Hello,
I'm curious what is the "tools" for computing and validating TE tunnels over the network. I read on MPLS Enabled Applications that there are tools out there that can be used to do so.
Anyone has a suggestion?
Regards,
I'm aware about the Cisco MATE software, but I'd prefer an open-source, vendor-agnostic one, something that in-house imporvements can also be achieved.
You can look at tools like NS2/NS3 or OMNet++, but these are not going to
do what you want out of the box, they are a framework for network
simulation but you'll have to program them to do what you want, they are
more used in academic settings.
If you want a nice interface you are kind of stuck right now with the
commercial offerings from Cariden, OpNet, WANDL (now Juniper), and Aria
Networks. Most of those packages are extensible via scripting if you want
to do additional things.
Phil
And Open Source tool called TOTEM (Toolbox of Traffic Engineering Methods)
exists. It has not been maintained since 2008 and was done as a university
research project. You can do some things with it that you can do with the
likes of Cariden and WANDL and it takes XML files. It is a bit of a pain
to use, but can be extended. Another Open Source tool with similar issues
and no GUI is CSPF simulator, which runs some algorithms and you can give
it topology and demands and it can give you optimal LSP placement. Again,
requires a learning curve and was actually Cisco side project a while ago.
And finally, if you can program, you can take Python NetworkX library which
provides SPF algorithm, which can be adopted for CSPF and you can look up
some popular algorithms on the Internet and implement them. And then use
some tool to create graphs.
But in reality Cariden and WANDL are actually pretty vendor agnostic, and
you can easily adapt them for anything. There are people who run Juniper
networks and use Cariden and Cisco NSPs that use WANDL. And they are
entering DC underlay world as well. They cost money, but you do get what
you pay for.
Yan