Task Force INTERNET - DRAFT TE Working

This memo describes a framework for Traffic Engineering (TE) in the Internet. The framework is intended to promote better understanding of the issues surrounding traffic engineering in IP networks, and to provide a common basis for the development of traffic engineering capabilities for the Internet. The principles, architectures, and methodologies for performance evaluation and performance optimization of operational IP networks are discussed throughout this document. The optimization goals of traffic engineering are to enhance the performance of IP traffic while utilizing network resources economically and reliably. The framework includes a set of generic recommendations, and options for Internet traffic engineering. The framework can serve as a guide to implementors of online and offline Internet traffic engineering mechanisms, tools, and support systems. The framework can also help service providers devise traffic engineering solutions for their networks.