A heuristic algorithm for solving the static weight optimisation problem in OSPF networks

This paper deals with the problem of OSPF weight system adjustment. It is one of the fundamental optimisation tasks in IP/OSPF networks, because the OSPF weight system determines the routes for traffic flows. If the OSPF weights are set in a proper way, significantly better network throughput and performance can be achieved compared with the simple weight setting heuristics used nowadays. Because this kind of weight configuration is typically set in the network planning phase, the overall quality of the weight setting algorithm results will determine the long-term network utilisation. In the paper we formulate a relevant optimisation problem and on the basis of the experiences of our previous research work we propose a deterministic, heuristic algorithm for solving the problem. In addition to the network model, formulation of the problem and description of the proposed algorithm, its performance is illustrated with numerical results