TOTEM Project
TOolbox for Traffic Engineering Methods
Features
IP and MPLS simulations
The toolbox can be used to simulate how the traffic will be routed on a
network using SPF, CSPF or other TE routing algorithms. TOTEM can simulate
"what-if" scenarios to help understand the effects of metric changes,
failures, traffic changes or BGP policy changes.
New TE algorithms design
The open framework provided by the toolbox allows a rapid integration of new
methods. The benefits are:
- Reuse of existing components like the topology or traffic matrix
modules.
- Comparison with existing algorithms already in the toolbox like IP
metric optimiser.
- Integration of new TE algorithms with existing ones, such as the BGP
simulator.
Traffic engineering methods
- IP-metric based Traffic Engineering: TOTEM integrates an IP
metric optimisation tool based on a tabu-search meta-heuristic. This tool
can be used to balance the traffic load by using an optimised metric
set.
- MPLS source-based routing: TOTEM provides several efficient tools for
computing paths in an MPLS network. The first tool - DAMOTE - can optimise different score
functions like load-balancing, resource minimisation or a hybrid
combination. It can be used in a centralised or decentralised on-line mode
and is DiffServ-TE aware. The second algorithm is MIRA, which is based on the
principle of Minimum Interference Routing. The third one - SAMCRA - is an exact
multi-constrained shortest path algorithm. Different kinds of CSPF algorithms
are also integrated in the toolbox.
- MPLS resilient network routing: another module provides an MPLS
backup computation functionality. This tool is unique in its ability to
optimise bandwidth sharing between backup and primary paths that cannot be
active at the same time. It can compute local or end-to-end backup,
link/node disjoint from the protected primary path.
- Hybrid IP/MPLS Optimisation Method: the toolbox includes the tool called SAMTE
for Scalable Approach for MPLS Traffic Engineering. This approach lies between the pure IP
metric-based optimisation (as IGP-WO) and the full mesh of LSPs. SAMTE uses the simulated
annealing meta-heuristic to find a small number of LSPs (given as parameter) to establish
in the network.
- BGP decision process simulator: TOTEM includes C-BGP, an
efficient BGP decision process simulator. This tool can be used to evaluate
the impact of input/output policies on the routing tables of various
ASes. It can also be used to experiment with a modified decision process
and additional BGP attributes.
Toolbox architecture
- Interoperable network representation: TOTEM uses an
interoperable XML format integrating topology, label switched path and BGP
configurations. The traffic matrix is also represented using an XML
file. These data can be assembled from a variety of sources such as
router's configurations, MRT, Netflow, SRLG.
- Flexible simulation scenario: the simulation scenario integrates
link utilisation computation using SPF, LSP creation with or without
backup, link or node failure simulation. All these scenarios can be
automatically executed by the toolbox.
- Charts creation: TOTEM allows users to create charts in a very
elegant and flexible way. The charts can be created in JPEG, PNG or EPS
formats.
- Topology generation: the BRITE universal topology generator is
integrated for generating state of the art realistic topologies.
- Traffic matrix deduction: traffic matrix can be inferred from
link load using a simple gravity model or directly from Netflow traces. If
no link utilisation information is available, we can also generate random
traffic matrices following classical distributions.
Graphical User Interface:
- Display topologies in a flexible and convenient way. The GUI uses the JUNG library.
- Can load multiple domains and multiple traffic matrix for one domain.
- Can compute primary LSPs with a routing algorithm among those present in the toolbox. The algorithm parameters can be tuned precisely.
- Can compute local and global detour LSPs with a backup routing algorithm (DAMOTE or CSPF).
- Can compute a fullmesh of LSPs with one of the routing algorithm present in the toolbox. The bandwidth of the LSPs are derived from a chosen traffic matrix.
- Can execute a scenario from a file and see the step-by-step result on the domain.
- Can optimize links TE metric thanks to IGPWO algorithm. IGPWO can work with multiple traffic matrices.
- Permit simulation of events and observation of the changes in terms of load on the domains links (observation can be displayed as tables and as charts). Events that can be currently simulated are link failures and a change of traffic matrix.
- Can create charts from the data of the loaded domains.
- Can use the C-BGP simulator.
- Can compute the load resulting from the application of various IP algorithms.
- Can use the hybrid optimisation method SAMTE.
Find more by looking at
screenshots.