core switch, it makes sense to aggregate the traffic and hand-off to the core switch
on a common Ethernet interface. The capital expenditure benefits increase as the number of
lines being aggregated increases, with a saving in port count on the core switch, and a saving in
per port/per link costs on the SDH side. Additional network connectivity can be added simply via
remote network management activities without the need for Core site visits and new wiring.
Figure 3 indicates the network solution. All the customer flows are still transported via single
VCs (or VC-groups) and each packet channel ends at the core switch location to be aggregated
into a single link. The packet channels 2 and 3 are now aggregated into a single Ethernet link
carrying multiple private lines using the layer 2 aggregation card. On the aggregated link the
“virtual” lines are differentiated using a VLAN tag or a MAC addresses
The EVPL service can also be used for IP access. The Core router is configured to use sub-
interfaces which adds VLAN tags that the L2C can recognise.

2.5 SDH Aggregation (SDH or Ethernet into SDH)

OMS 7
840
7 5
Core L
Switch 2
C 6
L SDH HO Network MUX
2 3 6 5
1 4 7
2 Node 1
Node 2
Node 3 6
C 1
MUX 2 3 1
4 6
L L
Node 4 2
2 1 2
C C 2
MUX
MUX 3
5
SDH LO Network
Traffic separated by VLAN Tag 4 3
OMS
840 4
Figure 4: Trunk Link Aggregation (and “L2 Blind Card Mode”)
In this application the aggregated stream will be mapped to an Ethernet port (means external
GigE or FastE ports) as well as to a TRUNK port (means VC-group). This referred to as an
Ethernet (node 4) or SDH (node 1, 2, 3) aggregation dependent on the node type.
The next step to optimise the network is to aggregate the private lines (3) and (4) between the
customer site and the core switch to reduce number and size of used VCGs as early as
possible. Such an aggregation point can also aggregate pre-aggregated signals (1), (2)
delivered by Node2 as well as (5), (6) delivered by Node1. The L2C is able to aggregate any
mixture of Ethernet and SDH Transport Channel aggregation and when the external Ethernet
ports of an L2C are not used the term 'Blind Card' is used as shown in Figure 4
Aggregation at a trunk link means carrying several customer flows by using only one large VC-
group instead of using many separated smaller VC-groups to the far end of the network. This
type of aggregation provides the following additional benefits:
Improved utilisation of transport bandwidth. Ethernet virtual private line services are today
sold at bandwidths far below the physical line rate of the Ethernet links. For instance, a
customer connected via a Fast Ethernet interface may only occupy a few Mbit/s in steps of
250 kbit/s in the transport network while SDH bandwidth can only be allocated in steps of 2
Mbit/s for lower order paths or even 155 Mbit/s for higher order paths. With trunk link
aggregation the trunk link can be filled with Ethernet flows of multiple customers (multiple
VPC in a single VC, VCG).
In the same way that a L2C has a maximum number of external Ethernet ports, there is
also a restriction on the number of SDH Virtual Concatenation Groups (VCGs) which can
be supported. By using trunk link aggregation this restriction is avoided and a large number
of number of channels (or VPCs) can be configured in the network.
Whether or not pre-aggregated flows like (1)(2) and (5)(6) will be forwarded with/without
decomposition has to be configured in any transfer L2C for each flow. As shown in Figure 4
the pre-aggregated flow (1)(2) is forwarded as only one input to the next stage. Flow (5)(6)
has been terminated and distributed in two different directions.

2.6 Trunk Aggregation with remote Ethernet Port

7 5
Core L
Switch 2
3 6 G C 6
2 5 I SDH HO Network 5 MUX
1 Node 1
4 G 6 Node 2
1 3
E MUX 2 4 1
6
L L
Node 4 5 2
2 1 2
Traffic separated by VLAN Tag C C 2
MUX
MUX 3
Node 3
SDH LO Network
4 3
OMS
840 4
Figure 5: Trunk Link Aggregation with remote Ethernet Port
Figure 5 shows another scenario of trunk link aggregation. In this scenario it assumes that the
Ethernet flow (7) does not exist, so the last aggregation stage is not necessary. In such
applications the connectivity to the Core Switch can be carried out by a standard Fast Ethernet
or a Gigabit Ethernet mapper card. The last L2C card (Node3) sends the Ethernet flows to the
mapper card, which forwards them transparently via the Ethernet port to the Core Switch. The
GigE card acts as a remote Ethernet interface.
Based on the extent of the utilisation of the SDH network and the number and locations where
customer Ethernet ports are available, the network could be configured in two different ways:
1) Have only one aggregation point at the Core Switch location and use a lot of SDH capacity
between customer Ethernet ports and the head end.
2) Have more distributed L2C cards in the network, reducing the SDH capacity requirements
close to where the Ethernet flows originate, by aggregating the flows at the earliest
opportunity

2.7 Ethernet Private LAN (EPLAN, EVPLAN)

1
L
2
C
1 MUX 2
Core 4
Switches SDH Network
L
2 L 3
2 3 C 2
MUX C
MUX 4
Figure 6: Ethernet Virtual Private LAN Service
In contrast to the EPL and EVPL services, which provide connection-oriented point-to-point
transport following a leased line model, the EVPLAN service is a connection-less multipoint-to-
multipoint service between multiple sites of a customer. EVPLAN introduces address learning
and multicasting, which simplifies network operation significantly for the customer. When a new
device is added to one of the network sites, it is directly visible in all other sites.
Consider the case where a customer wants to connect different LANs at different sites using an
EVPL service and routers. If a new router is added to one site, a virtual packet channel must be
installed to all the other sites and the routers in the other sites must be configured to reach this
new device. New sub-nets must be set up and the VLANs on all the aggregated Ethernet (and
possibly SDH Transport Channel) links must be configured. In most of the cases these new
connections must be negotiated with the Operator. The automatic address learning that comes
with the EVPLAN service simplifies this task. If the transport network appears as a big
transparent bridge, there is no configuration effort necessary in remote sites. Only the local,
newly added router must be configured. Once this router sends it’s first packet the bridge learns
the address from the packet’s source address and utilises this entry for subsequent forward
decisions.
The EVPLAN service allows the implementation of Layer-2 virtual private networks (VPN)
directly on top of the transport infrastructure. Benefits of Layer-2 VPNs are:
The customer retains full control over his connectionless Ethernet network.
Interactions with the Operator are minimised.
Once implemented, the Operator can leave routing to the customer.
A L2 VPN can transport any kind of Layer-3 protocol, not only IP.

2.8 Burst Compensation

CIR = 6 MBit/s
Core
L 2
Switch CIR = 20 MBit/s
2
C 1
VC-12-3v MUX
2
3 2 1
L SDH Network
GE 2 L 1
4 C 3 2
MUX VC-12-5v C
FE 3
MUX
4 CIR = 10 MBit/s
Figure 7: Burst Compensation
The trend to offer Ethernet equipment with interfaces based on Gigabit Ethernet physical layer
specification independently of the real port bandwidth applications with partially filled GigE flows
should be considered.
For example, the customer port has a been set to a CIR of maybe 20 MBit/s but the physical
layer is based on the Gigabit Ethernet specification. A burst can appear (2)(3) with Gigabit
Ethernet speed and has to be stored in L2C card. The L2C card maps the single Ethernet flows
(2), (3) as configured into two VCGs which consists of some low order VCs (5 x VC-12 and 3 x
VC-12). If traffic bursts for a sustained period above the CIR the L2C will rate-limit it, enabling
efficient adjusting of used SDH bandwidth according to the application demand.
Additionally in some applications it may be useful to have a Fast Ethernet interface instead of a
partially filled Gigabit interface. The L2C may be used to convert partially filled GigE pipes (4)
into a cheaper and more appropriate FastE pipe (4) as well as vice versa.

2.9 Cascading of L2 Aggregation Cards
In some applications, where the demand for Ethernet Ports or SDH Transport Channels is
larger than that supported by one L2C. In this case it’s possible to cascade two or more L2C to
reach a higher number of interfaces. This can be done in two different ways as shown in the
figure below.
2.9.1 “Ethernet Port” Cascade
L 1
2
2 3
Core VC-4-7v C
Switch n MUX
1 ...
1 L SDH Network
... 2 L A
n 2
C B
MUX C
MUX
N x FastE N x FastE
1 1 2
SDH Line SDH Line
IF IF
SDH SDH
2 STM-n STM-n
Interface Interface
GigE SDH Line SDH Line
IF IF
1 SDH
1 SDH
n Switch n Switch
Figure 8: Ethernet Port Cascade
As shown in Figure 8 (left part) cascading can be achieved via an external GigE/FastE port if
both L2Cs are available in the same location. N x FastE interfaces could be aggregated on L2C-
1. The aggregation output is available at the GigE port and is connected to the GigE port of
L2C-2. L2C-2 aggregates all its own FastE ports as well as the pre-aggregated flow from L2C-1.
The final aggregation flow is inserted into an appropriate VCG and transferred to the SDH
network.
Similarly as shown in Figure 8 (right part) cascading can be achieved by connecting both L2Cs
via the SDH switch. In such applications locations for L2C-1 and L2C-2 could be different,
because connectivity can be achieved via the local SDH switch or via the SDH network. Note:
the overall bandwidth of L2C-2 is lower than that in the classical cases, because each pre-
aggregated packet has to pass through the card twice via the backplane, once when entering
the L2C-1 and a second time when leaving it.
Note: the two cascaded L2Cs still appear as two different instances in the management system.

2.9.2 “SDH Transport Channel” Cascade
In some applications, particularly in LO SDH networks the demand of virtual channels (particular
on small VC-12 groups) may be larger than that supported by one L2C. In this case it’s possible
to cascade two or more L2C to reach a higher number of virtual channels. This can be done by
two different ways shown in both parts of the figure below.
SDH Line SDH Line

IF IF
SDH SDH
STM-n STM-n
Interface Interface
2 SDH Line 2 SDH Line
GigE IF IF
SDH
SDH
1 Switch 1 Switch
Figure 9: Trunk Port Cascade
As shown in Figure 9 (left part) cascading can be achieved via an external GigE/FastE port if
both L2Cs are available in the same location. N x VC-12s could be aggregated on L2C-1. The
aggregation output is available at the GigE port and is connected to the GigE port of L2C-2.
L2C-2 aggregates all its own VC-12s as well as the pre-aggregated flow from L2C-1. The final
aggregation flow is inserted into an appropriate VCG and transferred to the SDH network.
Similarly as shown in Figure 9 (right part) cascading can be achieved by connecting both L2Cs
via the SDH switch. Note: the overall bandwidth of the L2C-2 is lower than that in the classical
cases, because each pre-aggregated packet has to pass through the card twice via the
backplane, once when entering the L2C-1 and a second time when leaving it.
2.9.3 “Mixed” Cascade
Finally mixed applications between Ethernet Port Cascade and SDH Transport Channel
Cascade are dependent on the number of Ethernet ports, the number of supported VC-groups
as well as the SDH bandwidth between L2C and SDH switch.

3 Product Overview
3.1 Block Diagram
The following block diagram shows the main functional blocks of the L2C and associated
interworking between them.
Media Media
Dependent Independent
Interface Interface
(MDI) (MII)
10/100M
Virtual
SDH Line
Concatenation
Media IF
VCAT
PHY Access Packet Framing System SDH
(MAU) Control Switching (FRM) Adaptation STM-n
Link
(MAC) Unit Interface
Capacity
1000M SDH Line
Adjustment
SDH IF
LCAS
Switch
SDH
Control L2C
10/100M
PHY
Plane part
(MAU)
Management Plane Management Plane DCN
LTU
Figure 10: L2C Block diagram
3.1.1 Physical Interface
The L2C offers different opportunities to connect customer traffic. It offers RJ45 connectors as
well as SFP cages. The connectors can be located on the card front panel or by an additional
LTU. For more details refer to chapter 3.1.6
3.1.2 Packet Switching Unit
The Packet Switching Unit is the heart of the L2C and maps the incoming virtual packet link
(Ethernet flow) to an outgoing virtual packet link (Ethernet flow). The packets are stored in
specific packet queues.
The Packet Switching Unit supports any kind of connectivity between flows. A flow can enter
and exit the unit at any kind of interface (VCG and/or Ethernet port). Multiple flows can run
across the same interface aggregation. Therefore it is possible to connect a VCG to a second
one, an external port with a second one as well as any mixture. It is also possible to change the
size of VCG to optimise utilisation of bandwidth.
In a future software release (remotely upgradeable) The L2C supports multipoint-to-multipoint

connectivity by using the L2-switching mechanism. This is called Ethernet Virtual Private LAN
(EVPLAN).

L2C
1 11 G 4
I F
G A
A S
B T
2 I 4
T E
T
H 11
E Flows
T E
3 H R 1
E N
R E 22
N t
3 E 5
T
VC Groups
6 6 2 5
22
VC-4/3/12-nv
Framer
SDH SDH SDH

Line VC-4/3/12-nv Line
West Switch Matrix East
Figure 11: Packet Switching Function
3.1.3 Framer Function
The framer functionality is responsible for framing the packets coming from the Packet
Switching Function to be transported on the SDH payload acc. to GFP-F framing rules. The
framer output is loaded into single or concatenated VCs. For details refer to chapter 3.3
3.1.4 Virtual Concatenation / Link Capacity Adjustment Function
The L2C supports virtual as well as contiguous concatenated VCs acc. to ITU-T G.707. The
concatenation function distributes Ethernet flows to a configurable number of SDH VCs. For
details refer to chapter 3.4
3.1.5 System Adaptation Function
Due to differing system structures in the MSH and SMA families of equipment the system
adaptation function has been introduced to connect the generic L2 design to the dedicated
internal signals, busses and software functions of the different target products.

3.1.6 Type and Number of Ethernet Ports
Similar to the two types of aggregation (Ethernet and SDH Transport Channel aggregation, refer
to chapter 2.4) the L2C also distinguishes two types of ports:
Ethernet port: the connection to external equipment (like an external router) by industry
standard Ethernet interfaces via a connector at the front of the equipment. The data flow
comes in from Ethernet port is policed, labelled/unlabeled and leaves the card by a SDH
Transport Channel port (VCG) or by a second Ethernet port.
SDH Transport Channel port: connection to the flows delivered by SDH containers via
the SDH-switch.
The internal structure of the main product that accommodates the L2C determines the number
of Ethernet ports as well as the number of SDH Transport Channel ports. For each optical
Ethernet port a SFP cage is provided and can be filled within any appropriate interface module.
For each electrical Ethernet ports a RJ-45 connector is provided. Additionally each Ethernet port
can support different application codes based on the SFP module used. In general the SFP
devices are plugged into the front side of the card, although SFP devices may also be plugged
into an additional LTU. 100 M Ethernet ports can also operate at 10 M, while 1000 M Ethernet
ports do not support different speeds.
Some restrictions (like backplane capacity) have to be considered.
Ethernet Ports SDH ports

SE- FastE GigE VC-x-nv
Applicable for
Code at Card / LTU at Card (or VC-4-4c)
6 x SFP (Card) 2 x SFP 1)
SG58B MSH11C 24
(optical or electrical) (optical or electrical)
6 x SFP (Card) 2 x SFP 1)
SG58B MSH41C 64
(optical or electrical) (optical or electrical)
4 x SFP (Card)
MSH2K family 8 x SFP 1)
ST58A 12 x SFP (LTU) 64
OMS3200 family (optical or electrical)
(optical or electrical)
16 x SFP (LTU) 2 x SFP 2)

SK58A OMS1664 family or and 48
16 x RJ45 (LTU) 2 x RJ45
SMA Rel. 1.2 family
SMA Series 3 family 4 x SFP (Card) 2 x SFP
SP58A 24
SMA Series 4 family (optical or electrical) (optical or electrical)
SMA UC & EX family
Table 3: Number of ports per card
1)
Note: the number of usable ports may be lower, depending on the traffic flow configuration on the card.
2)
Both types of connector are supported, only one may be chosen for port operation.

3.2 Concatenation
L2C supports Virtual Concatenation or Contiguous Concatenation according to ITU-T G.707.

For each Trunk port of a L2C, the type of concatenation can be selected independent to the
others. Depending upon the selection the maximum transfer rate to SDH is different. The
payload of a VCG VC-x-yv is simply y times the payload of the individual VC-x.
VC-12-nv: Incoming data can be mapped into a VC-12 virtual concatenation group with
different n to adjust allocated SDH payload with a small granularity. Any VC-12 offers
2,176 MBit/s payload capacity. VC-12 concatenation is appropriate for mapping of 10
MBit/s as well as for 100 MBit/s.
10 MBit/s Ethernet flow into VC-12-5v
different n to adjust allocated SDH payload with a medium granularity. Any VC-3 offers
48,384 MBit/s payload capacity. VC-3 concatenation is appropriate for mapping
100MBit/s Ethernet, but is also supported for 1000 MBit/s Ethernet flows. Using this to
carry 10 MBit/s is a waste of bandwidth, but it is also possible.
10 MBit/s Ethernet flow into VC-3
different n to adjust allocated SDH payload with a large granularity. Any VC-4 offers
149,760 MBit/s payload capacity. VC-4 concatenation is appropriate for mapping 100
MBit/s Ethernet or 1000 MBit/s Ethernet flows. Using this to carry 10 MBit/s is a waste of
bandwidth, but it is also possible.
VC-4-4c: Incoming data can be mapped into a VC-4 contiguous concatenation group.
In this case a fixed SDH payload is around 600 Mb/s. No wire-speed is possible for Gigabit
Ethernet flows. Therefore the GigE card has to buffer bursty data received from the
interface to avoid loss of data and transfer them at sub wire-speed through SDH. It is
possible to avoid packet loss, due to the statistical effects of LAN traffic reducing the
maximum achievable data rate to below wire speed.
The incoming Ethernet flow will be modified before mapping into a VCG. Since the
preamble and inter-frame gap carry no useful information they are not mapped into the
VCG. Instead these are stripped out on entry to the SDH network and regenerated on exit
of the SDH network. This allows a mapping co-efficient greater than 100% of the nominal
Ethernet line bitrate. Two VC-3s carry 96,768 MBit/s that is nearly 98% of a maximum of an
100 MBit/s Ethernet payload. Therefore it is more efficient to use 2 x VC-3 instead of 3 x
VC-3 or 1 x VC-4 to carry 100 MBit/s Ethernet.

3.2.1 Support of Concatenation
L2C Type VC-12-nv VC-3-nv VC-4-nv VC-4-4c

MSH11C / 41C Yes Yes Yes N/A
MSH2K family
Yes Yes Yes N/A
OMS3200 family
OMS1664 family Yes Yes Yes Yes
SMA Rel. 1.2 family
SMA Series 3 family Yes Yes Yes N/A
SMA Series 4 family
SMA UC&EX family Yes Yes Yes N/A
Table 4: Supported concatenation schemes
3.3 Generic Framing Procedure (GFP)
The L2-Aggregation card provides transport of Ethernet frames over SDH. For efficient mapping
an encapsulation protocol of Ethernet over SDH is required. GFP is defined in ITU-T G.7041.
L2C supports GFP-F. This provides a generic mechanism to adapt traffic from customer
Ethernet sources into SDH VC groups. A client frame is received, reduced as mentioned before
by cutting inter-frame gap and preamble and then mapped in its entirety into a variable length
GFP frame which is sized according to the length of client frame. GFP framing configuration is
provisionable/selectable on a per SDH VCG basis.
3.4 Link Capacity Adjustment Scheme (LCAS)
LCAS in the virtual concatenation source and sink adaptation function provides a control
mechanism to increase or decrease capacity of virtual concatenated VC-groups. This optimises
the used bandwidth to suit the changing needs of the applications. Additionally it provides
protection capabilities without the need for full-featured SNCP. This is achieved by temporarily
removing network links from the data flow in case of network errors. To achieve the maximum
effect of this diverse routing of the separate elements of the VC group is required across the
network.
3.5 Supported Frame Structures and Sizes
The L2 card is able to transfer frame lengths beyond those quoted by the IEEE Ethernet
standards. Ethernet equipment outside of the SMA/MSH/OMS multiplexers may have additional
bytes added to the client Ethernet frame, e.g. MPLS labels or proprietary extensions. In line with
other Marconi mapper cards the L2C supports frame sizes up to 1600 bytes on all Ethernet
ports in order to support extended Ethernet frame formats. In addition, the L2C can be
configured to support Jumbo frames with extended frame size. Using Jumbo frames reduces
the number of VCGs that are supported at the trunk ports, based on increased
memory/resource usage.

3.6 Link Loss Forwarding (LLF)
Earlier implementations of LLF (Link Loss Forwarding) are available in third party NTE’s,
connected by fibre or via another network. The “link loss” is propagated across the fibre (or
network) carrying the Ethernet signals by various (often non-standard) methods.
Link loss can occur on the failure of the equipment or port attached to the ingress of the link
(incoming Ethernet signal failure), failure of the cable/fibre forming the link, or failure of an NTE
or element within the link. At the egress point, the link loss earlier in the path can be indicated
to a destination device in a variety of ways, including laser shutdown of optical ports. The key
benefit of LLF is that when an Ethernet link fails, the link loss can be detected very quickly
(ideally in the order of milliseconds) by the destination device attached to the egress of the link,
causing some protection action to occur in the destination device (such as switchover to a
protection path).
Marconi follows the ITU-T recommendation G.7041 (Generic Framing Procedure, GFP), as a
definition of how to carry Ethernet frames across an SDH network. GFP includes a Client
Signal Frame (CSF), which can be used to signal within the GFP mechanism across the SDH
network.
Marconi’s LLF solution includes using GFP CSF as one of the ‘triggers’ to generate a
consequent action at the egress of the link, i.e. GFP can signal failure at the ingress Ethernet
port to the far end (egress port). Card failure or SDH failure within the Ethernet over SDH link
can be forwarded using SDH and LCAS signals. At the egress port, various configurations of
consequent action behaviour are available, depending upon network configurations and type of
Ethernet tributary card. Typically, either sending the egress Ethernet port into an idle state or
switching off the egress Ethernet port can be configured as the consequent action.
3.7 Bridging and Switching
In later releases Marconi’s Layer-2 Aggregation cards support bridging functionalities acc. to
802.1Q (VLAN aware bridge) and IEEE802.1D.
This extended functionality can be installed via software download to the already available
cards working with first release. For detailed application please refer to Figure 6.
3.7.1 Data Plane
A connectionless service is provided by the Data Plane. This comprises MAC address learning
and MAC based forwarding for unicast traffic. Forwarding behavior of unicast traffic can also be
influenced through specific rules defined by the Management.
Multicast traffic may be flooded, forwarded or pruned according to specifically configured rules.
The Data Plane supports Customer traffic separation through VLANs and multiple Filtering
Databases (FDBs). By assigning each VLAN a separate FDB, MAC address spaces of
Customers can be kept completely separate in the device.
Multiple Spanning Trees are supported. This is reflected in a state vector with one state value
per Instance for a port. The Data Plane is capable of identifying the Spanning Tree context of a
frame from its VLAN membership and perform forwarding along the respective Spanning Tree
context.

3.7.2 Control Plane
The Control Plane provides the means to support the following functionalities:
• Loop resolution:
The Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP according to IEEE802.1D-2004 and
IEEE802.1w) provides loop-free connectivity in the Bridged LAN through a base
spanning tree context. Rapid migration to the forwarding state and rapid re-configuration
in case of failures is guaranteed as much as backward compatibility with older STP
capable devices.
The Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP according to IEEE802.1Q-2003 and
IEEE802.1s) adds support for multiple Spanning Tree Instances without compromising
rapid migration and re-configuration and backward compatibility. By use of multiple
Spanning Tree Instances VLANs can be provided with their own topology, thus further
enhancing the capability of Customer traffic separation. Network failures (devices or
links) do not automatically affect all traffic since the failed resource may not be part of
the active topology of all Instances. This provides increased resilience against network
failures.
• Dynamic VLAN configuration

VLANs can be dynamically configured through GVRP (GARP VLAN Registration
Protocol according to IEEE802.1Q-2003). The Provider has full control over GVRP
operation via management to disable or limit GVRP VLAN registration capabilities per
device, per port or per VLAN.
• Dynamic Multicast Pruning

Multicast Pruning can be performed either through static entries or through dynamic
registration via GMRP (GARP Multicast Registration Protocol according to IEEE802.1D-
2004 and IEEE802.1Q-2003). The Provider has full control over GMRP operation via
management to disable or limit GMRP Multicast registration capabilities per device, per
port or per VLAN.
3.8 Layer 2 Control Protocols
3.8.1 Layer-2 Protocol Handling
Following L2 Control Protocols are handled:
Pause
Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)
Link Aggregation Marker Protocol (LAMP)
802.3ah Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM)
Spanning Tree BPDU
Generic Attribute Reservation Protocols (GARP)
GARP Multicast Registration Protocol (GMRP)
GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP)
802.1X Port Authentication
All LAN Bridge Management Group

3.8.2 Layer-2 Protocol Options
For a set of Layer-2 control protocols it is possible to determine on each interface (Physical Port
or VCG Transport Port) how the protocol shall be handled. The following alternatives for the
handling of a control protocol is supported.
Option Comment
The card discards all ingress frames carrying the specific layer-2 control protocol
Discard
and the card does not generate any frames carrying this layer-2 control protocol.
The card acts as a peer of the equipment which is attached to the card. I.e. the
Process
layer-2 control protocol is terminated by the card and processed by the application.
Any incoming frame carrying a layer-2 control protocol is forwarded by the card
either according to a configured cross-connection in case of a line service or
Tunnel
according to forwarding rules of a bridge in case the interface is associated with a
bridge.
Table 5: Layer-2 Control Protocol Handling
3.8.3 Layer-2 Protocol Options supported
For the layer-2 control protocols (as listed in Table 6) it is possible to define their respective
handling on a per interface level (Physical Ethernet Port or SDH Transport Port).
Supported Options
Layer-2 Control Protocol Port Used For Port Used For
EPL/EVPL Service EVPLAN Service
Pause Process or Discard Discard
LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol) Discard or Tunnel Discard
LAMP (Link Aggregation Marker Protocol) Discard or Tunnel Discard
EFM OAMiF (802.3ah Ethernet in the First Mile) Discard or Tunnel Discard
BPDU (STP, RSTP, MSTP) Discard or Tunnel Process
GVRP (GARP VLAN Registration Protocol) Discard or Tunnel Discard
GMRP (GARP Multicast Registration Protocol) Discard or Tunnel Discard or Tunnel
802.1X Port Authentication Discard or Tunnel Discard
All LANs Bridge Management Group Discard or Tunnel Discard
Table 6: Layer-2 Control Protocol Options
3.9 Ethernet Port Extension (EPE)
Ethernet Port Extension (EPE) is a solution that extends Marconi’s Ethernet over SDH solutions
by providing a managed optical Ethernet fibre drop from the SDH multiplexer. Each optical
Ethernet fibre drop is provided from an optical FastE/GigE port on an L2-Aggregation card,
extending the Ethernet transport service along that fibre, hence “port extension”. A Port
Extension Module (PEM) is provided at the end of the fibre, the PEM being a managed NTE
that delivers an electrical Ethernet client interface. The operation of EPE is based upon the
principles of the IEEE802.3ah standard that describes a method for remote Ethernet delivery,
also known as “Ethernet in the First Mile”.

4 Interfaces
Each L2-Aggregation card provides some external interfaces according to interface specification
IEEE 802.3. The number of interfaces per card and per subrack is different on each of our
products A mix of optical and copper interfaces is possible. Connectors for copper are always
RJ-45 and for optical fibres LC/PC delivered by SFP modules. The following table explains
supported application codes.
Each port independently presents an optical Ethernet interface of one of the following types:
Application Code Wavelength Cabling Range

10Base-T --- Two pairs of Cat 3 UTP Cable 100m
100Base-TX --- Two pairs of Cat 5 UTP Cable 100m
100Base-FX 850nm 50/125 mm MMF 400m
100Base-LX10 1310nm 9/125 mm SMF 10km
1)
100Base-PR1 1310nm SMF based on S1.1 (0...11dB) 0-20km
1)
100Base-PR2 1310nm SMF based on L1.1 (0...26dB) 10-45km
1,000Base-T --- Four pairs of Cat 5 cable 100m
1,000Base-SX 850nm 50/125 mm MMF 550m
1,000Base-LX 1310nm 50/125 mm MMF or 9/125 mm SMF 550m or 5km
1,000Base-LX10 1310mn 50/125 mm MMF or 9/125 mm SMF 550m or 10km
1,000Base-ZX 1550nm 9/125 mm SMF de facto standard 70-80km
Table 7: Ethernet application codes
1)
Applicable for Fast Ethernet Port Extension (EPE)
Single fibre solutions like 100Base-BX10 or 1000Base-BX10 are under consideration and can
be supported when appropriate SFP devices are generally available in the market place.

5 Protection
In general all well known standardised SDH protection mechanisms can be used for protecting
Ethernet flows in SDH lines dependant on them being in VC groups. e.g. SNCP can be used to
double each VC (or VC group) between source and destination. Additionally an Ethernet line
protection is available using the L2-card.
5.1 LCAS Based Protection
In addition to equipment based protection schemes as mentioned before, it is possible to

establish a virtual concatenated group of VCs via LCAS protocol in order to maintain the data
connection (at a lower bit rate) between the end points in case of a fault. This scheme is based
on the assumption that VCs of the virtual concatenated VC group use diverse routes between
the source and the destination. If one of these routes fails, LCAS reduces the total link capacity
down to a value defined by the remaining working paths. After repair of the failure(s) LCAS
increases the link capacity progressively back to the total bandwidth. During the failure a
committed bandwidth cannot be guaranteed, but the connection and thus the service is still
available.

6 Network Management
Integrated network management control is achieved by ServiceOn Optical (SOO) Element and
Network Managers via a ‘Q’ interface with Advantage Module Client Circuit Centre (CCC). It
allows the “L2 Aggregation card” to be managed alongside existing Marconi products.
For the OMS1664 family and the SMA Family also network management control is achieved by
ServiceOn Access (SOA) via device driver. So the “L2 Aggregation card” can be managed in
SoA managed networks alongside with existing Marconi products.
Both management systems provide a comprehensive range of fault, status and performance
monitoring functions with configurable parameters. Interactive operator control is provided for
sub-rack commissioning, traffic connection management, maintenance and diagnostics.
In-field control is provided by an ‘F’ interface to a PC based Local Craft Terminal
The NMS and the LCT manage all the aspects required by the Gigabit Ethernet, i.e. card, SDH
and Ethernet information:
The management system provides a comprehensive range of

fault management
performance management and monitoring
configuration management
Interactive operator control is provided for

network element commissioning
connectivity management
maintenance and diagnostics
The Client Circuit Centre (CCC) allows maintenance of Circuit information for PacketSpan and
Gigabit Ethernet circuits and UI access into SOO for the associated SDH bearer and data
configuration. This facility can be installed on a SOO or a standalone platform.
6.1 LCT Management
Local control is provided by an ‘F’ interface to a PC based Local Craft Terminal. The NE cards
Configurations/Fault/Performance/Commissioning etc are managed by the Local Terminal
and/or via the Element Manager.
The NMS and the LCT manage all the aspects required by the Ethernet functionality, i.e. Card,
SDH and Ethernet information:
Card Based Domain: functions of the card-based domain shall encompass configuration
and alarms for basic hardware/software operations and maintenance, such as card
initialisation, identity and faults and embedded software management.
SDH Traffic Domain: the SDH domain handles the generation/termination of a SDH
container for each Ethernet signal, choosing between VC-12, VC-3, VC-4, VC-4-4c, or
VC-x-nv. The SDH Domain is compliant to the relevant standards (G.783 Jan 2001 and
DEN/TM-01015-9-1 draft V0.0.3 10/2000), offering the same functionality and same look
and feel as used for VC generation/termination in other cards in Marconi optical
networks products.
Ethernet Domain: functions of the Ethernet domain encompass the configuration,
operation, performance monitoring and alarms for the Ethernet/SAN packet-processing
functions of the card.

7 General Technical Specification
7.1 Type Connectors

Electrical ports RJ-45 connector
Optical ports: LC/PC connector
7.2 Max. Number of Flows
The L2-Aggregation card supports up to 4000 flows. This includes any 10M/100M/1000M flow
arriving at a Ethernet port as well as any flow arriving at a SDH Transport Channel.
7.3 Flow Segregation:
Configurable Customer Flow Segregation is supported based on:

LAN or WAN port
VLAN tag according to IEEE802.1Q on both LAN or WAN port
Stacked VLAN tag according to IEEE802.1Q on both LAN or WAN port
Metro Ethernet Forum VLAN bundling
7.4 VLAN Tagging
The L2-Aggregation card supports:

Customer VLAN tunnelling: Customer VLANs are transported transparently using
stacked VLANs acc. To IEEE802.1Q
Customer VLAN trunking: Customers share single (unstacked VLANs)
7.5 Path Termination Capability
The maximum SDH Trunk capacity to carry Ethernet flows is dependent on the internal product
structure and should be considered, because it may restrict the number of flows as well as the
number and size of VC-groups. For more details refer to the relevant product description of
each product. Maximum Path Termination Capability is 5 Gb/s. Provision rules must be
considered to avoid physical overbooking. The number of VCs is set by the Packet Switching
Unit as well as by SDH slot capacity.
L2 Card Maximum Backplane No. of VC’s per Card

Type Applicable for Capacity usable by L2C VC-12 VC-3 VC-4
SG58A MSH11C 1 x VC-4 63 3 1

SG58A MSH41C 4 x VC-4 252 12 4
SK58A OMS1664 family 16 x VC-4 672 48 16
MSH2K family
ST58A 32 x VC-4 2016 96 32
OMS3200 family
SMA Rel. 1.2 family
SP58A SMA Series 3 family 4 x VC-4 126 12 4
SMA Series 4 family
SP58A SMA UC&EX family 4 x VC-4 126 12 4
Table 8: Card SDH (Trunk) capacity

L2 Card Maximum No. of No. of VC’s per EPL

SDH Transport
Type Applicable for VC-12 VC-3 VC-4
Channels
SG58A MSH11C 24 63 3 1
SG58A MSH41C 64 63 12 4
SK58A OMS1664 family 48 63 48 8
MSH2K family
ST58A 64 63 24 8
OMS3200 family
SMA Rel. 1.2 family
SP58A SMA Series 3 family 24 63 12 4
SMA Series 4 family
SP58A SMA UC&EX family 24 63 12 4
Table 9: EPL / EVPL SDH (Trunk) capacity
7.6 Differential Delay
Maximum differential delay between each VC of a VC-group should not exceed 32 ms.
7.7 Ethernet Physical Port
7.7.1 Auto negotiation
Auto-Negotiation is a function of the Ethernet PHY layer and provides means for an automatic
adaptation of the most important physical layer functions between two stations.
It is supported for electrical 10M/100M/1000M Ethernet as well as for optical 1000M

Ethernet. It has not yet been defined for optical 100M Ethernet.
The following parameters are negotiated:
Speed, Duplex Mode, MAC PAUSE capabilities in a asymmetric fashion
Auto-Negotiation Modes
Advertise: Parameters are provisioned and advertised; no negotiation takes place
Negotiate: The L2C automatically adopts the parameter values exchanged during the
auto-negotiation process.
Functionality
On electrical media using UTP cabling, the auto-negotiation information is encoded into
bursts of short pulses, so-called Fast Link Pulse (FLP) bursts. Information is extracted
from the bursts and provided to management software.
On optical Gigabit Ethernet media, the auto-negotiation information is exchanged using
special code words with the 8B/10B symbol range.
7.7.2 Auto MDIX
Auto MDIX (Media Dependent Interface Crossover) ensures proper working of the Ethernet link
if the Receiver and Transmitter cables have been interchanged. Auto MDIX is supported on all
electrical Ethernet Ports
7.7.3 Flow Control
Flow Control using MAC Pause frame initiation acc. to IEEE 802.3 is supported to the client
equipment. This includes programmable buffer thresholds. Flow Control can be provisioned on
a per port base in EPL mode without Link Aggregation.
7.8 Safety and Environment Conditions
This product description describes only a card and therefore only a part of a complete product.
The safety rules and environmental specification has to be associated with the dedicated
product into which the card is inserted.
In general the card delivers:

Optical Safety: as per other Marconi optical products, in the case of a fibre break an
automatic laser shutdown (ALS) is supported to avoid any danger caused by emission of
laser light. The procedure for automatic laser shutdown and restart is based on ITU-T
G.958, G.664, G.681 and ISO/EN60825-1, -2.
Electrical safety is according to EN 60 950
Environmental conditions is according to ETS 300 386-1
End of Document

L2C Product-Decription Issue2 22jun05

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

L2C Product-Decription Issue2 22jun05

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Layer-2 Aggregation Functionality

at MSH / OMS / SMA Multiplexer

Generic Product Description

Document code: 1AMJ 60007 AAU-BAA

Marconi Communications Ltd., Marconi Communications GmbH Marconi Communications SpA,

Page 2 of 33 Copyright – Refer to Page 2 Issue 2.0

List of Abbreviations ...............................................................................................................5

7.1 Type Connectors.................................................................................................... 31

Page 4 of 33 Copyright – Refer to Page 2 Issue 2.0

Issue 2.0 Copyright – Refer to Page 2 Page 5 of 33

SMA Synchronous Multiplexer Add Drop

Page 6 of 33 Copyright – Refer to Page 2 Issue 2.0

The technical information is offered, in good faith, as an indication of Marconi's intention to

Issue 2.0 Copyright – Refer to Page 2 Page 7 of 33

1.2 Marconi’s Solution

Layer-2 Transport is the connection oriented mechanism to transport data packets as

Page 8 of 33 Copyright – Refer to Page 2 Issue 2.0

SDH performance management according to ITU-T G. 826 and 829

RMON defined by IETF

additional SDH-class data transport performance and alarm management based on

Integrated network management control is achieved by Marconi Management systems to

1.3 Supported Products

Product Short explanation

1.4 Supported Interfaces

Page 10 of 33 Copyright – Refer to Page 2 Issue 2.0

2.1 Traditional Ethernet Private Line Operation

Figure 1: Data transport network using EPL service model

Issue 2.0 Copyright – Refer to Page 2 Page 11 of 33

2.2 Multiple Ethernet Private Line

Customer Edge Provider Edge Provider Edge Customer Edge

Figure 2: Data transport network using EPL service model

2.3 Optimisation of the Network

Page 12 of 33 Copyright – Refer to Page 2 Issue 2.0

2.4 Ethernet Aggregation (SDH into Ethernet)

Aggregated Ethernet Link FE

Figure 3: Ethernet Aggregation

Issue 2.0 Copyright – Refer to Page 2 Page 13 of 33

2.5 SDH Aggregation (SDH or Ethernet into SDH)

Figure 4: Trunk Link Aggregation (and “L2 Blind Card Mode”)

Page 14 of 33 Copyright – Refer to Page 2 Issue 2.0

2.6 Trunk Aggregation with remote Ethernet Port

Figure 5: Trunk Link Aggregation with remote Ethernet Port

Issue 2.0 Copyright – Refer to Page 2 Page 15 of 33

2.7 Ethernet Private LAN (EPLAN, EVPLAN)

Figure 6: Ethernet Virtual Private LAN Service

Page 16 of 33 Copyright – Refer to Page 2 Issue 2.0

2.8 Burst Compensation

Figure 7: Burst Compensation

Issue 2.0 Copyright – Refer to Page 2 Page 17 of 33

2.9 Cascading of L2 Aggregation Cards

2.9.1 “Ethernet Port” Cascade

Customer Edge Provider Edge Provider Edge Customer Edge

Figure 8: Ethernet Port Cascade

Page 18 of 33 Copyright – Refer to Page 2 Issue 2.0

2.9.2 “SDH Transport Channel” Cascade

SDH Line SDH Line

Figure 9: Trunk Port Cascade

2.9.3 “Mixed” Cascade

Issue 2.0 Copyright – Refer to Page 2 Page 19 of 33

3.1 Block Diagram

Management Plane Management Plane DCN

Figure 10: L2C Block diagram

3.1.1 Physical Interface