Topological design of multiple VPNs over MPLS network

Abstract

With the deployment of MPLS over a core IP backbone, it is possible for a service provider to built Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) supporting various classes of services with QoS guarantees. Efficiently mapping the logical layout of multiple VPNs over a service provider network is an important and challenging traffic engineering procedure. The use of sink-tree (multipoint-to-point) routing paths in a MPLS network makes the VPN design problem different from traditional design approaches where a full-mesh of point-to-point paths is often the choice. The clear benefits of using sink-tree paths are the reduction in the number of label switch paths and bandwidth saving due to larger granularities of bandwidth aggregation within the network. In this paper, the design of multiple VPNs over MPLS, using sink-tree routing, is formulated as a mixed integer programming problem to simultaneously find VPNs logical topologies and their dimensions to carry multi-service, multi-hour VPNs traffic from various customers. Such a problem formulation yields an NP-hard complexity. Here, we propose a heuristic aiming to scale the VPN design problem by choosing a small-but-good candidate set of feasible sink-tree paths to solve the optimization problem over. Numerical results are given showing the advantages of the proposed approach.