IGen: Generation of Router-level Internet Topologies through Network Design Heuristics

Network researchers often need to evaluate newly proposed algorithms and protocols over realistic topologies. Many researchers use random networks for such evaluations. Unfortunately, random networks do not accurately model real networks and important parameters such as link metrics or iBGP configurations are often ignored. We propose IGen, a freely available topology generator that uses network design heuristics to generate realistic IP network topologies. We explain the objectives of IGen and describe the topology generation process in details.