Metro Ethernet services can support a wide range of applications and subscriber needs easily, efficiently and cost-effectively. Using standard Ethernet interfaces, subscribers can set up secure, private Ethernet Virtual Connections, to connect their sites together and connect to business partners, suppliers and the Internet. This MIB module defines the managed objects and notifications describing Ethernet Virtual Connections. Ethernet Virtual Connections (EVC), are defined by the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF), as an association between two or more UNIs. Frames within an EVC can only be exchanged among the associated UNIs. Frames sent into the MEN via a particular UNI must not be delivered back to the UNI from which it originated. Along an EVC path, there are demarcation flow points on associated ingress and egress interface, of every device, through which the EVC passes. A service instance represents these flow points where a service passes through an interface. From an operational perspective, a service instance serves three purposes: 1. Defines the instance of a particular EVC service on a specific interface and identifies all frames that belongs to that particular service/flow. 2. To provide the capability of applying the configured features to those frames belonging to the service. 3. To optionally define how to forward those frames in the data-path. The association of a service instance to an EVC depicts an instance of an Ethernet flow on a particular interface for an end-to-end (UNI-to-UNI) Ethernet service for a subscriber. The following diagram illustrates the association of EVC, UNIs and service instances. UNI physical ports are depicted as 'U', and service instances as 'x'. CE MEN MEN CE | | | | () | | | | | | | | | | () | | | | ^ ^ | | This MIB module addresses the functional areas of network management for EVC, including: The operational mode for interfaces that are providing Ethernet service(s). The service attributes regarding an interface behaving as UNI, such as CE-VLAN mapping and layer 2 control protocol (eg. stp, vtp, cdp) processing. The provisioning of service instances to define flow points for an Ethernet service. The operational status of EVCs for notifications of status changes, and EVC creation and deletion. Definition of terms and acronyms: B-Tag: Backbone Tag field in Ethernet 802.1ah frame CE: Customer Edge CE-VLAN: Customer Edge VLAN CoS: Class Of Service EVC: Ethernet Virtual Connection I-SID: Service Instance Identifier field in Ethernet 802.1ah frame MAC: Media Access Control MEN: Metro Ethernet Network NNI: Network to Network Interface OAM: Operations Administration and Management PPPoE: Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet Service frame: An Ethernet frame transmitted across the UNI toward the service provider or an Ethernet frame transmitted across the UNI toward the Subscriber. Service Instance: A flow point of an Ethernet service Service provider: The organization providing Ethernet service(s). Subscriber: The organization purchasing and/or using Ethernet service(s). UNI: User Network Interface The physical demarcation point between the responsibility of the service provider and the responsibility of the Subscriber. UNI-C: User Network Interface, subscriber side UNI-N: User Network Interface, service provider side VLAN: Virtual Local Area Network