Information About Configuring Ethernet OAM
To configure Ethernet OAM, you should understand the following concepts:
Ethernet Link OAM
Ethernet as a Metro Area Network (MAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN) technology benefits greatly from the implementation of Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) features. Ethernet link OAM features allow Service Providers to monitor the quality of the connections on a MAN or WAN. Service providers can monitor specific events, . Ethernet link OAM operates on a single, physical link and it can be configured to monitor either side or both sides of that link.
Ethernet link OAM can be configured in the following ways:
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A Link OAM profile can be configured, and this profile can be used to set the parameters for multiple interfaces.
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Link OAM can be configured directly on an interface.
When an interface is also using a link OAM profile, specific parameters that are set in the profile can be overridden by configuring a different value directly on the interface.
An Ethernet Link OAM profile simplifies the process of configuring EOAM features on multiple interfaces. An Ethernet OAM profile, and all of its features, can be referenced by other interfaces, allowing other interfaces to inherit the features of that Ethernet OAM profile.
Individual Ethernet link OAM features can be configured on individual interfaces without being part of a profile. In these cases, the individually configured features always override the features in the profile.
The preferred method of configuring custom EOAM settings is to create an EOAM profile in Ethernet configuration mode and then attach it to an individual interface or to multiple interfaces.
When an EOAM packet is received on any one of the AC interfaces on which EOAM is not configured, the AC interface multicasts the received EOAM packets to other AC interfaces that are part of EVPN-BD to reach the peer. When an EOAM is enabled on the bundle member in the peer, it punts the packet to the CPU in the peer. Also, the EOAM flaps the bundle member as the local or remote Key of the received EOAM does not match.
These standard Ethernet Link OAM features are supported on the router:
Neighbor Discovery
Neighbor discovery enables each end of a link to learn the OAM capabilities of the other end and establish an OAM peer relationship. Each end also can require that the peer have certain capabilities before it will establish a session. You can configure certain actions to be taken if there is a capabilities conflict or if a discovery process times out, using the action capabilities-conflict or action discovery-timeout commands.
EFD
Ethernet Fault Detection (EFD) is a mechanism that allows Ethernet OAM protocols, such as CFM, to control the line protocol state of an interface.
Unlike many other interface types, Ethernet interfaces do not have a line protocol, whose state is independent from that of the interface. For Ethernet interfaces, this role is handled by the physical-layer Ethernet protocol itself, and therefore if the interface is physically up, then it is available and traffic can flow.
EFD changes this to allow CFM to act as the line protocol for Ethernet interfaces. This allows CFM to control the interface state so that if a CFM defect (such as AIS or loss of continuity) is detected with an expected peer MEP, the interface can be shut down. This not only stops traffic flow, but also triggers actions in any higher-level protocols to route around the problem. For example, in the case of Layer 2 interfaces, the MAC table would be cleared and MSTP would reconverge. For Layer 3 interfaces, the ARP cache would be cleared and potentially the IGP would reconverge.
 Note |
EFD can only be used for down MEPs. When EFD is used to shut down the interface, the CFM frames continue to flow. This allows CFM to detect when the problem has been resolved, and thus bring the interface backup automatically. |
This figure shows CFM detection of an error on one of its sessions EFD signaling an error to the corresponding MAC layer for the interface. This triggers the MAC to go to a down state, which further triggers all higher level protocols (Layer 2 pseudowires, IP protocols, and so on) to go down and also trigger a reconvergence where possible. As soon as CFM detects there is no longer any error, it can signal to EFD and all protocols will once again go active.
MIB Retrieval
MIB retrieval enables an OAM peer on one side of an interface to get the MIB variables from the remote side of the link. The MIB variables that are retrieved from the remote OAM peer are READ ONLY.
Miswiring Detection (Cisco-Proprietary)
Miswiring Detection is a Cisco-proprietary feature that uses the 32-bit vendor field in every Information OAMPDU to identify potential miswiring cases.
SNMP Traps
SNMP traps can be enabled or disabled on an Ethernet OAM interface.
Ethernet CFM
Ethernet Connectivity Fault Management (CFM) is a service-level OAM protocol that provides tools for monitoring and troubleshooting end-to-end Ethernet services per VLAN. This includes proactive connectivity monitoring, fault verification, and fault isolation. CFM uses standard Ethernet frames and can be run on any physical media that is capable of transporting Ethernet service frames. Unlike most other Ethernet protocols which are restricted to a single physical link, CFM frames can transmit across the entire end-to-end Ethernet network.
Note |
Enable a maximum of 32 VLAN ranges per NPU. Else, when you reload the device, all CFM sessions over the 802.1Q VLAN interface might go down. Also, the corresponding bundle interface might go down. If more than 32 VLAN ranges exist on an NPU, remove the additional VLAN ranges and reload the device to address the issue. |
CFM is defined in two standards:
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IEEE 802.1ag—Defines the core features of the CFM protocol.
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ITU-T Y.1731—Redefines, but maintains compatibility with the features of IEEE 802.1ag, and defines some additional features.
Ethernet CFM supports these functions of ITU-T Y.1731:
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ETH-CC, ETH-RDI, ETH-LB, ETH-LT—These are equivalent to the corresponding features defined in IEEE 802.1ag.
Note
The Linktrace responder procedures defined in IEEE 802.1ag are used rather than the procedures defined in Y.1731; however, these are interoperable.
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ETH-AIS—The reception of ETH-LCK messages is also supported.
To understand how the CFM maintenance model works, you need to understand these concepts and features:
Maintenance Domains
A maintenance domain describes a management space for the purpose of managing and administering a network. A domain is owned and operated by a single entity and defined by the set of interfaces internal to it and at its boundary, as shown in this figure.
A maintenance domain is defined by the bridge ports that are provisioned within it. Domains are assigned maintenance levels, in the range of 0 to 7, by the administrator. The level of the domain is useful in defining the hierarchical relationships of multiple domains.
CFM maintenance domains allow different organizations to use CFM in the same network, but independently. For example, consider a service provider who offers a service to a customer, and to provide that service, they use two other operators in segments of the network. In this environment, CFM can be used in the following ways:
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The customer can use CFM between their CE devices, to verify and manage connectivity across the whole network.
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The service provider can use CFM between their PE devices, to verify and manage the services they are providing.
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Each operator can use CFM within their operator network, to verify and manage connectivity within their network.
Each organization uses a different CFM maintenance domain.
This figure shows an example of the different levels of maintenance domains in a network.
Note |
In CFM diagrams, the conventions are that triangles represent MEPs, pointing in the direction that the MEP sends CFM frames, and circles represent MIPs.  |
To ensure that the CFM frames for each domain do not interfere with each other, each domain is assigned a maintenance level, between 0 and 7. Where domains are nested, as in this example, the encompassing domain must have a higher level than the domain it encloses. In this case, the domain levels must be negotiated between the organizations involved. The maintenance level is carried in all CFM frames that relate to that domain.
CFM maintenance domains may touch or nest, but cannot intersect. This figure illustrates the supported structure for touching and nested domains, and the unsupported intersection of domains.
Services
A CFM service allows an organization to partition its CFM maintenance domain, according to the connectivity within the network. For example, if the network is divided into a number of virtual LANs (VLANs), a CFM service is created for each of these. CFM can then operate independently in each service. It is important that the CFM services match the network topology, so that CFM frames relating to one service cannot be received in a different service. For example, a service provider may use a separate CFM service for each of their customers, to verify and manage connectivity between that customer's end points.
A CFM service is always associated with the maintenance domain that it operates within, and therefore with that domain's maintenance level. All CFM frames relating to the service carry the maintenance level of the corresponding domain.
Note |
CFM Services are referred to as Maintenance Associations in IEEE 802.1ag and as Maintenance Entity Groups in ITU-T Y.1731. |
Maintenance Points
A CFM Maintenance Point (MP) is an instance of a particular CFM service on a specific interface. CFM only operates on an interface if there is a CFM maintenance point on the interface; otherwise, CFM frames are forwarded transparently through the interface.
A maintenance point is always associated with a particular CFM service, and therefore with a particular maintenance domain at a particular level. Maintenance points generally only process CFM frames at the same level as their associated maintenance domain. Frames at a higher maintenance level are always forwarded transparently, while frames at a lower maintenance level are normally dropped. This helps enforce the maintenance domain hierarchy, and ensures that CFM frames for a particular domain cannot leak out beyond the boundary of the domain.
There are two types of MP:
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Maintenance End Points (MEPs)—Created at the edge of the domain. Maintenance end points (MEPs) are members of a particular service within a domain and are responsible for sourcing and sinking CFM frames. They periodically transmit continuity check messages and receive similar messages from other MEPs within their domain. They also transmit traceroute and loopback messages at the request of the administrator. MEPs are responsible for confining CFM messages within the domain.
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Maintenance Intermediate Points (MIPs)—Created in the middle of the domain. Unlike MEPS, MIPs do allow CFM frames at their own level to be forwarded.
MIP Creation
Unlike MEPs, MIPs are not explicitly configured on each interface. MIPs are created automatically according to the algorithm specified in the CFM 802.1ag standard. The algorithm, in brief, operates as follows for each interface:
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The bridge-domain or cross-connect for the interface is found, and all services associated with that bridge-domain or cross-connect are considered for MIP auto-creation.
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The level of the highest-level MEP on the interface is found. From among the services considered above, the service in the domain with the lowest level that is higher than the highest MEP level is selected. If there are no MEPs on the interface, the service in the domain with the lowest level is selected.
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The MIP auto-creation configuration (mip auto-create command) for the selected service is examined to determine whether a MIP should be created.
Note
Configuring a MIP auto-creation policy for a service does not guarantee that a MIP will automatically be created for that service. The policy is only considered if that service is selected by the algorithm first.
MEP and CFM Processing Overview
The boundary of a domain is an interface, rather than a bridge or host. Therefore, MEPs can be sub-divided into two categories:
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Down MEPs—Send CFM frames from the interface where they are configured, and process CFM frames received on that interface. Down MEPs transmit AIS messages upward (toward the cross-connect).
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Up MEPs—Send frames into the bridge relay function, as if they had been received on the interface where the MEP is configured. They process CFM frames that have been received on other interfaces, and have been switched through the bridge relay function as if they are going to be sent out of the interface where the MEP is configured. Up MEPs transmit AIS messages downward (toward the wire). However, AIS packets are only sent when there is a MIP configured on the same interface as the MEP and at the level of the MIP.
Note |
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This figure illustrates the monitored areas for Down and Up MEPs.
This figure shows maintenance points at different levels. Because domains are allowed to nest but not intersect (see ), a MEP at a low level always corresponds with a MEP or MIP at a higher level. In addition, only a single MIP is allowed on any interface—this is generally created in the lowest domain that exists at the interface and that does not have a MEP.
MIPs and Up MEPs can only exist on switched (Layer 2) interfaces, because they send and receive frames from the bridge relay function. Down MEPs can be created on switched (Layer 2) interfaces.
MEPs continue to operate normally if the interface they are created on is blocked by the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP); that is, CFM frames at the level of the MEP continue to be sent and received, according to the direction of the MEP. MEPs never allow CFM frames at the level of the MEP to be forwarded, so the STP block is maintained.
MIPs also continue to receive CFM frames at their level if the interface is STP blocked, and can respond to any received frames. However, MIPs do not allow CFM frames at the level of the MIP to be forwarded if the interface is blocked.
Note |
A separate set of CFM maintenance levels is created every time a VLAN tag is pushed onto the frame. Therefore, if CFM frames are received on an interface which pushes an additional tag, so as to “tunnel” the frames over part of the network, the CFM frames will not be processed by any MPs within the tunnel, even if they are at the same level. For example, if a CFM MP is created on an interface with an encapsulation that matches a single VLAN tag, any CFM frames that are received at the interface that have two VLAN tags will be forwarded transparently, regardless of the CFM level. |
CFM Protocol Messages
The CFM protocol consists of a number of different message types, with different purposes. All CFM messages use the CFM EtherType, and carry the CFM maintenance level for the domain to which they apply.
This section describes the following CFM messages:
Continuity Check (IEEE 802.1ag and ITU-T Y.1731)
Continuity Check Messages (CCMs) are “heartbeat” messages exchanged periodically between all the MEPs in a service. Each MEP sends out multicast CCMs, and receives CCMs from all the other MEPs in the service—these are referred to as peer MEPs. This allows each MEP to discover its peer MEPs, and to verify that there is connectivity between them.
MIPs also receive CCMs. MIPs use the information to build a MAC learning database that is used when responding to Linktrace. For more information about Linktrace, see the “Linktrace (IEEE 802.1ag and ITU-T Y.1731)” section.
All the MEPs in a service must transmit CCMs at the same interval. IEEE 802.1ag defines 7 possible intervals that can be used:
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3.3ms
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10ms
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100ms
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1s
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10s
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1 minute
A MEP detects a loss of connectivity with one of its peer MEPs when some number of CCMs have been missed. This occurs when sufficient time has passed during which a certain number of CCMs were expected, given the CCM interval. This number is called the loss threshold, and is usually set to 3.
CFM is supported only on interfaces which have Layer 2 transport feature enabled.
Maintenance Association Identifier (MAID)
CCM messages carry a variety of information that allows different defects to be detected in the service. This information includes:
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A configured identifier for the domain of the transmitting MEP. This is referred to as the Maintenance Domain Identifier (MDID).
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A configured identifier for the service of the transmitting MEP. This is referred to as the Short MA Name (SMAN). Together, the MDID and the SMAN make up the Maintenance Association Identifier (MAID). The MAID must be configured identically on every MEP in the service.
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These are restrictions on the type of MAID that are supported for sessions with time interval of less than 1 minute. The MAID supports two types of formats on offloaded MEPs:
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No Domain Name Format
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MD Name Format = 1-NoDomainName
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Short MA Name Format = 3 - 2 bytes integer value
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Short MA NAme Length = 2 - fixed length
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Short MA Name = 2 bytes of integer
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1731 Maid Format
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MD Name Format = 1-NoDomainName
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MA Name Format(MEGID Format) = 32
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MEGID Length = 13 - fixed length
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MEGID(ICCCode) = 6 Bytes
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MEGID(UMC) = 7 Bytes
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ITU Carrier Code (ICC) - Number of different configurable ICC code - 15 (for each NPU)
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Unique MEG ID Code (UMC) - 4
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Maintenance Association Identifier (MAID) comprises of the Maintenance Domain Identifier (MDID) and Short MA Name (SMAN).
MDID only supports null value and SMAN supports ITU Carrier Code (ICC) or a numerical. No other values are supported.
An example for configuring domain ID null is: ethernet cfm domain SMB level 3 id null
An example for configuring SMAN is: ethernet cfm domain SMB level 3 id null service 901234AB xconnect group 99999 p2p 99999 id number 1
The following table summarizes the supported values and parameters for MDID and SMAN. This table only details the MAID restriction on the hardware offload feature. There is no MAID restriction for software offload or non-offloaded MEPs.
For Cisco NCS 5500 series routers, "id null" has to be explicitly configured for the domain ID, for hardware offloaded sessions.
Format
MDID
SMAN
Support
Comment
No
2 byte integer
Yes
Up to 2000 entries
No
13 bytes ICCCode (6 bytes) and UMC (7 bytes)
Yes
Up to 15 unique ICC
Up to 4K UMC values
48 bytes string based
1-48 bytes of MDID and SMAN
No
Most commonly used
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A configured numeric identifier for the MEP (the MEP ID). Each MEP in the service must be configured with a different MEP ID.
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Dynamic Remote MEPs are not supported for MEPs with less than 1min interval. You must configure MEP CrossCheck for all such MEPS.
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Sequence numbering is not supported for MEPs with less than 1 minute interval.
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In a Remote Defect Indication (RDI), each MEP includes this in the CCMs it is sending, if it has detected a defect relating to the CCMs it is receiving. This notifies all the MEPs in the service that a defect has been detected somewhere in the service.
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The interval at which CCMs are being transmitted.
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CCM Tx/Rx statistics counters are not supported for MEPs with less than1 minute intervals.
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Sender TLV and Cisco Proprietary TLVs are not supported for MEPs with less than 1min intervals.
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The status of the interface where the MEP is operating—for example, whether the interface is up, down, STP blocked, and so on.
Note
The status of the interface (up/down) should not be confused with the direction of any MEPs on the interface (Up MEPs/Down MEPs).
These defects can be detected from received CCMs:
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Interval mismatch—The CCM interval in the received CCM does not match the interval that the MEP is sending CCMs.
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Level mismatch—A MEP has received a CCM carrying a lower maintenance level than the MEPs own level.
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Loop—A CCM is received with the source MAC address equal to the MAC address of the interface where the MEP is operating.
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Configuration error—A CCM is received with the same MEP ID as the MEP ID configured for the receiving MEP.
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Cross-connect—A CCM is received with an MAID that does not match the locally configured MAID. This generally indicates a VLAN misconfiguration within the network, such that CCMs from one service are leaking into a different service.
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Peer interface down—A CCM is received that indicates the interface on the peer is down.
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Remote defect indication—A CCM is received carrying a remote defect indication.
Note
This defect does not cause the MEP to include a remote defect indication in the CCMs that it is sending.
Out-of-sequence CCMs can also be detected by monitoring the sequence number in the received CCMs from each peer MEP. However, this is not considered a CCM defect.
Loopback (IEEE 802.1ag and ITU-T Y.1731)
Loopback Messages (LBM) and Loopback Replies (LBR) are used to verify connectivity between a local MEP and a particular remote MP. At the request of the administrator, a local MEP sends unicast LBMs to the remote MP. On receiving each LBM, the target maintenance point sends an LBR back to the originating MEP. Loopback indicates whether the destination is reachable or not—it does not allow hop-by-hop discovery of the path. It is similar in concept to an ICMP Echo (ping). Since loopback messages are destined for unicast addresses, they are forwarded like normal data traffic, while observing the maintenance levels. At each device that the loopback reaches, if the outgoing interface is known (in the bridge's forwarding database), then the frame is sent out on that interface. If the outgoing interface is not known, then the message is flooded on all interfaces.
This figure shows an example of CFM loopback message flow between a MEP and MIP.
Loopback messages can be padded with user-specified data. This allows data corruption to be detected in the network. They also carry a sequence number which allows for out-of-order frames to be detected.
Linktrace (IEEE 802.1ag and ITU-T Y.1731)
Linktrace Messages (LTM) and Linktrace Replies (LTR) are used to track the path (hop-by-hop) to a unicast destination MAC address. At the request of the operator, a local MEP sends an LTM. Each hop where there is a maintenance point sends an LTR back to the originating MEP. This allows the administrator to discover connectivity data about the path. It is similar in concept to IP traceroute, although the mechanism is different. In IP traceroute, successive probes are sent, whereas CFM Linktrace uses a single LTM which is forwarded by each MP in the path. LTMs are multicast, and carry the unicast target MAC address as data within the frame. They are intercepted at each hop where there is a maintenance point, and either retransmitted or dropped to discover the unicast path to the target MAC address.
This figure shows an example of CFM linktrace message flow between MEPs and MIPs.
The linktrace mechanism is designed to provide useful information even after a network failure. This allows it to be used to locate failures, for example after a loss of continuity is detected. To achieve this, each MP maintains a CCM Learning Database. This maps the source MAC address for each received CCM to the interface through which the CCM was received. It is similar to a typical bridge MAC learning database, except that it is based only on CCMs and it times out much more slowly—on the order of days rather than minutes.
Note |
In IEEE 802.1ag, the CCM Learning Database is referred to as the MIP CCM Database. However, it applies to both MIPs and MEPs. |
In IEEE 802.1ag, when an MP receives an LTM message, it determines whether to send a reply using the following steps:
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The target MAC address in the LTM is looked up in the bridge MAC learning table. If the MAC address is known, and therefore the egress interface is known, then an LTR is sent.
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If the MAC address is not found in the bridge MAC learning table, then it is looked up in the CCM learning database. If it is found, then an LTR is sent.
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If the MAC address is not found, then no LTR is sent (and the LTM is not forwarded).
If the target MAC has never been seen previously in the network, the linktrace operation will not produce any results.
Note |
IEEE 802.1ag and ITU-T Y.1731 define slightly different linktrace mechanisms. In particular, the use of the CCM learning database and the algorithm described above for responding to LTM messages are specific to IEEE 802.1ag. IEEE 802.1ag also specifies additional information that can be included in LTRs. Regardless of the differences, the two mechanisms are interoperable. |
Configurable Logging
CFM supports logging of various conditions to syslog. Logging can be enabled independently for each service, and when the following conditions occur:
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New peer MEPs are detected, or loss of continuity with a peer MEP occurs.
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Changes to the CCM defect conditions are detected.
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Cross-check “missing” or “unexpected” conditions are detected.
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AIS condition detected (AIS messages received) or cleared (AIS messages no longer received).
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EFD used to shut down an interface, or bring it back up.
Flexible VLAN Tagging for CFM
The Flexible VLAN Tagging for CFM feature ensures that CFM packets are sent with the right VLAN tags so that they are appropriately handled as a CFM packet by the remote device. When packets are received by an edge router, they are treated as either CFM packets or data packets, depending on the number of tags in the header. The system differentiates between CFM packets and data packets based on the number of tags in the packet, and forwards the packets to the appropriate paths based on the number of tags in the packet.
CFM frames are normally sent with the same VLAN tags as the corresponding customer data traffic on the interface, as defined by the configured encapsulation and tag rewrite operations. Likewise, received frames are treated as CFM frames if they have the correct number of tags as defined by the configured encapsulation and tag rewrite configuration, and are treated as data frames (that is, they are forwarded transparently) if they have more than this number of tags.
In most cases, this behavior is as desired, since the CFM frames are then treated in exactly the same way as the data traffic flowing through the same service. However, in a scenario where multiple customer VLANs are multiplexed over a single multipoint provider service (for example, N:1 bundling), a different behavior might be desirable.
This figure shows an example of a network with multiple VLANS using CFM.
This figure shows a provider's access network, where the S-VLAN tag is used as the service delimiter. PE1 faces the customer, and PE2 is at the edge of the access network facing the core. N:1 bundling is used, so the interface encapsulation matches a range of C-VLAN tags. This could potentially be the full range, resulting in all:1 bundling. There is also a use case where only a single C-VLAN is matched, but the S-VLAN is nevertheless used as the service delimiter—this is more in keeping with the IEEE model, but limits the provider to 4094 services.
CFM is used in this network with a MEP at each end of the access network, and MIPs on the boxes within the network (if it is native Ethernet). In the normal case, CFM frames are sent by the up MEP on PE1 with two VLAN tags, matching the customer data traffic. This means that at the core interfaces and at the MEP on PE2, the CFM frames are forwarded as if they were customer data traffic, since these interfaces match only on the S-VLAN tag. So, the CFM frames sent by the MEP on PE1 are not seen by any of the other MPs.
Flexible VLAN tagging changes the encapsulation for CFM frames that are sent and received at Up MEPs. Flexible VLAN tagging allows the frames to be sent from the MEP on PE1 with just the S-VLAN tag that represents the provider service. If this is done, the core interfaces will treat the frames as CFM frames and they will be seen by the MIPs and by the MEP on PE2. Likewise, the MEP on PE1 should handle received frames with only one tag, as this is what it will receive from the MEP on PE2.
To ensure that CFM packets from Up MEPs are routed to the appropriate paths successfully, tags may be set to a specific number in a domain service, using the tags command. Currently, tags can only be set to one (1).
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