How do you optimize network resource usage and avoid congestion using traffic engineering techniques?

1 What is traffic engineering?

Traffic engineering is the process of measuring, modeling, and managing the traffic characteristics and behavior on a network. It aims to optimize the network performance by balancing the traffic load, minimizing the congestion, maximizing the utilization, and enhancing the quality of service. Traffic engineering can be applied at different levels of the network, such as the physical layer, the data link layer, the network layer, or the application layer, depending on the objectives and constraints of the network design and operation.

2 How to measure and model network traffic?

To perform traffic engineering, you need to collect and analyze data about the network traffic, such as the volume, rate, distribution, variability, and composition of the traffic flows. You can use various tools and techniques to measure and monitor the network traffic, such as network probes, counters, sniffers, analyzers, or simulators. You can also use mathematical models and statistical methods to describe and predict the traffic behavior, such as the Poisson model, the Markov model, the Erlang model, or the self-similar model.

3 How to control and distribute network traffic?

To control and distribute the network traffic, you need to use mechanisms and protocols that can influence the routing, scheduling, allocation, and prioritization of the traffic flows. Different approaches and strategies can be employed to achieve traffic engineering goals such as load balancing, congestion avoidance, bandwidth management, or quality of service differentiation. Common mechanisms and protocols for traffic control and distribution include routing protocols like OSPF, BGP, or MPLS; scheduling algorithms like FIFO, WFQ, or RED; admission control to limit the number or rate of traffic flows; and traffic shaping and policing to modify the traffic flows according to a predefined profile. All these methods can be configured or optimized to distribute the traffic load among multiple paths, reduce queueing delay or packet loss, prioritize certain traffic classes or applications, enforce traffic agreements or limits, or penalize violations.

4 How to evaluate and improve network performance?

To evaluate and improve the network performance, you need to use metrics and methods that can quantify and compare the network efficiency and effectiveness. You can use different criteria and indicators to measure and monitor the network performance, such as the throughput, the delay, the jitter, the packet loss, or the quality of service. You can also use various techniques and tools to analyze and optimize the network performance, such as the network calculus, the queuing theory, the optimization models, or the network management systems.

5 How to learn more about traffic engineering?

Traffic engineering is a complex and dynamic field that requires continuous learning and updating. If you want to learn more about traffic engineering, you can explore books and journals, such as the Handbook of Network and System Administration or the IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management. Additionally, there are many courses and certifications that offer training and validation of traffic engineering skills, like the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) or the Coursera course on Network Performance Optimization. Finally, there are many blogs and forums that provide insights and discussions on traffic engineering topics, including the Packet Pushers blog, the Network Engineering Stack Exchange, or the Reddit r/networking subreddit.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?