Abstract

Operation, Administration, Maintenance (OAM) functions are important network management tools used by network operators to ensure the correct operation and health of their network. Different standards bodies have developed or are actively developing OAM tools for that purpose. We describe in this paper the integration of different OAM functions at different layers unified under a GMPLS control plane. We present advanced OAM functions developed for SONET and ATM networks then OAM work being developed for Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS). We propose more features for IP/MPLS networks then we present a multi-layer GMPLS network example and discuss the inter-working of OAM functions at different layers.

© 2005 Optical Society of America