A Partial-Protection Approach Using Multipath Provisioning

Abstract

We study the problem of reliably provisioning traffic using multipath routing in a mesh network. Traditional approaches handled reliability requirements using full-protection schemes. Although full-protection approaches offer high assurance, this assurance can be costly. We take a less expensive approach to maintain reliability by offering partial-protection. Specifically, our approach guarantees part of the requested bandwidth, rather than the full amount, in the event of a link failure. We first show that the amount of partial-protection that can be guaranteed is limited by the topology of the network and the bandwidth requirement of a connection request. We then propose an effective multipath algorithm that attempts to provision bandwidth requests while guaranteeing the maximum partial-protection possible. Results show that by effectively selecting paths that limit edge overuse, our algorithm achieves very low bandwidth blocking probability. Our algorithm also serves significantly more requested bandwidth than the protection approach.

Analysis and algorithms for partial protection in mesh networks

“…However, the algorithm in [8] was designed to minimize capacity over multiple connections, whereas the algorithms in this paper were designed to minimize costs for one connection at a time, making a direct comparison of the algorithms difficult.…”

“…We note that [8] also developed an algorithm for meeting partial protection requirements by spreading capacity across disjoint paths. However, the algorithm in [8] was designed to minimize capacity over multiple connections, whereas the algorithms in this paper were designed to minimize costs for one connection at a time, making a direct comparison of the algorithms difficult.…”

“…In this work, we further expand upon the framework developed in [7] and [8]. We develop a "theory" for partial protection that includes optimal algorithms for capacity allocation, and explicit expressions for the amount of required spare capacity.…”

“…Routing strategies that allocate working and spare capacity to meet partial protection requirements are derived. Similar to [8], flow bifurcation over multiple paths is allowed. Bifurcation reduces the amount of spare capacity needed to support the QoP requirements.…”

“…When q is equal to 1, the service is fully protected, and when q is 0, the service is unprotected. More recently, [8] examines the savings that can be achieved by guaranteeing part of the demand in the event of a link failure, as opposed to full protection. It shows that the amount of protection that can be guaranteed depends on the topology of the network.…”