Traffic engineering supported by Inherent Network Management: analysis of resource efficiency and cost saving potential

Abstract

Abstract Future Internet, inherent traffic and network management as well as the corresponding business aspects are topics of intensive research activity. The combination of those areas is a main focus of Inherent Network Management (INM) as a management framework based on distributed, self‐organizing and autonomous approaches to address new challenges in a trend towards heterogeneous and dynamic future networking environments. We describe the INM design and behaviors especially with regard to advanced monitoring and fast failure response to enable more flexibility in traffic engineering, in order to improve the control and utilization of bandwidth and other network resources. We analyze a case study on the process of upgrading the links in broadband access networks, as a steadily ongoing planning procedure in operational fixed and mobile networks to keep pace with rapidly growing user demand and Internet traffic. Full mesh topologies are considered as a relevant core network structure that allows for an explicit analytical comparison of the resource and cost efficiency with and without optimized load balancing. The results indicate that flexible path design with INM support can increase the admissible throughput or, vice versa, reduce part of the over‐provisioning of routing and transmission capacity with corresponding savings in capital expenditure as well as for operational expenditure due to reduced energy consumption. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.