Interfaces

Interfaces represent uni-directional interfaces on a layer 3 node.

A circuit is created when two matching interfaces (one in each direction) are paired to form a bi-directional connection between layer 3 nodes.

Interfaces are matched into a circuit if:

  • They are on different nodes
  • They have the same capacity
  • They have a matching circuit_id

Important

In the PerformanceModel subclass, the circuit_id is hidden because this subclass only allows a single circuit (edge) between any two nodes, so matching interfaces into circuits is deterministic.

Interface utilization represents how much traffic is egressing the interface divided by the interface’s capacity (utilization = traffic / capacity).

Interface Capacity Units

An interface’s capacity and traffic are described in units of traffic, meaning they are not described in Mbps, Gbps, etc. They are written in this generic way so that the user can determine the traffic units they want to deal with in their modeling exercises.

For example, if an interface has capacity = 200, it can be 200 Mpbs, 200 Gbps, etc. This example, will use Gbps.

If a single, entire demand (# ECMP = 1) with traffic = 100 (Gbps) transits the interface, the interface’s computed utilization will be 50% and its traffic will be 100 (Gbps).

For more information on interfaces,see the interface docstrings.