A structured approach to network backbone traffic estimation

The amount and distribution of traffic, generated inside a computer network, is an essential input into topology design and optimization as well as optimal routing strategies. It depends on the number, type and size of access points, their infrastructure and their users. When designing a network, the amount of traffic has to be estimated first, based on available data on access points to be connected. The paper formalizes relevant properties of access points and proposes a method of combining them into so-called access point quality, a measure of generated traffic. Furthermore, the estimation of traffic distribution is explained and guidelines for estimating the absolute amount of cumulative traffic are given. Based on the estimations obtained, end-to-end traffic amounts are calculated and traffic matrix is formed, ready to proceed into next steps of network design.