Frequently Asked Questions

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Madlyn Ryan
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MEF Carrier Ethernet Generations Certification Blueprint and is aimed at providing answers to the most common

1 Carrier Ethernet 2.0 Certification Frequently Asked Questions Background, Purpose, Audience This document is a companion to the MEF Carrier Ethernet Generations Certification Blueprint and is aimed at providing answers to the most common questions asked by companies considering certifying their Carrier Ethernet services or supporting equipment for Carrier Ethernet 2.0 compliance. Carrier Ethernet 2.0 Certification FAQs 2012/05/01 Page 1 of 7

2 Q: What is Carrier Ethernet 2.0 certification? A: The MEF CE 2.0 Service Certification program is the MEF framework through which a) Service providers can demonstrate that their services b) Equipment vendors can demonstrate that their equipment comply with globally recognized MEF Carrier Ethernet services specifications in Carrier Ethernet 2.0. The eight services for which services and equipment can be certified are shown in the CE 2.0 Services Menu below: The Carrier Ethernet 2.0 Certification Blueprint is a detailed document that describes all the service attributes per CE 2.0 service that are tested during the certification process. The Blueprint is a useful technical reference for those companies considering entering the certification process. Carrier Ethernet 2.0 Certification FAQs 2012/05/01 Page 2 of 7

3 Q: Who benefits from Carrier Ethernet 2.0 certification? A: Hundreds of companies around the world offer wide area services based on Ethernet technology to other service providers and to business customers. Because of the wide scope of the term Ethernet, it requires knowledge and expertise for service providers and enterprises to distinguish so called Carrier Ethernet services from true fully featured Carrier Ethernet 2.0 services compliant with MEF specifications. By certifying a service as an MEF certified Carrier Ethernet 2.0 service, a service provider/operator: Accelerates the sale of Carrier Ethernet services by saving its enterprise and service provider customers considerable time and resources in assessing its service offering Differentiates its high quality Carrier Ethernet service products from the proprietary offerings of its service provider competitors. By certifying a device as an MEF certified Carrier Ethernet 2.0 device, an equipment vendor: Differentiates its standards compliant products from the proprietary products of its competitors - decreasing the time to be assessed and accepted for testing by Carrier Ethernet service providers Accelerates product testing in service provider customer test labs since the CE 2.0 compliance testing is covered by the 680 test cases in the MEF CE 2.0 Certification Test Plan. By demanding Carrier Ethernet 2.0 certified services, an enterprise Increases the likelihood of obtaining fully featured, standardized Carrier Ethernet services solutions that will serve the enterprise s growing and increasingly mission-critical connectivity requirements. Q: Who can obtain Carrier Ethernet 2.0 certification? A: Any service provider or equipment vendor can go through the certification test process to obtain CE 2.0 certification providing it is a member company of the MEF at the time of the certification testing.. Q: How is Carrier 2.0 certification obtained? A: A company seeking CE 2.0 certification applies to the MEF approved certification test lab Iometrix ( in order to start the certification process. A qualification process is followed by a pre-configuration phase and finally a test phase. The duration of the whole certification process varies depending on individual circumstances. More detailed information is available from Iometrix by contacting Thomas Mandeville at thomas@iometrix.com Q: Is it required to use CE 2.0 Certified equipment for CE 2.0 services certification? A: In order to certify Carrier Ethernet 2.0 services, service providers are strongly recommended but not required to have Carrier Ethernet 2.0 certified equipment operating at the UNI and ENNI. Q: Does a certifying company have to achieve certification for all eight CE 2.0 services? A: A service provider or equipment vendor can choose to certify its services or equipment respectively for any one or more of the following eight Carrier Ethernet 2.0 services: EPL, EVPL, EP-LAN, EVP-LAN, EP- Tree, EVP-Tree, Access EPL and Access EVPL. Any MEF member company that has a valid certification of at least one CE 2.0 service or device can use the Carrier Ethernet 2.0 Certified logo on their products and collateral for the certified service/product. It is not required to have certifications for all eight CE 2.0 services in order to claim Carrier Ethernet 2.0 certification. Self-declared compliance with Carrier Ethernet 2.0 is not equivalent to Carrier Ethernet 2.0 certification and does not entitle a company to use the Carrier Ethernet 2.0 Certified logo. Carrier Ethernet 2.0 Certification FAQs 2012/05/01 Page 3 of 7

4 Q: Who can use the CE 2.0 Certified logo? A: Only a company that has in its possession a CE 2.0 Certified certificate. Q: How much does CE 2.0 certification cost? A: All commercial discussions and arrangements will be made directly between the certifying company and the MEF approved test lab. Therefore, for pricing information, certifying companies are requested to contact Thomas Mandeville directly at thomas@iometrix.com Q: For how long is a CE 2.0 certification valid? A: In the case of a service provider, a CE 2.0 certification is valid so long as the equipment operating at the UNI (and at the ENNI for E-Access) is the same as the equipment used during the certification testing. In the case of an equipment vendor, a CE 2.0 certification is valid so long as the equipment marketed as certified has the same commercial designation as the equipment tested during the certification process. Q: Is a CE 2.0 certification still valid if the certifying company is no longer a member of the MEF? A: Yes. However, the certification will not be shown on the MEF Certification Register on the MEF public site ( once a company leaves the MEF. Q: When and how are CE 2.0 certifications made public? A: The first group of CE 2.0 certified equipment vendors are expected to be announced at the 4Q2012 Quarterly Meeting in Shanghai in October following the completion of the pilot phase for equipment vendors. Similarly, the first group of CE 2.0 certified service providers are expected to be announced in January 2013 following the completion of the pilot phase for service providers. Carrier Ethernet 2.0 Certification FAQs 2012/05/01 Page 4 of 7

In general, when a certification is completed successfully, the MEF approved test lab issues a certificate and a test report to the certifying company.

5 In general, when a certification is completed successfully, the MEF approved test lab issues a certificate and a test report to the certifying company. It is at the discretion of the certifying company to whom and when to show the certificate and test report. In addition, the name and logo of the certifying company are added to the MEF Certification Registry on the MEF public web site ( together with the commercial designation of the service or equipment and the date of the completion of the certification. The timing of this publication on the Registry is coordinated with the certifying company. It is then at the discretion of the certifying company whether or not to take advantage of the considerable MEF marketing presence to promote awareness of its certification in the Carrier Ethernet market. Q: What is Carrier Ethernet 1.0 (CE 1.0) certification? A: Carrier Ethernet 1.0 certification is the branding given to MEF 9 and MEF 14 certifications of EPL, EVPL and E-LAN. MEF 9 and MEF 14 certifications are widely recognized as MEF certifications and those terms will continue to be recognized in parallel to the term Carrier Ethernet 1.0 certification. Carrier Ethernet 2.0 Certification FAQs 2012/05/01 Page 5 of 7

6 Q: Who can use the CE 1.0 Certified logo? A: Any company that has in its possession at least one MEF 9, MEF 14 or MEF 18 certificate. Q: What is the difference between Certification by Spec and Certification by Service? A: In CE 1.0, certification was obtained by testing based on a single MEF Abstract Test Suite (MEF 9, MEF 14 or MEF 18) With the introduction of Carrier Ethernet 2.0, the MEF has moved to a service-orientation for certifications. Certification test plans are underpinned by a range of Abstract Test Suites rather than just one and the test plans are oriented to the service (e.g. EPL, EVP-LAN, Access EPL etc.) for which the service or equipment is being certified. The Carrier Ethernet 2.0 Technical Foundation document is a useful reference in this context. Q: Will existing MEF 9 and MEF 14 certifications continue to be valid? A: Yes. Existing MEF 9, MEF 14 and MEF 18 certifications will not be impacted by the availability of Carrier Ethernet 2.0 certifications and will remain valid indefinitely subject to the validity requirements already in place for MEF 9, MEF 14 and MEF 18 certifications. Q: For how long is a CE 1.0 certification valid? A: A CE 1.0 certification for a service is valid as long as the requirement is met that the same equipment is used at the operational UNI as was used at the time of the certification process. A CE 1.0 certification for equipment is valid so long as the equipment marketed as certified has the same commercial designation as the equipment used during the certification process, Q: Will it be possible to obtain new MEF 9 and MEF 14 certifications for services and equipment even after the release of CE 2.0 certification? A: Yes. There will be no change in availability of these certifications. There will be an option to have these branded as CE 1.0 certified. Carrier Ethernet 2.0 Certification FAQs 2012/05/01 Page 6 of 7

7 Q: Is it required to use CE 1.0 Certified equipment for CE 1.0 services certification? A: Yes. In order to certify Carrier Ethernet 1.0 (MEF 9 and MEF 14) services, service providers are required to have Carrier Ethernet 1.0 (MEF 9 and MEF 14) certified equipment operating at the UNI. Q: If a company already has EPL, EVPL and E-LAN certification (MEF 9 and/or MEF 14), then is there a reason to obtain CE 2.0 certification for them? A: EPL, EVPL and E-LAN in Carrier Ethernet 1.0 are not the same as EPL, EVPL, EP-LAN and EVP-LAN in Carrier Ethernet 2.0. The latter have many enhancements. Therefore CE 1.0 certifications (MEF 9 and MEF 14) only reflect the capabilities of Carrier Ethernet 1.0, whereas CE 2.0 certification of these services reflects the many new capabilities of all the Carrier Ethernet 2.0 services. This is the central reason for obtaining CE 2.0 certification even for services and products that already have CE 1.0 certification. More information on the technical differences between Carrier Ethernet 1.0 and Carrier Ethernet 2.0 are provided in the Carrier Ethernet 2.0 Technical Foundation document to be found at Q: Is CE 1.0 certification automatically achieved when a service or equipment is CE 2.0 certified? A: No. Although a large portion of the test cases in MEF 9 and MEF 14 are present in CE 2.0 certification testing, the latter will result only in CE 2.0 certificates being issued. Companies wanting to achieve CE 1.0 certification for the same services and products will need to certify them separately according to the CE 1.0 (MEF 9 and MEF 14) certification framework. Carrier Ethernet 2.0 Certification FAQs 2012/05/01 Page 7 of 7

Services & Professional Certification Programs

Sponsored by: Services & Professional Certification Programs Kevin Vachon Chief Operating Officer, MEF Thomas Mandeville Head of Operations, Iometrix Evolution of MEF Certification Programs 2 MEF Certification