Generalized MPLS Paradigm
GMPLS is based on several premises:
- maintaining 1:1 relationship control plane technology and instance with transport plane layer(s) is counter-productive
- “integrated IP/MPLS-Optical control plane” concept
- maintaining N transport plane layer(s) is counter-productive
- only IP/MPLS packet technologies will remain in long-run
- ATM layer pushed toward ACCESS networks
- SDH/Sonet layer used as framing for p2p links (just as Layer-2 IP-over-PPP)
- re-use MPLS-TE as “non-packet” LSP control plane
- “lightpath” defines switched path (label space values: wavelengths)
- generalize Address Prefix to “non-packet” terminating interfaces
- generalize TE concept to “non-packet” resources