Modified flap damping mechanism to improve inter-domain routing convergence

Inter-domain routing stability and convergence delay have a significant effect on QoS in the Internet. To enhance the stability and reduce the convergence time of the Internet, RFD was introduced to limit route oscillations from spreading throughout the network. However, recent research has shown that RFD may damp relatively stable routes due to its reaction to path exploration and the interaction between RFD reuse timers. In this paper, a variation of RFD is proposed that addresses the negative side effects of RFD with respect to route convergence and stability. Route flapping is confined by neighboring nodes, and invalid routes generated by path exploration are reduced by an RFD-like mechanism. Simulation results indicate that the modified flap damping mechanism limits persistent flapping routes while allowing relatively stable routes to converge more quickly.