MATE: MPLS adaptive traffic engineering

TLDR

Traditional IP routers rely on destination‑based forwarding, limiting the use of multiple paths in ISP networks and leading to inefficiencies when traffic patterns change. The authors propose MATE, a multipath adaptive traffic engineering mechanism for MPLS networks, aiming to avoid congestion by dynamically balancing load across paths and providing an analytical model, algorithm class, and convergence proofs. MATE operates with minimal node involvement, requiring only normal forwarding, no extra scheduling or buffer management, and includes practical design techniques for implementation. Simulations demonstrate MATE’s effectiveness across diverse network scenarios.

Abstract

Destination-based forwarding in traditional IP routers has not been able to take full advantage of multiple paths that frequently exist in Internet service provider networks. As a result, the networks may not operate efficiently, especially when the traffic patterns are dynamic. This paper describes a multipath adaptive traffic engineering mechanism, called MATE, which is targeted for switched networks such as multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) networks. The main goal of MATE is to avoid network congestion by adaptively balancing the load among multiple paths based on measurement and analysis of path congestion. MATE adopts a minimalist approach in that intermediate nodes are not required to perform traffic engineering or measurements besides normal packet forwarding. Moreover MATE does not impose any particular scheduling, buffer management, or a priori traffic characterization on the nodes. This paper presents an analytical model, derives a class of MATE algorithms, and proves their convergence. Several practical design techniques to implement MATE are described. Simulation results are provided to illustrate the efficacy of MATE under various network scenarios.