A Carrier Ethernet service is defined as a data communication service based on Carrier Ethernet which is delivered to a Carrier Ethernet Subscriber by a Carrier Ethernet Service Provider.
Based on the goals of the 5 Carrier Ethernet attributes and the specifications developed by the MEF, Carrier Ethernet:
- Delivers Ethernet frames between different locations in any part of the world at speeds between 1 Mbps and 100 Gbps
- Differentiates between traffic of multiple end-users running over a single network
- Runs over multiple types of infrastructure and transport technologies
- Coexists with existing Layer 2 and Layer 3 solutions while taking advantage of the huge worldwide Ethernet installed base
MEF-defined Carrier Ethernet services - E-Line, E-LAN, E-Tree and E-Access - are what users of Carrier Ethernet 'consume' and therefore are the most recognizable aspect of Carrier Ethernet and the work of the MEF. Carrier Ethernet services are defined in the MEF service definition specifications MEF 6.2 and MEF 33.
EVC-based Services
There are three EVC-based (i.e. UNI-to-UNI) service types that describe the basic connectivity options of a Carrier Ethernet subscriber service:
These Carrier Ethernet service types are fundamental to the Carrier Ethernet service model and are defined in MEF 6.2.
OVC-based Services
There is currently one OVC-based (i.e. UNI-to-ENNI) service type:
E-Access is described in MEF 33.
Contrasting E-LAN and E-Tree Services
E-LAN services are appropriate when all UNIs can generate traffic towards any other UNI and all UNIs belong to the same administrative domain - in other words when traffic separation between different organizations sharing the service is not required.
E-Tree services are appropriate when the service source is located at just one UNI, or a small number of UNIs, each of which is designated a root UNI. The end-users of the service are typically client organizations that require that their respective traffic will not be visible to other clients of the service.
DRAFT