Subject: Protocol Action: Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching Architecture to Proposed Standard

From: The IESG <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 22 May 2003 12:07:17 -0400

The IESG has approved the Internet-Draft 'Generalized Multi-Protocol 
Label Switching Architecture' 
<draft-ietf-ccamp-gmpls-architecture-06.txt> as a Proposed Standard.
This document is the product of the Common Control and Measurement 
Plane Working Group. The IESG contact persons are Bert Wijnen and 
Alex Zinin.
     
Technical Summary
     
Future data and transmission networks will consist of elements such
as routers, switches, Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM)
systems, Add-Drop Multiplexors (ADMs), photonic cross-connects
(PXCs), optical cross-connects (OXCs), etc. that will use
Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS) to dynamically
provision resources and to provide network survivability using
protection and restoration techniques.

This document describes the architecture of GMPLS. GMPLS extends
MPLS to encompass time-division (e.g. SONET/SDH, PDH, G.709),
wavelength (lambdas), and spatial switching (e.g. incoming port or
fiber to outgoing port or fiber). The focus of GMPLS is on the
control plane of these various layers since each of them can use
physically diverse data or forwarding planes. The intention is to
cover both the signaling and the routing part of that control plane.
     
Working Group Summary
     
The CCAMP Working Group has consensus on this document to be
published as a standards track document.
     
Protocol Quality
     
This document has been reviewed for the IESG by Bert Wijnen and
Alex Zinin.