Performance investigation of dynamic topologies in MPLS networks

Telecommunication infrastructure consumes large amounts of energy, but is often under-utilised. Dynamic Topologies refers to networks that are able to change the number of active nodes and links to adapt the network to traffic requirements. Such strategies can reduce energy consumption and the related Green House Gases emission footprint considerably. Dynamic Topologies using MPLS proposes to maintain a number of active topologies and path sets. This allows the change between topologies without major rerouting of traffic and related impacts on established flows. This study details strategies to adapt topologies and investigates the impact of topology changes on individual UDP and TCP flows and the ability for power saving. It concludes that topology changes do not cause noticeable disruptions to flows and considerable energy savings are possible.