Abstract Route Control Platform Architecture and Practical Concerns

In this paper we describe a network architecture in which the inter-AS routing decision process is removed from routers into a separate logically-centralized control function which we refer to as the Route Control Platform (RCP). This architecture makes a clean separation between the packet forwarding function which by necessity has to be performed by network elements in the data path, and the control function performed by the routing protocols which directs how the data forwarding should take place. Removing the current tight coupling between these two functions thus removes the burden of route computation from routers so that it does not interfere with the packet forwarding process. More important, however, is the fact that removal of this function simplifies router configuration and enables flexibility in the route selection process that is simply impossible in the current infrastructure. We provide an overview of the RCP architecture and show how it can be realized within the existing routing infrastructure requiring only configuration changes on the routers. We present a high level view of the RCP software architecture and identify issues that need to be taken into account in its realization. 1