Qualitative evaluation of homing architectures in multi-layer networks and availability analysis

In this paper alternative homing architectures to traditional dual homing, where homing is defined as the interconnection of an access router to a core router, are studied and classified according their inherit characteristics. A set of qualifiers is proposed identifying the distinct features of homing architectures on multiple network layers. Special attention is given to availability analysis. Building on this basis, a complete qualitative evaluation framework is developed, which enables the determination of the eligible homing architectures to be deployed, utilizing as input not only the operators requirements but also certain network characteristics.