ETHERNET SERVICES OVER MOBILE WIMAX

ABSTRACT

Ethernet services represent a steadily growing portion of the

fixed telecommunication market. To enable the provisioning of
Ethernet services over IEEE 802.16e, the Mobile WiMAX network
architecture supports transparent Ethernet transport as an optional
extension to the IP services architecture. Ethernet support is tightly
aligned to the IP services network model, and leverages many data
path and control plane functions from its IP sibling to keep the imple-
mentation and operation overhead low for the Ethernet extension.
Mobile WiMAX provides IP service's as well as Ethernet services over
the same mobile access network. The intrinsic mobility support may
create new deployment opportunities for Ethernet services. Initially,
the Ethernet extension may be mostly used to realize wireless access
for DSL networks based on the same network interfaces defined for the
wired Ethernet-based DSL aggregation.

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INTRODUCTION

Ethernet services (often called carrier Ethernet services) have

become common telecommunication services for establishing and
connecting private networks of corporations, public authorities, or
service providers, offering telecommunication services on top of the
infrastructure of another network operator.

Transparent layer 2 (L2) connectivity is provided based on

Ethernet technologies due to its widespread availability, high
scalability in terms of bandwidth as well as network size, excellent
support of all kind of network layer protocols, and leading edge cost
position.

While the basic Ethernet technology is standardized by IEEE 802,

the Metro Ethernet Forum has established a set of specifications
describing the services model and characteristics, an architectural'
framework, network interfaces, and the operation and management of
Ethernet services. Meanwhile, the International Telecommunication
Union - Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) has adopted
Ethernet as a transport technology and is extending the specification
framework for usage in global public telecommunication networks.

Mobile WiMAX deploys the IEEE 802.16e radio interface to serve

fixed, nomadic, and mobile broadband applications over the same
access network.. Within its scope as a universal cellular access network
technology, the support of Ethernet services over a Mobile WiMAX
access network is a useful extension It covers not only the traditional
mobile telecommunication services market, but also allows participa-
tion in the growing carrier Ethernet market in areas or cases when an
appropriate wired infrastructure is not available.

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ETHERNET SERVICES

The Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) has established a full set of

specifications for the introduction of Ethernet services, and the
definition of the particular service attributes to facilitate commonly
understood service level agreements between service providers and
customers. Based on the concept of an Ethernet virtual connection
(EVC), the MEF distinguishes two kinds of Ethernet services (Fig. 1).

E-LINE SERVICE
E-Line service is a point-to-point connection carrying Ethernet
frames between two customer interfaces of the network. It is
frequently used for substituting legacy time-division multiplex (TDM)
private lines with less expensive Ethernet private lines.

E-LAN SERVICE

E-LAN service provides multipoint-to-multipoint connectivity for

Ethernet frames across a number of customer interfaces, essentially
behaving, like an extension to the customer's own LAN. It is mostly
deployed for creation of transparent LAN service (TLS), which enables
full transparency for Ethernet control protocols and allows customers
to establish new virtual LANs (VLANs) across their private networks
without involvement of the Ethernet service provider.

Due to its inherent replication function for multicast and

broadcast frames, E-LAN service may also be used for efficient
delivery of multicast services from a service provider's head-end to
multiple customers.

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BASIC ETHERNET SERVICES STANDARDS

The fundamental standards for Ethernet services were created in

the Higher Layer LAN Protocols Working Group P801.1 of the IEEE802
LAN/MAN Standards Committee. An extension to the IEEE 802.1D
standard on medium access control (MAC) bridges enabling end
stations to transparently communicate with each other across multiple
LANs, and defining the basic forwarding and filtering behavior in
today's switched Ethernet, IEEE 802.1Q introduced the concept of

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segregating LAN traffic into VLANs, which allow the creation of multiple
isolated LANs on the same bridged LAN infrastructure.

VLANs are commonly used inside larger organizations to establish

separate LANs for particular applications and organizational units
across widespread campuses and sites.

• IEEE 802.1Q-2005 (Virtual Bridged Local Area Networks) adopts

from 802.1D the generic bridge architecture, the internal sublayer
service, the major features of the filtering and forwarding process, the
Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol, and the Generic Attribute Registration
Protocol (GARP), and adds the definition of VLAN devices, the required
extensions to the filtering database and forwarding process, the
definition of an extended frame format able to carry VLAN identifiers
as well as priority information, the GARP VLAN Registration Protocol,
and the Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol.

The standard supports up to 4094 VLANs on the same bridged

LAN infrastructure, which is usually sufficient for corporate networks
but limits its applicability for larger provider networks.

• IEEE 802.1ad-2005 amends the IEEE 802.1Q2005 standard to

enable service providers to offer the capabilities of IEEE 802.1Q virtual
bridged LANs to a number of customers with no need for alignment
across the customers and only minimal interaction between the
operation, administration, and maintenance (OAM) of the service
provider and the OAM of the customers.

• IEEE 802.1ah (Provider Backbone Bridges) is a new amendment

to IEEE802.1Q2005 and IEEE802.lad-2005 allowing provider networks

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to scale up to 2^24 (~16 million) service VLANs by introduction of
provider backbone bridges, which are compatible and interoperable
with the provider bridges defined by IEEE 802.1ad.

IEEE802.1ah is not the only viable solution for extending

Ethernet services over large-scale networks. Other protocols like
Virtual Private Line service. Specified by RFC 4761 and RFC 4762, may
be used as well for interconnection of customer and provider networks.

ETHERNET-BASED ACCESS AGGREGATION IN DSL NETWORKS

DSL networks are deploying Ethernet services based on Q-in-Q

technologies in the access network to aggregate customer traffic,
segregate different services, and even provide transparent LAN
connectivity with support for customer assigned VLAN-IDs.

To facilitate all the different modes within the same access

network infrastructure, C-VIDs and S-VIDs are used in a DSL-specific
manner:

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• For business TLS users, a unique S- VID is assigned at the T-
interface and preserved throughout the network. For this kind of
service the DSL access network strictly follows the recommendations
in IEEE 802.lad for usage and assignment of VLAN tags.

• For business or residential users with E-Line access to DSL

services, unique S-VIDs or unique C-VID/S-VID combinations are
assigned and preserved throughout the access network depending on
scalability requirements or usage of the C-VID by the customer.

• For residential users with shared access to DSL services (E-LAN,

public access mode), unique S- VIDs are assigned to groups of users or
all users subscribing to a particular DSL service. C- VIDs are not used in
this case.

When Mobile WiMAX is used to provide access to DSL services over a

wireless infrastructure, the WiMAX network emulates the behavior of
the DSL access network and provides Ethernet connectivity between
the customer interface and the V-interface the same way as the
Ethernet-based DSL aggregation network.

MOBILE WIMAX NETWORK ARCHITECTURE

The Mobile WiMAX architecture adopts the decomposition of the

Internet access network operation into several distinct operator roles.
The network access provider (NAP) establishes and operates the radio
access network and offers its services to one or multiple network
service providers (NSPs), which are in charge of customer-related
functions like authentication, service provisioning, and billing, and pro-
vide the backbone connectivity to services networks like the Internet

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or application service providers (ASP) running their particular
applications.

Aligned to this role model, the Mobile WiMAX network reference

architecture is built on two logical networks entities, the access serving
network (ASN), providing link layer connectivity and local mobility over
the IEEE 802.16e radio interface, and the connectivity serving network
(CSN), comprising all subscriber-related functions for authentication,
authorization, and accounting, as well as the home agent or data path
anchor for access to services. There is a direct relation between the
ASN and NAP, and the CSN and NSP. The ASN represents a logical
access network with all the Mobile WiMAX specific functions that
belong to a NAP, and the CSN contains the Mobile WiMAX specific
network functions of a NSP.

To facilitate interoperable implementations of equipment for

WiMAX access networks, the ASN is decomposed into a set of base
stations (BSs) connected to a central control and gateway instance
called the ASN-gateway (ASNGW). The reuse of well-known and widely
deployed IP protocols and ISP principles for the CSN requires only a
functional specification without further decomposition to allow NSPs to
implement the required functions in their core networks.

The design of the Mobile WiMAX network architecture allows an

ASN to connect to multiple CSNs for load balancing as well as network
sharing purposes. To become a provider of information and
communication services over Mobile WiMAX, it is sufficient to operate
an NSP consisting of a single CSN with connections to one or more
ASNs and for leveraging the mobile access services offered by WiMAX
NAPs

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 Even when it is relatively easy to become a Wi MAX service
provider by implementing just a single CSN, the adoption of the
particularities of an Mobile WiMAX network in a corporate environment
and the overhead to establish all the contractual framework to become
able to use access connectivity of Wi MAX NAPs may be too complex,
especially for enterprises and smaller operators just looking for some
point-to-point connectivity in areas where they do not bave a wired
infrastructure. Ethernet services over Mobile WiMAX will offer
transparent Ethernet connectivity over a wireless access network
exactly in the same way as metro Ethernet network providers today
offer wired Ethernet services.

ETHERNET SERVICES SUPPORT IN THE ACCESS NETWORK

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 Primarily designed for access to the Internet and delivery of IP-
based services, the Mobile WiMAX reference architecture is able to
handle Ethernet services as well. Different operator roles, with the
distinction between NAP and NSP, and the definition of the ASN and
CSN, is also applicable to Ethernet services. The main difference to
the IP services network architecture is the modification of the data
path between the mobile station (MS) and the CSN to support the
transport of Ethernet frames. Fortunately, the protocols chosen for the
data path for IP services are able to support Ethernet as well.

The transport of Ethernet frames over the IEEE 802.16e radio

interface between the MS and the BS requires the application of the
Ethernet-specific part of the packet convergence sublayer (Ethernet-
CS) instead of the IP-CS. The Ethernet-CS supports the transport of
Ethernet frames with IEEE 802.16e MAC frames and extends the
classification capabilities of the CS to Ethernet-specific header fields
such as source and destination MAC addresses, Ethernet priority, and
VLAN-ID in addition to the IP header fields supported by the IP-CS.

The GRE tunneling protocol is deployed between the BS and the

ASN-GW, and supports the encapsulation of Ethernet frames in the
same way as the encapsulation of IP packets. GRE may also be used
for the connection between ASN and CSN for the MIP data path.

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11
ETHERNET SERVICES ANCHOR IN THE CSN

A CSN supporting Ethernet services contains the bridging

function for forwarding Ethernet frames between connected MSs and
the Ethernet service provider. A dedicated bridge port is provided for
each of the MSs to ensure compliance with standard bridging behavior.
In alignment with the generic mobile WiMAX network architecture, all
payload Ethernet frames going over the radio interface are forwarded
across the ASN to the bridge port in the CSN to enable the NSP to take
full control on the traffic of subscribers.

The configuration of the bridge in the CSN determines which kind

of Ethernet service is provided to a particular MS. E-Line service is
realized by forwarding the traffic of an MS to a single other end
station on either the wireless or wired side of the network. E-LAN ser-
vice involves multiple other end stations, and the applied forwarding
behavior in the bridge determines whether the enterprise LAN or
public access mode is realized. Due to its location behind the mobility
anchor in the CSN, the bridge does not have to cope with mobility
issues in the access network. From the perspective of the bridge, the
MS always appears on the same bridge port like in today's fixed
Ethernet networks, not imposing any new requirement on the
bridging functionality for support of Ethernet services over a cellular
infrastructure.

The dynamics of the access network in a cellular infrastructure

requires management functions by a control plane, which allow the
instantaneous provisioning of any kind of Ethernet services to any

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 place in the access network. Such functions are not known in current
fixed access networks for Ethernet services.

REUSE OF THE MOBILE WI MAX CONTROL PLANE

The Mobile WiMAX control plane comprises all the functions to

establish, maintain, and tear down mobile connectivity in a cellular
network based on the IEEE 802.16e radio standard. The specification
for IP services defines the following control plane functions. Most of the
functions are applicable to Ethernet services without any
modifications, but some of them have to be amended to support
Ethernet services.

Network Entry Discovery and Selection/Reselection describes the

procedures of an MS to scan and detect the available WiMAX access
networks, as well as to choose the preferred NAP for connecting to the
home NSP.

WiMAX Key Hierarchy and Distribution specifies the generation,

derivation, and distribution of all the keying material needed in the
Mobile WiMAX access network.

Authentication, Authorization and Accounting describes the

procedures for the network access authentication and authorization
according to the user profile of the subscription, and the accounting
procedures for measuring and signaling the usage of the access
network by a particular subscriber.

Network Entry and Exit describes the procedures for establishing

initial connectivity to a Mobile WiMAX network after network entry

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detection and selection, and the procedures for terminating the
network connectivity orderly.

QoS and SFID Management defines the procedures for creation,

modification, and deletion of the initial and further preprovisioned
service flows, as well as the management of service flow identifiers
(SFIDs) and the static quality of service (QoS) policy provisioning.

ASN Anchored Mobility Management describes the handover of

radio links across BSs inside a single ASN or across ASNs without
change of the anchor ASN.

CSN Anchored Mobility Management describes mobility

management based on Mobile IP across ASNs with the mobility anchor
located in the CSN.

Radio Resource Management is a function to increase the radio

resource usage efficiency within an ASN.
.
Paging and Idle-Mode MS Operation describes the control
procedures for location update, paging, and entering and leaving the
idle mode according to the specifications in IEEE802.16e.

INTERWORKING WITH DSL NETWORKS

An important usage model of Ethernet services over Mobile

WiMAX is interworking with DSL networks to offer DSL services over a
wireless infrastructure. The WiMAX network provides a DSL
conformant T reference point to the subscriber and connects the user
interface with Ethernet to the V aggregation point of the DSL network.

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 DSL-specific network functions in the Mobile WiMAX network with
support for Ethernet services realize the exact network behavior for
Ethernet-based aggregation according to DSL Forum.

DSL user authentication is performed by the DSL network across

the Ethernet connectivity of' the WiMAX network.

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CONCLUSION

This article presents the current state of support for Ethernet

services over Mobile WiMAX. The approach of the WiMAX community
is to align the Ethernet service provisioning model as closely as
possible to the model for IP services. It reduces not only the
necessary standardization efforts for developing the specifications
but also enables the development of WiMAX network equipment,
which serves IP as well as Ethernet out of the same box. Such
equipment can be deployed by any kind of WiMAX network operator,
is well prepared for the evolution of services into broader
telecommunication markets, and provides high commonality, which
finally leads to better scale of economies

With the biggest part of the investments of a network operator

going into the access infrastructure, it is important to enable the
most flexible deployment of the access network. Participation in the
growing market for Ethernet services without the prerequisites of
huge investments may considerably contribute to a sustainable
business case for a wireless broadband access provider. Mobile
WiMAX supports an integrated approach to provide fixed, nomadic,
and mobile IP services and Ethernet services out of the same network
infrastructure.

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REFERENCES

[1] Metro Ethernet Forum, "MEF 6 - Ethernet Services Definition-Phase

1," June 2004.
[2] IEEE 802.1 Q-2005, "Virtual Bridged Local Area Networks."
[3] IEEE 802.1 ad-2005," Amendment 4: Provider Bridges."
[4J Broadband Forum TR-101, "Migration to Ethernet-Based DSL
Aggregation." Apr. 2006.
[5]WiMAX Forum Network Architecture, Stages 2 and 3, Release 1 v.
1.2;//http:www.wimaxforum.org.
[6] H. S. Jeon, M. Riegel, and S. J. Jeong "Transmission of IP over
Ethernet over IEEE802.16 Networks,"draft-ietf-16ng-ip-over-ethernet-
over-802.16-07.txt, work in progress.

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