SONAR: a platform for flexible DiffServ/MPLS traffic engineering

A major opportunity for IP network operators to increase the revenue stream generated by their network is a closer and faster integration of services into the IP broadband network. However, with this integration come responsibilities concerning the quality, availability and continuity of these services, which are much harder to fulfil than the requirements for the current IP data traffic. SONAR (Service- Oriented Networking using Adaptive Resource control) is a network management and operations platform designed to drive a DiffServ/MPLS network so that these responsibilities can be met. In this paper we discuss and evaluate the architecture and algorithms that are the basis for this platform. The architecture decomposes the network management problem in two components: a centralised path computation and a distributed tunnel management. Finally this hybrid on line/off line adaptive traffic engineering approach is evaluated in an modified NS-2 simulator environment