Energy efficient content distribution in an ISP network

Abstract

We study the problem of reducing power consumption in an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network by designing the content distribution infrastructure managed by the operator. We propose an algorithm to optimally decide where to cache the content inside the ISP network. We evaluate our solution over two case studies driven by operators feedback. Results show that the energy-efficient design of the content infrastructure brings substantial savings, both in terms of energy and in terms of bandwidth required at the peering point of the operator. Moreover, we study the impact of the content characteristics and the power consumption models. Finally, we derive some insights for the design of future energy-aware networks.