Issues with inferring Internet topological attributes

A number of recent studies of Internet network structure are based on data collected from inter-domain BGP routing tables and tools, such as traceroute, to probe end-to-end paths. The goal of these studies is often to infer Internet topological properties. There is growing evidence, however, that the amount and diversity of the data has a significant impact on the conclusions drawn about some of the structural properties. While systematic data collection from a number of network vantage points can reduce certain ambiguities, thus far, no methods have been reported for fully resolving these issues. The goal of our study was to quantify the effects of these anomalies on key Internet structural attributes. We report on our analysis of over 290,000 measurements from globally distributed sites. We contrast results obtained from router-level measurements with those obtained from BGP routing tables, and offer insights as to why certain inferred properties differ. We use multiple views of the...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2004
• Where: COMCOM
• Authors: Lisa Amini, Anees Shaikh, Henning Schulzrinne
• Keywords: BGP Routing Tables, COMCOM 2004, Internet Network Structure, Internet Topological Properties