The Route Shepherd tool demonstrates applications of choosing between routing protocol configurations on the basis of rigorouslysupported theory. Splitting the configuration space into equivalence classes allows the identification of which parameter combinations lead to protocol stability, and which do not. This ahead-of-time analysis generates a predicate, in the form of a combination of linear integer inequalities, which can be used in several complementary ways by downstream applications. Examples presented include warning operators about errors in advance, recovery from protocol oscillation, plotting a series of safe parameter changes, and understanding the dynamics of the routing system. Categories and Subject Descriptors C.2.2 [Computer-Communication Networks]: Network Protocols—Routing protocols; C.2.3 [Computer-Communication Networks]: Network Operations—Network management General Terms Management, Reliability Keywords Border Gateway Protocol, routing policy, stable pat...
Alexander J. T. Gurney, Xianglong Han, Yang Li, Bo