Modelling IP Network Topologies by Emulating Network Development Processes

* Corresponding author, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), UK and British Telecommunications PLC Abstract: Recent developments in Internet mapping and metrification as well as research into scale-free networks has given us an insight into modelling inter-connected IP networks. A number of topology generators have emerged which attempt to generate topologies which follow the power laws discovered in Internet topologies but don’t consider the causes of the power laws. They tend to concentrate on creating a topology that follows the power laws on a macroscopic scale. In this paper we present a generalisation of a topology generator which emulates microscopic network growth decisions to generate macro-scale topologies which may follow power-laws. The microscopic decisions are examined further and their effect on the macroscopic result demonstrated. The design of these schemes and the possible impact of the underlying transport network is also briefly considered.