Signalling protocols in diffserv-aware MPLS networks: design and implementation of RSVP-TE network simulator

In a multi-service IP network, it is a key challenge to provide quality of service (QoS) to end-user applications while effectively using network resources. The DiffServ architecture has emerged as a scalable solution to provide a network with multiple service classes. The multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) traffic engineering (TE), instead, enables resource reservation, fault-tolerance and optimization of transmission resources. MPLS DiffServ-aware TE combines the advantages of these solutions and allows network operators to provide services that require strict QoS performance guarantees. The choice of the signalling protocol to exchange DiffServ, MPLS and TE-related information is a key point in this scenario. Different solutions have been proposed, such as RSVP-TE and CR-LDP. Since the first one seems to be the most attractive for router manufacturers, in this paper, the design and the development of a new software module to simulate the RSVP-TE protocol in the Network Simulator 2 (NS2) is presented. This module could be useful to speed-up the design, development and deployment of DiffServ-aware MPLS networks