An optimization framework for the energy management of carrier ethernet networks with Multiple Spanning Trees

We propose an energy management framework to optimize the energy consumption of networks using the Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol such as Carrier Grade Ethernet networks. The objective is to minimize the energy consumption of nodes and links while considering QoS constraints. The energy management is done through the Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) by choosing from a given set the most appropriate Spanning Trees and the most appropriate edges to operate while respecting the traffic demands. A trade-off framework between energy consumption and network performance is proposed. Results show that it is possible to achieve a good traffic engineering while operating the network closer to the minimum energy value. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.