The smooth
operation of the Internet depends on the careful configuration of routers in
thousands of autonomous systems throughout the world. Configuring routers is
extremely complicated because of the diversity of network equipment, the large
number of configuration options, and the interaction of configuration
parameters across multiple routers. Network operators have limited tools to aid
in configuring large backbone networks. Manual configuration of individual
routers can introduce errors and inconsistencies with unforeseen consequences
for the operational network. In this article we describe how to identify
configuration mistakes by parsing and analyzing configuration data extracted
from the various routers. We first present an overview of IP networking from
the viewpoint of an Internet service provider and describe the kinds of errors
that can appear within and across router configuration files. To narrow the
scope of the problem, we then focus our attention on the configuration commands
that relate to traffic engineering - tuning the intradomain routing protocol to
control the flow of traffic through the ISP network. We present a case study of
a prototype tool, developed in collaboration with AT&T IP Services, for
checking the configuration of the AT&T IP Backbone and providing input to
other systems for network visualization and traffic engineering.