The Soft Shutting Down state in the NFM-T is an administrative maintenance state where services stay up but no new traffic can be routed over the TE-link. This state is used to prepare a TE-link for maintenance or decommissioning without affecting the existing services. The NFM-T sets the TE-link to Soft Shutting Down state by sending a Notify message with the Administrative State Change flag to the head-end node of the TE-link. The head-end node then stops accepting new LSP requests over the TE-link and sends a PathErr message with the Administrative State Change flag to all the tail-end nodes of the LSPs in the TE-link. The tail-end nodes then stop sending new traffic over the LSPs and send a ResvErr message with the Administrative State Change flag to all the intermediate nodes of the LSPs. The intermediate nodes then update their routing tables and stop forwarding new traffic over the LSPs. The existing traffic, however, continues to flow over the LSPs until they are manually deleted or rerouted by the NFM-T. References : Nokia GMPLS-controlled Optical Networks Course | Nokia, Nokia Advanced Optical Network Management with NFM-T Course | Nokia
Question # 5
What is the Link Maintenance window?
A.
A centralized view of the TE-link for the operator
B.
A wizard with commands to set links and nodes to maintenance
The Link Maintenance window is a feature of NFM-T that allows the user to perform maintenance tasks on links and nodes in a GMPLS network. The Link Maintenance window is a wizard that provides commands to set links and nodes to maintenance mode, which prevents them from being used for routing new LSPs or carrying traffic. The user can also use the Link Maintenance window to reroute existing LSPs away from the links and nodes that are in maintenance mode, either manually or automatically. The Link Maintenance window helps the user to perform network maintenance operations without disrupting the service availability or quality12. References:
1: Nokia GMPLS-controlled Optical Networks Course | Nokia
2: Nokia Network Functions Manager for Transport User Guide | Nokia
Question # 6
What is the meaning of Generalized in GMPLS?
A.
Switching can be based on values other than the label
B.
The label can assume an extended value range, and is not constrained as it is with MPLS
C.
Unlike MPLS, GMPLS supports multi-vendor networks
D.
GMPLS can be used for traffic types other than data packets
GMPLS stands for Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching, which is a protocol suite that extends MPLS to control different types of switching technologies, such as optical, TDM, and packet switching1. The meaning of Generalized in GMPLS is that it can be used for traffic types other than data packets, such as wavelengths, time slots, or fibers2. GMPLS can also use implicit labels that are derived from the physical properties of the data stream, such as wavelength or timeslot, instead of explicit labels that are carried in the packet header3. This allows GMPLS to support various transport networks and applications, such as optical transport networks (OTN), wavelength switched optical networks (WSON), and automatic switched optical networks (ASON)4. References:
1: Nokia GMPLS-controlled Optical Networks Course | Nokia
2: What is MPLS and GMPLS? - Metaswitch
3: Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching - Wikipedia
4: GMPLS - Nokia
Question # 7
Which of the following best describes Quality of Service in GMPLS?
A.
The ability to switch back to the nominal route after a failure is repaired without impacting existing traffic
B.
The amount of information that is possible to store in the Traffic Engineering Database (TED)
C.
The ability to set constraints such as latency and priority for different kinds of services
D.
The possibility to have L0 and L1 switching treated with the same quality level in the same network
Quality of Service (QoS) in GMPLS is the ability to set constraints such as latency and priority for different kinds of services. This means that GMPLS can allocate network resources according to the specific requirements of each service, such as voice, video, or data. For example, a voice service may need low latency and high priority, while a data service may need high bandwidth and low priority. GMPLS can use Traffic Engineering (TE) extensions to OSPF and RSVP protocols to advertise and reserve network resources based on QoS parameters. References : [Nokia GMPLS-controlled Optical Networks Course | Nokia], [Quality of Service - Nokia]
Question # 8
What does the SNC state with an uppercase "N" mean in a resource in NFM-T?
A.
Indicates it's using a link other than the Nominal
B.
Indicates the nominal resource on a TE-link that is not in use
C.
Indicates if s a higher alarm state level
D.
Indicates it's currently using the Nominal resource assigned to it
The SNC state with an uppercase “N†means that the resource is currently using the nominal resource assigned to it. As explained in the previous question, a nominal resource is the default or preferred resource that is assigned to an LSP when it is created. If an LSP is using the nominal resource on a TE-link, it means that the LSP has not been rerouted or switched due to any failure or constraint violation. In this case, the SNC state of the resource will be “Nâ€, indicating that it is in use by an LSP12. References:
1: Nokia GMPLS-controlled Optical Networks Course | Nokia
2: Nokia Network Functions Manager for Transport User Guide | Nokia
Question # 9
What does an SNC state of lower case "n" mean for a resource in NFM-T?
A.
Indicates it's using a link other than the Nominal
B.
Indicates the nominal resource on a TE-link that is not in use
C.
Indicates if s a higher alarm state level
D.
Indicates it's currently using the Nominal resource assigned to it
The SNC state is a parameter that indicates the status of a resource in a GMPLS network. A resource can be a link, a wavelength, a timeslot, or a fiber. The SNC state can have different values, such as N, n, P, p, R, r, and so on. Each value has a specific meaning and implication for the resource and the LSP that uses it. The SNC state of lower case “n†means that the resource is the nominal resource on a TE-link that is notin use. A nominal resource is the default or preferred resource that is assigned to an LSP when it is created. A TE-link is a logical link that represents a set of resources that share the same attributes and constraints. A TE-link can have multiple resources, such as wavelengths or timeslots, but only one of them can be the nominal resource. If an LSP is using a resource other than the nominal resource on a TE-link, it means that the LSP has been rerouted or switched due to a failure or a constraint violation. In this case, the SNC state of the nominal resource will be “nâ€, indicating that it is not in use by any LSP12. References:
1: Nokia GMPLS-controlled Optical Networks Course | Nokia
2: Nokia Network Functions Manager for Transport User Guide | Nokia
Question # 10
What is the definition of Constrained Shortest Path First (CSPF)?
A.
It is the SPF algorithm applied to low bandwidth LSPs.
B.
It is the 5FP algorithm applied after pruning links that do not meet the specified constraints.
C.
It is the SPF algorithm applied for low latency LSPs.
Constrained Shortest Path First (CSPF) is an extension of the shortest path first (SPF) algorithm that is used to find the best path for a Label Switched Path (LSP) in a GMPLS network. CSPF takes into account additional constraints such as bandwidth, latency, priority, or node or link inclusion or exclusion. CSPF works by pruning those links that do not meet the specified constraints and then applying the SPF algorithm to the remaining links. This way, CSPF can find a path that satisfies both the shortest distance and the constraints. References : Constrained Shortest Path First - Wikipedia, Constrained Shortest Path First (CSPF) - Metaswitch
Question # 11
What is the Commissioning File in GMRE nodes?
A.
A file with commissioned GMRE nodes for NPA implementation
B.
A file of optical impairment parameters for power balance
C.
A file with target values that determine whether a given LSP is possible
The Commissioning File in GMRE nodes is a file with target values that determine whether a given LSP is possible. The Commissioning File contains parameters such as power, OSNR, Q-factor, and dispersion that are used to evaluate the feasibility of an LSP request. The Commissioning File is generated by the Network Planning Application (NPA) based on the network design and optical impairments. The Commissioning File is uploaded to each GMRE node and is used by the CSPF algorithm to find a suitable path for the LSP. References : Nokia GMPLS-controlled Optical Networks Course | Nokia, Network Planning Application (NPA) | Nokia
Question # 12
Which of the following best describes the Shutting Down state in the NFM-T?
A.
An automatic shut down of all LSPs in the TE-link
B.
A soft maintenance state where new traffic is allowed for restoration
C.
It is the same as the administrative maintenance state. No new traffic can be routed over the TE-Unk
D.
A transient state where current SNCs are soft-rerouted
The Shutting Down state is a transient state that occurs when a TE-link is set to maintenance mode in the NFM-T. In this state, the TE-link is not available for routing new LSPs, but the existing LSPs (SNCs) that use the TE-link are not immediately terminated. Instead, they are soft-rerouted, which means that they are gracefully switched to alternative paths without disrupting the traffic. The Shutting Down state lasts until all the SNCs on the TE-link are successfully soft-rerouted or forcefully terminated. After that, the TE-link transitions to the Administrative Maintenance state, where no traffic can be routed over the TE-link12. References:
1: Nokia GMPLS-controlled Optical Networks Course | Nokia
2: Nokia Network Functions Manager for Transport User Guide | Nokia