Technical Specifications
A Port is the high-speed Ethernet interface that connects to the Megaport network. It is configured as an 802.1Q VLAN trunk to support multiple Virtual Cross Connects - each presented as a unique VLAN.
These tables summarize the technical specifications for Megaport services:
| Interface Speed | Interface |
|---|---|
| 1 Gbps | 1000BASE-LX (10km; duplex on SMOFAn optical fiber cable with a small core size that supports a single mode or path of light at any time. The fiber cable has only one mode of propagation: a single wavelength of light in the fiber core. Multi-mode optical fiber (MMOF) is less expensive but can only run shorter distances without signal degradation. ) |
| 10 Gbps | 10GBASE-LR (10km; duplex on SMOF) |
| 100 Gbps | 100GBASE-LR4 (10km; duplex on SMOF) |
| Service Attribute | Service Parameter/Value |
|---|---|
| MAC Layer | IEEE 802.3-2002 |
| Maximum Ethernet Frame Size (MTU) | VXCs support an Ethernet MTU of 9100 bytes. MVEs support a VXC Ethernet MTU of up to 9100 bytes; however, the supported IP MTU depends on the MVE vendor and the configuration. For more information, contact your Megaport Account Manager. Megaport Internet VXCs are limited to an MTU of 1500 bytes. IX and many CSP ports do not support jumbo frames, but all support the standard MTU of 1500 bytes. |
| VLAN Ethernet Type | 0x8100 |
| Q-in-Q (802.1ad)802.1Q tunneling (also known as Q-in-Q or 802.1ad) is a technique used by OSI Layer 2 providers for customers. 802.1ad provides for both an inner and an outer tag whereby the outer (sometimes called S-tag for service provider) can be removed to expose the inner (C-tag or customer) tags that segment the data. |
Supported |
| CoS Level | Standard |
| Unicast Frame Delivery | Deliver Unconditionally |
| Multicast Frame Delivery | Deliver Unconditionally |
| Broadcast Frame Delivery | Deliver Unconditionally |
Layer 2 control tunneling
| Protocol | Action |
|---|---|
| STPSpanning Tree Protocol (STP) (IEEE 802.1D) is a Layer 2 protocol that runs on bridges and switches. The main purpose of STP is to ensure that you do not create loops when you have redundant paths in your network. Loops are deadly to a network. , RSTPRapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) (RSTP: IEEE 802.1w) serves the same purpose as STP, blocking specific ports to restrict Layer 2 loops. RSTP promotes high availability and loop-free topology within Ethernet networks. STP has five port states: blocking, listening, learning, forwarding, and disabled, whereas RSTP has only three port states: discarding, learning, and forwarding. , MSTPMultiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) is a protocol that creates multiple spanning trees (instances) for each Virtual LAN (VLAN) on a single physical network. This allows for each VLAN to have a configured root bridge and forwarding topology. , PVST+Per-VLAN Spanning Tree and Per VLAN Spanning Tree Plus Protocols. |
Tunnel |
| PAUSE (802.3x)Ethernet pause frames allow for a temporary stop in data transmission. | Discard |
| LACP (802.1ax/802.3ad)Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) allows a network device to negotiate an automatic bundling of links by sending LACP packets to their peer, a directly connected device that also implements LACP. LACP allows multiple physical links between switches or between a switch and a server to be aggregated into a single logical link, which provides higher bandwidth and redundancy. |
Discard - See Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) note below. |
| Link OAMOperation, Administration, and Maintenance link fault maintenance. | Discard |
| PNAC (802.1x)Port-based network access control (PNAC) is a type of security protocol used to restrict network access to only authorized devices. It is typically implemented in switches or routers, and works by allowing or denying access to the network based on the physical port of the device attempting to connect. |
Tunnel (MACsec only) - See MACsec note below. |
| E-LMIEthernet Local Management Interface (E-LMI) is an Ethernet layer operation, administration, and management (OAM) protocol defined by the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) for Carrier Ethernet networks. It provides information that enables auto configuration of customer edge (CE) devices. |
Tunnel |
| GARPGeneric Attribute Registration Protocol (GARP) provides a generic framework allowing bridges (or other devices like switches) to register and de-register attribute values such as VLAN identifiers and multicast group membership. |
Tunnel |
Note
- Link aggregation is supported using Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP). You can use LACP on an individual interface if you plan to add interfaces in the future. Link aggregation is supported locally by enabling LACP when creating a Port, but LACP is not carried across a VXC. For more information about Link Aggregation Groups, see Creating a Link Aggregation Group.
- LACP is supported for VXCs set to ‘Untag’. LACP allows bundling of customer’s network over the underlying VXCs and is supported for existing and new deployments.
Note
802.1ae MACsecMedia Access Control security (MACsec) is a security protocol that encrypts data traffic between Ethernet-connected devices. The MACsec protocol is defined by IEEE standard 802.1ae. When MACsec is enabled, a bi-directional secure link is established after an exchange and verification of security keys between the two connected devices. A combination of data integrity checks and encryption is used to safeguard the transmitted data.
(0x88e5) frames are transported only on untagged VXCs.
Note
Megaport polices traffic to the committed information rate (CIR) of the ordered VXC speed. Megaport does not shape customer traffic. You can configure your own shaper if required; however, do not exceed four megabytes for the committed burst size (CBS).