Dynamic partitioning of link bandwidth in IP/MPLS networks

Bandwidth allocation in the future multiservice global communication IP network presents a very interesting research issue. This paper presents the strategy of dynamic partitioning of link bandwidth in IP networks. In the dynamic partitioning scheme the bandwidth of each link in the network is partitioned into two fractions, one for the low-priority data traffic, and one for the high-priority stream (real-time) traffic. The partitioning is defined by the partitioning parameter, which changes according to the traffic profile and intensity. An algorithm for the change of partitioning parameter is presented. The evaluation of the scheme is done based on a new metric, the connection utility, which is the measurement of the average end-user utility. Based on this measurement, the dynamic partitioning scheme is compared to several other bandwidth allocation schemes. Simulation results on a single link network model show the advantage of the dynamic link partitioning. Furthermore, the paper discusses the use of multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) architecture for the implementation of the dynamic partitioning scheme.