Optimizing the IP router update process with traffic-driven updates

Abstract

The update process in an IP router after a failure is detected, is a complex process involving more than just recalculating shortest paths. When statistics related to forwarded traffic are not taken into account, which is generally the case, we show that packet loss can be significantly higher than is strictly needed. In this paper we present a combined control and traffic-driven routing table update scheme which minimizes the packet loss during the switchover, based on an efficient use and planning of the central router process quantum. We discuss the parameters of the algorithm and show its value in a simulation environment.