Importance of IP Alias Resolution in Sampling Internet Topologies

Internet measurement studies utilize traceroute-based path traces to build representative Internet maps. These maps are then used to analyze various topological characteristics of the Internet. IP alias resolution is an important step in building a map from a set of collected path traces. In this paper, we study the impact of incomplete IP alias resolution on Internet measurement studies. Using a set of synthetic topologies and a genuine topology map, we experimentally show that the accuracy/completeness of alias resolution has an important effect on the observed topological characteristics. The results obtained in this work point out the importance of IP alias resolution and call for further research in alias resolution.