Network Load Balancing via Bit Miles Metric
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large Internet Service Providers face traffic imbalances and asymmetric bandwidth usage due to uneven network traffic loads and distances, leading to increased costs and resistance in interconnecting at high speeds, as existing methods fail to accurately assess and balance network loads across distinct provider networks.
Innovation Solution
The method involves calculating 'bit miles' by measuring bandwidth and distance using enriched network traffic flow data, which includes BGP data, router details, and location information, to identify and remedy load imbalances by adjusting interconnection points and implementing multi-exit discriminators, ensuring equitable peering agreements and cost sharing across provider networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ISPs interconnect their networks at high speed, then network connectivity and service quality are improved, but cost burden becomes unbalanced and ISPs resist interconnection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameters for assessing network load by introducing 'bit miles' as a new metric that combines bandwidth measurements with distance measurements. This parameter change allows for a more accurate assessment of actual network burden, enabling fairer cost allocation and interconnection agreements that reflect true network usage patterns rather than raw traffic volume alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous monitoring and measurement of network traffic flows, bandwidth, and distance to calculate bit miles. This feedback mechanism provides real-time data on actual network burden, allowing ISPs to adjust interconnection agreements and cost sharing arrangements based on measured performance rather than assumptions, thereby reducing resistance to interconnection.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If traffic burden is measured using simple traffic volume, then measurement is easier, but assessment accuracy is insufficient to identify true load imbalances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a new dimension to traffic measurement by incorporating distance information alongside traditional bandwidth measurements. This dimensional expansion transforms the measurement from a single-axis (traffic volume only) to a multi-axis approach (bandwidth × distance), significantly improving the accuracy of load imbalance detection while maintaining practical measurability through standard network monitoring techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a composite measurement metric called 'bit miles' that combines multiple measurement components (bandwidth, distance, traffic flow data) into a unified indicator of network burden. This composite approach integrates diverse data types in a way that captures the true economic and operational impact of traffic routing, providing precise assessment without requiring complex separate measurement systems for each component.
Data Source
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AI summary
Implementations described and claimed herein provide systems and methods for balancing network loads across distrinct provider networks using enriched network traffic flow data. In one implementation, network traffic flow data representative of network traffic exchanged between a first provider network and a second provider network is generated. The network traffic flow data is enriched using at least one enrichment feed. A network load indication for the first provider network is calculated using the enriched network traffic flow data. The network load indication is a function of a bandwidth measurement and a distance measurement.