Multicast topology inference from measured end-to-end loss

Abstract

The use of multicast inference on end-to-end measurement has been proposed as a means to infer network internal characteristics such as packet link loss rate and delay. We propose three types of algorithm that use loss measurements to infer the underlying multicast topology: (i) a grouping estimator that exploits the monotonicity of loss rates with increasing path length; (ii) a maximum-likelihood estimator (MLE); and (iii) a Bayesian estimator. We establish their consistency, compare their complexity and accuracy, and analyze the modes of failure and their asymptotic probabilities.