On the expansion problem of reliable internet protocol networks with performance guarantees

In this paper, we tackle the problem of how to expand Internet protocol (IP) networks with performance guarantees in a cost-effective way. We first propose an optimization model that deals with selecting the location of the routers, selecting their types, expanding the access and the backbone networks and selecting the transmission link types. The model also considers the routing of the IP traffic using a standardized routing protocol. The performance guarantees we refer to are bandwidth guarantees between the clients' routers. The performance guarantees stand not only for the normal state of the network, but also for failure scenarios of interest to the network planner. A tabu-based metaheuristic algorithm is proposed to find solutions to the model. Numerical results show that good solutions can be found using the proposed algorithm.