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A Testbed of terabit IP Routers rUnning MPLS over DWDM

Ziel

In the last years, the expansion of the Internet traffic required a constant increase of router throughput and capacity of the links in IP backbone networks. In the next years, this increase will be achieved by WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing), providing multiple colours on a single fibber. To tackle the limitations of the classical shortest path routing, the development of MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) took place. MPLS provides an architectural sublayer able to operate over any data link infrastructure. The ATRIUM Consortium wishes to validate and to experiment the above state of the art by deploying an advanced test bed that will additionally support QoS, Multicast and fast restoration of link or node failures. ATRIUM will provide the research community with an advanced testbed containing the only European manufactured terabit router so far.

Objectives:
- To develop an advanced testbed for the experiment and the validation of an ATR (Advanced Terabit Router) as a core router and as a border router, and to offer this advanced testbed to other RTD projects;
- To design, assess and experiment with a set of unified traffic management algorithms and protocols necessary to operate successfully such an ATR in and MPLS - based and DiffServ- capable AS (Autonomous System);
- To develop, prototype and assess a generic set of traffic engineering tools and protocols necessary to allow such ATR to operate as a border router in a DiffServ-capable, MPLS-based AS, interconnected with other ASs with similar capabilities;
- To test the final version of the ATR with very demanding applications like Grid middleware and multimedia servers;
- To specify, design, test and validate a Network Management System to operate and monitor QOS and Traffic Engineering in IP Core networks.

Work description:
The overall work in the ATRIUM project is split over 6 workpackages, and follows an incremental phasing.
- WP1 deals with installing and testing the ATRIUM testbed, thus creating connectivity between the sites of Alcatel, France Telecom R&D and the University of Liege.
- WP2 deals with defining and selecting a set of testing tools and extensive interoperability and performance testbed assessment in heterogeneous and distributed environments;
- The goal of WP3 is advanced researching on optimised traffic engineering algorithms. Examples are solutions for the dynamic calculation of LSPs on the basis of actual traffic profiles, fast restoration in case of failures, and algorithms to provide QoS in DiffServ/MPLS networks. Besides theoretical studies, this WP will mainly assess its results by way of simulations based on realistic traffic patterns, provided by France Telecom R&D;
- In WP 4, a generic framework will be realized to efficiently support QoS and fast restoration across inter-domain boundaries in MPLS based networks. Modifications to existing protocols may not be sufficient and hence, new protocols and mechanisms will probably be needed. Trace-driven simulations with prototype implementations will assess these;
- Finally, during WP5, the testbed will be exploited to run a variety of experiments to better understand the behaviour of an operational terabit core network. The Consortium has the intention to prove to the community that the type of backbone, which is deployed in this project, is recommended for the future.

Therefore, a potential killer application, such as streaming video broadcasting shall be identified, to demonstrate the major advantages of this type of backbone.
The extension of the ATRIUM project includes contributions to existing workpackages WP1, installation of the ATRIUM testbed, WP2, operability testbed assessment in heterogeneous and distributed environments and WP5, experiments to understand the behaviour of an operational terabit core network. The ATRIUM project is as well extended with an additional workpackage 6, IP Network management specifying, designing and testing of a Network Management System devised to operate and monitor Atrium's network. The extension of the existing ATRIUM testbed includes the integration with the Polish Optical Internet Testbed and the Telefonica I+D Next Generation Network Testbed (WP1). The results of this action will allow for performing an extensive set of tests in WP5. It will also widen the span of the test network, allowing for a more accurate testing process.
Additionally, the router placement in a real production network environment will allow for more extensive and real-scenario testing. Co-operation with Dante's network GEANT, Renater and RedIris is agreed to interconnect the PSNC testbed, including the A7770 to the ATRIUM network using a Circuit Cross-Connect encapsulation through these network. This service is tested in close collaboration with GEANT and is proposed as a technology to interconnect European testbeds. As part of WP5, Telefonica I+D will add a multimedia service platform including On-Demand video and audio services, e-lea rings, HDTV distribution and multi video conferencing. Simultaneously, PSNC will perform platform testing in production network environment with the use of National Computing GRID traffic. Additionally a selected set of remote data visualization applications will be used to generate very high quality multimedia streams (up to 396Mbit/s) for platform testing. Finally the workpackage 6 defines an NMS. In compliance with the TMN reference architecture and the TMF's Telecom Operations Map, a framework will be developed, covering the following aspects: Network Inventory, Network Provisioning, Supervision and configuration of routing and signalling protocols, traffic engineering, fault management and performance management.

Milestones:
A DiffServ-capable, MPLS-based terabit core network, with intra- and interdomain and border router capability.
The assessment of performance and interoperability on real size networks.
A set of traffic engineering algorithms, providing QoS in MPLS based networks and prototype implementations.
Protocols and mechanisms to support QoS and fast restoration in MPLS based networks.
Proof of the major advantages of the testbed by means of a killer application.

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Koordinator

ALCATEL BELL NV
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FRANCIS WELLESPLEIN 1
2018 ANTWERPEN
Belgien

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