<TE-WG><draft-ellson-ipo-te-link-provisioning-00.txt>

[Lily Cheng <lilycheng@lucent.com>]

Subject: <TE-WG><draft-ellson-ipo-te-link-provisioning-00.txt>

Name of ID: 
http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-ellson-ipo-te-link-provisioning-00.txt

Summary:
This draft introduces the concept of a closed-loop link provisioning 
process for dynamic IP link configuration in an automatically switched 
transport network. We identify major phases, which completes an 
automatic link-provisioning cycle. First in the traffic engineering 
phase, both network internal information and external information can 
be applied to proactively or reactively triggering circuit switched 
links. Secondly in the network design phase, we distinguish different 
types of link design. Finally in the choice phase, we outline a set of 
criteria for choosing a final link amongst a set of candidate links. 
The criteria are based on maximizing the value of the user network. 
We propose these criteria be utilized in studies of dynamic link 
provisioning. 

Related Documents:
OIF2001-197

Why is it targeted at TE WG:
This draft concerns automation and performance optimization of traffic
engineering
in an operational network. It also facilitates network engineering which
concerns
design, ranking, choice of a new link. Its optimal goal is to optimize network
utilization by measuring current traffic and apply traffic engineering/network
engineering to a dynamic underlying network topology.

Justification
This work includes traffic engineering and network engineering, which based on
the assumption that network topology is dynamic, which can be made possible by
recent advenced circuit network technologies. Traditional traffic engineering
is to move traffic in a given fixed network topology. When network traffic grows
to a point, network planning/network engineering is used to layout another fixed
topology. The distintion between traffic engineering and network engineering is
quite clear. The time frames between them are in the order of weeks, months, and
years.

Given the advent of intelligent optical networking as possible server layers,
the network topology for traffic engineering can be very dynamic. The time
frames
between traffic engineering and network engineering are in the order of seconds
and mili-seconds.

Hence, contemporal traffic engineering has to consider network engineering.
We have addressed the problem here in the paper to initiate studies in this
area.

The goal of this study will be a framework, which address dynamic traffic
engineering. Major functions of network engineering should be considered in
order to maximize the benefits from the modern network technologies.


Lily Cheng