PCC-PCE Communication Requirements for VPNs
The Path Computation Element (PCE) provides functions of path computation in support of traffic engineering in Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) and Generalized MPLS (GMPLS) networks. An important application of MPLS and GMPLS networks is Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) that may be constructed using the Label Switched Paths (LSPs) in the MPLS and GMPLS networks as VPN tunnels. PCE may be applied as a tool to compute the paths of such tunnels in order to achieve better use of the network resources and to provide better levels of service to the VPN customers. Generic requirements for a communication protocol between Path Computation Clients (PCCs) and PCEs are presented in "PCE Communication Protocol Generic Requirements". This document complements the generic requirements and presents a detailed set of PCC-PCE communication protocol requirements that are specific to the application of PCE to VPNs.