Beyond Device Management: Route Analytics for Management of Dynamic Routing in IP Networks

Summary form only given. Network management has traditionally been carried out using SNMP polling, in some cases augmented by codebook-based correlation. But periodic polling falls far short of capturing the complex and dynamic layer 3 operations of IP networks. In particular, the routing dynamics of IP networks often lead to unpredictable and intermittent behaviors that leave network managers unable to explain what happened or why. This tutorial introduces an emerging technology called route analytics, which addresses the most difficult management problems in IP networks. The tutorial will demonstrate how route analytics can be used to manage routing protocols and the dynamic IP network topology to increase service predictability and availability. Specific topics will include 1) an explanation of why network-layer management is needed in IP networks (with a comparison to the complementary role of traditional layer 2 device-oriented management); 2) how route analytics works (managing logical versus physical elements); 3) route analytics as applied to three common interior gateway Protocols (OSPF, IS-IS, EIGRP); 4) the application of route analytics to the special challenges of managing the BGP protocol, including BGP root-cause analysis; and 5) the benefits of route analytics in managing MPLS VPNs. Practical examples of the use of route analytics in enterprise, educational and service provider networks will be offered