Sticky random routing in dual-parented networks

Considers the application of dynamic routing strategies to dual-parented networks. Dual-parented networks consist of a fully connected set of nodes, called parent nodes, together with clusters of local nodes connected in each case to two parent nodes. The number of clusters is the same as the number of parent nodes. Such network architectures resemble the upper tiers of the British Telecom national trunk network. The authors report on investigations to study simple, decentralized routing strategies which generalize the DAR strategy from the fully connected network to the dual-parented network. They employ both analytical and simulation models of the routing strategies. The analytical models are based on fixed point calculations using the independent link blocking approximation. A notable feature of dynamic routing in this network architecture is the degree of robustness that it is possible to achieve against traffic overloads and link failures using a simple, decentralized approach to routing