Generation of high bandwidth network traffic traces

Abstract

High bandwidth network traffic traces are needed to understand the behavior of high speed networks (such as the Internet backbone). However, the implementation of a mechanism to collect such traces is difficult in practice. In the absence of real traces, tools to generate high bandwidth traces would aid the study of high speed network behavior. We describe three methods of generating high bandwidth network traces: scaling low bandwidth network traffic traces; merging multiple low bandwidth traces; generating traces through simulation by scaling a structural model of real world traces. We evaluate the generated traces and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each method. We also discuss some of the issues involved in generating traces by the structural model method.