Comparison of k-shortest paths and maximum flow routing for network facility restoration

In the development of technologies for span failure restoration, a question arises about the restoration rerouting characteristics to be specified. In theory, maximal rerouting capacity is obtained with a maximum flow (Max Flow) criterion. However, rerouting that realizes the k-successively shortest link disjoint paths (KSP) may be faster, easier, and, in distributed implementation, more robust than a distributed counterpart for Max Flow. The issue is, therefore, what the restoration capacity penalty is if KSP is used instead of Max Flow. To explore this tradeoff, the authors present a comparative study of the effectiveness of KSP versus Max Flow as an alternative rerouting criteria in the context of transport network span restoration. The comparison applies to both centrally controlled and distributed restoration systems. Study methods include exhaustive span failure experiments on a range of network models, and parametric and analytical investigations for insight into the factors resulting in KSP versus Max Flow differences. The main finding is that KSP restoration capacity is more than 99.9% of that from Max Flow in typical network models. The hypothesis is made that a generalized “trap” topology is responsible for all KSP-Max Flow capacity differences. The hypothesis is tested experimentally and used to develop analytical bounds which agree well with observed results. These findings and data are relevant to standards makers and equipment developers in specifying and engineering future restorable networks