Metarouting and Network Optimization

IP routers come with a very small set of unicast routing protocols. Network-wide optimization at the level of the IP is often frustrated by the characteristics of the legacy routing protocols. The current cycle of research, development, deployment, and standardization is a long and complex one, making it difficult to introduce changes to existing protocols. Metarouting defines a metalanguage for the definition of complex routing algebras. A key feature of the metalanguage is that algebraic properties required for correctness guarantees can be automatically derived. A metalanguage for path algebras is defined in the same way that did for routing algebras. The operators of such a metalanguage would then be associated with rules for the preservation of boundedness. However, this paper sketches out the basis of a metalanguage for a hybrid approach-one that encompasses routing algebras, path algebras, and mixed mode algebras that are based on pre-orders that arise from combinations of partial orders and preference orders. These structures are called as action algebras and a metalanguage for action algebras together with some of its preservation properties is presented. Among the properties of interest for Dijkstra-like algorithms, Sobrinho identified isotonicity (for convergence) and strict isotonicity (for loop freedom). The preservation of these properties in our action algebra metalanguage, which captures the examples is studied as special cases. It is believed that this raises interesting questions concerning the development of hybrid routing algorithms that use novel combinations of Dijkstra and Bellman-Ford algorithms in appropriate regions of a network.