Traffic Engineering an Operational Network with the TOTEM Toolbox

We explain how the TOTEM toolbox can be used to engineer an operational network. TOTEM is an open source TOolbox for Traffic Engineering Methods which covers IP- based and MPLS-based intradomain traffic engineering (TE) algorithms, but also interdomain TE. In this paper, we use the toolbox as an off-line simulator to optimise the traffic of an operational network. To help an operator choose between an IP-based or MPLS-based solution, or find the best way to load- balance a network for a given traffic, our case study compares several IP and MPLS routing algorithms, evaluates the impact of hot-potato routing on the intradomain traffic matrix, and analyses the worst-case link failure. This study reveals the power of a toolbox that federates many traffic engineering algorithms.