Type of Project: Amendment to IEEE Standard 802.1AX-2008 1.1 Project Number: P802.1AXb? 2.1 Title: Standard for Local and metropolitan area networks--Link Aggregation Amendment: Resilient External Network Interconnect 5.2 Scope: (policing ourselves) This standard enhances Link Aggregation, its protocols, procedures and managed objects, to provide a resilient interconnect using multiple links among one or more nodes in a network and one or more nodes in another, separately administered, network. The RENI preserves the Link Aggregation model of establishing a single logical link consisting of multiple physical links, and will be backward compatible with existing conformant implementations of Link Aggregation. 5.3 Is the completion of this standard dependent upon the completion of another standard: No 5.4 Purpose: (what) The purpose of this amendment is to enhance Link Aggregation so that a set of physical and/or virtual bridge components or end stations provide a redundant connection between two separately administered networks. The RENI enables the independence of the networks' management and control protocols, isolates each from the other's fault recovery events, and can forward data frames belonging to any given service over the same physical path in both directions between the two networks. 5.5 Need for the Project: (why) There is no current standard that permits networks with independent control protocols to exchange IEEE 802 data throughredundant nodes. At the present time, either changes to the active topology of one network, caused by component faults, fault recovery, or administrative changes can trigger consequent alterations in a neighboring network, or else the connection between the networks is subject to being severed by a single failure. 5.6 Stakeholders for the Standard: Developers, distributors, and users of networking equipment and services. 6.1.a. Is the Sponsor aware of any copyright permissions needed for this project?: No 6.1.b. Is the Sponsor aware of possible registration activity related to this project?: No 7.1 Are there other standards or projects with a similar scope?: No 7.2 International Activities. a. Adoption. Is there potential for this standard (in part or in whole) to be adopted by another national, regional or international organization?: No b. Joint Development. Is it the intent to develop this document jointly with another organization?: No c. Harmonization. Are you aware of another organization that may be interested in portions of this document in their standardization development efforts?: No?