Abstract
The continuous growth in volume of Internet traffic, including VoIP, IPTV and user-generated content, requires improved routing mechanisms that satisfy the requirements of both the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that manage the network and the end-users that are the sources and sinks of data. The objectives of these two players are different, since ISPs are typically interested in ensuring optimised network utilisation and high throughput whereas end-users might require a low-delay or a high-bandwidth path. In this paper, we present our UAESR (Utilisation-Aware Edge Selected Routing) algorithm, which aims to satisfy both players' demands concurrently by selecting paths that are a good compromise between the two players' objectives. We demonstrate by simulation that this algorithm allows both actors achieve their goals. The results support our argument that our cooperative approach achieves effective network resource engineering at the same time as offering routing flexibility and good quality of service to end-users.