Fixed point approximation for multirate multihop loss networks with state-dependent routing

In this paper we consider a class of loss networks that have arbitrary topologies and routes of arbitrary length. Multiple traffic classes are present, each with different bandwidth requirement, and each routed according to a state-dependent routing scheme. In particular, we consider the least loaded routing method generalized to routes of arbitrary number of hops. The connection level performance metric of interest is the end-to-end blocking probability. We are interested in developing fast evaluation methods to provide reasonably accurate estimates of the blocking probability, especially under heavy traffic load. Our algorithms are based on the fixed-point method framework, also known as the reduced load approximation. In addition to what commonly examined by previous work, two more factors contribute to the complexity of the computation in the scenario under consideration in this paper. One is the state-dependent nature of the routing mechanism, the other is the possible overlapping between routes due to the general multihop topology of the network. We present two fast approximation algorithms to evaluate the blocking probability with state-dependent routing by simplifying the route overlapping computation. We discuss the computational complexity of our algorithms as well as sources of approximation error. We then compare the numerical results with that of simulation and show that our algorithms provide fairly accurate blocking probability estimates especially under heavy traffic load.     

Blocking in all-optical networks

We present an analytical technique of very low complexity, using the inclusion-exclusion principle of combinatorics, for the performance evaluation of all-optical, wavelength-division multiplexed networks with no wavelength conversion. The technique is a generalized reduced-load approximation scheme which is applicable to arbitrary topologies and traffic patterns. One of the main issues in computing blocking probabilities in all-optical networks is the significant link load correlation introduced by the wavelength continuity constraint. One of the models we propose takes this into account and gives good results even under conditions with high link load correlation. Through numerous experiments we show that our models can be used to obtain fast and accurate estimates of blocking probabilities in all-optical networks and scale well with the path length and capacity of the network. We also extend one of our models to take into account alternate routing, in the form of Fixed Alternate Routing and Least Loaded Routing.     

Dynamic multicast routing based on mean number of new callsaccepted before blocking for single rate loss networks

In this paper, we investigate the dynamic multicast routing problem for single rate loss network and briefly discuss the dynamic multicast routing algorithm called least load multicast routing (LLMR). We propose a new multicast routing algorithm called maximum mean number of new calls accepted before blocking multicast routing (MCBMR), which can more accurately capture the current and future loading of a network. Simulation results show that this algorithm, compared with LLMR, not only has a smaller network revenue loss, but also results in smaller call blocking probabilities for all classes of traffic. We also discuss the implementation issues of our proposed algorithm and develop two approximation methods, state approximation and curve fitting, which can reduce the measurement complexity significantly with only a slight performance degradation     

Performance analysis of the ATM shuffleout switch under arbitrarynonuniform traffic patterns

Shuffleout is a blocking multistage asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) switch using shortest path routing with deflection, in which output queues are connected to all the stages. This paper describes a model for the performance evaluation of the shuffleout switch under arbitrary nonuniform traffic patterns. The analytical model that has been developed computes the load distribution on each interstage link by properly taking into account the switch inlet on which the packet has been received and the switch outlet the packet is addressing. Such a model allows the computation not only of the average load per stage but also its distribution over the different links belonging to the interstage pattern for each switch input/output pair. Different classes of nonuniform traffic patterns have been identified and for each of them the traffic performance of the switch is evaluated by thus emphasizing the evaluation of the network unfairness     

Traffic grooming in mesh WDM optical networks - performance analysis

Traffic grooming is an important task in interworking between the wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) optical network that supplies "pipes" at the wavelength granularity, and the attached client networks that usually require connections of subwavelength granularity. The focus of this paper is to conduct performance analysis of grooming dynamic client traffic in WDM optical networks with a mesh topology. This paper first briefly introduces the traffic grooming problem in WDM optical networks and the issues related to performance analysis. It then develops two link blocking models, an exact model based on the stochastic knapsack problem and an approximation model based on an approximate continuous time Markov chain (CTMC). The end-to-end performance analysis is conducted using the reduced load approximation. The result obtained from analysis is shown to be accurate compared with the numerical result obtained from simulation.     

Performance of Adaptive Routing in Wavelength-Routed Networks with Wavelength Conversion Capability

This paper concerns itself with the performance of adaptive routing in wavelength-routed networks with wavelength conversion capability. Exploiting the concept of load balancing, we propose an adaptive weighted-shortest-cost-path (WSCP) routing strategy. The salient feature of WSCP is that it seeks the path that minimizes the resource cost while simultaneously maintaining the traffic load among the links as balanced as possible. In our simulation, we compare the blocking probability, average hops and link utilization of WSCP with traditional shortest-cost-path (SCP) strategy, fixed routing and alternate routing. The numerical results show that WSCP can enhance blocking performance and just lengthen hop distances a little longer. The improvement is more significant in denser networks or with more wavelengths. We also develop an analytical model to estimate blocking performance of WSCP and compare analyses with simulations. Because of the benefit from load balancing, the proposed WSCP strategy can be used as a path selection algorithm in traffic engineering.     

Blocking performance analysis on adaptive routing over WDM networks with finite wavelength conversion capability

Analytical blocking probability analysis is important for network design. In this paper, we present an analytical model for the blocking probability analysis on adaptive routing over the WDM networks with finite wavelength conversion capability. Modeling the finite nature of wavelength conversion has been a difficult task. We make use of the idea of segmented route to handle the finite wavelength conversion property. In this approach, a route is divided into a number of segments separated by wavelength converting nodes. We then combine the single-link model and the overflow model to derive the network-wide blocking probability. There are two distinct features in our technique. First, a concept of segmented route is used. Second, link state is considered when calculating the traffic flow. The latter ensures that the analytical results match closely to practical network status. Extensive simulations show that the analytical technique is effective in modeling the blocking probability performance for sparse networks.     

Multiple-Constraint-Aware RWA Algorithms Based on a Comprehensive Evaluation Model： Use in Wavelength-Switched Optical Networks

Because of explosive growth in Internet traffic and high complexity of heterogeneous networks,improving the routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) algorithm in underlying optical networks has become very important.Where there are multiple links between different the node pairs,a traditional wavelength-assignment algorithm may be invalid for a wavelength-switched optical networks (WSON) that has directional blocking constraints.Also,impairments in network nodes and subsequent degradation of optical signals may cause modulation failure in the optical network.In this paper,we propose an RWA algorithm based on a novel evaluation model for a WSON that has multiple constraints.The algorithm includes comprehensive evaluation model (CEM) and directional blocking constraint RWA based on CEM (DB-RWA).Diverse constraints are abstracted into various constraint conditions in order to better assign routing and wavelength.We propose using the novel CEM to optimize routing according to an assessed value of constraints on transmission performance.This eliminates the effects of physical transmission impairments in a WSON.DB-RWA based on CEM abstracts directional blocking conditions in multiple links between network nodes into directional blocking constraints.It also satisfies rigorous network specifications and provides flexibility,scalability,and first-fit rate for the backbone,especially in multiple links between WSON nodes.     

Analysis of multi-hop traffic grooming in WDM mesh networks

Traffic grooming is an essential functionality of WDM optical networks to provision multi-granularity subwavelength connections. Depending on the number of lightpaths allowed in a connection route, traffic grooming can be classified as single-hop traffic grooming (SH-TG) and multi-hop traffic grooming (MH-TG). MH-TG is more general and resource-efficient than SH-TG, because it allows connections from different source-destination pairs to share the bandwidth of a lightpath. In this paper, we propose a MH-TG algorithm, namely the fixed-order multi-hop (FOMH) grooming algorithm, based on the fixed-alternate routing approach. We introduce the grooming node selection (GNS) problem in MH-TG and propose three grooming policies, namely exhaustive sequential (ES), limited-hop sequential (LHS) and load sharing (LS) policies, to address the GNS problem. These policies represent different trade-offs among blocking probability, computational complexity and transceiver requirements. Given that the analysis of MH-TG is a relatively unexplored area, we propose an analytical model to evaluate the blocking performance of MH-TG using FOMH and the LS grooming policy. To address the multi-layered routing and multi-rate connection characteristics of traffic grooming, we introduce a novel multi-level decomposition approach in our analytical model which decomposes traffic at four different levels, namely alternate path, connection route, lightpath and link levels. The model also addresses various factors that affect connection blocking probability. These factors include wavelength continuity constraint, channel continuity constraint and route dependence. The Erlang fixed-point approximation method is used to solve the analytical model. Numerical results show that analytical results match well with simulation results. We also evaluate the effect of the grooming policies, the number of virtual hops (lightpaths) within a connection route and the number of alternate paths on the performance of the grooming algorithm.     

Routing in ISL networks considering empirical IP traffic

Next-generation satellite networks are expected to provide a variety of applications with diverse performance requirements, which will call for the development of adaptive routing procedures supporting different levels of services. In this paper, we propose traffic class dependent (TCD) routing, which has the potential to differentiate between traffic classes using different optimization criteria in route calculation. The performance of TCD routing is evaluated for different traffic scenarios using an empirical traffic source model derived from the real backbone Internet traffic trace and compared with results obtained with equivalent Poisson traffic as a reference point. In addition, TCD routing is compared with a simple single service routing procedure, which does not make any distinction between traffic classes. Performance analysis, in terms of average packet delay, normalized data throughput, and normalized link load, reveals improved routing resulting from traffic class differentiation, regardless of the traffic scenario considered. The performance measures based of aggregate traffic flow show no significant difference between routing of empirical and equivalent Poisson traffic.     

Dynamic routing and wavelength assignment in the presence of wavelength conversion for all-optical networks

Blocking probability has been one of the key performance indexes in the design of wavelength-routed all-optical WDM networks. Existing research has demonstrated that an effective Routing and Wavelength Assignment (RWA) algorithm and wavelength conversion are two primary vehicles for improving the blocking performance. However, these two issues have largely been investigated separately; in particular the existing RWA algorithms have seldom considered the presence of wavelength conversion. In this paper, we firstly demonstrate that the existing dynamic RWA algorithms do not work well in the presence of wavelength conversion as they usually only take into account the current traffic, and do not explicitly consider the route lengths. We then propose a weighted least-congestion routing and first-fit wavelength assignment (WLCR-FF) algorithm that considers both the current traffic load and the route lengths jointly. We further introduce an analytical model that can evaluate the blocking performance for WLCR algorithm. We carry out extensive numerical studies over typical topologies including ring, mesh-torus, and the 14-node NSFNET; and compare the performance of WLCR-FF with a wide variety of existing routing algorithms including static routing, fixed-alternate routing and least-loaded routing. The results conclusively demonstrate that the proposed WLCR-FF algorithm can achieve much better blocking performance in the presence of sparse or/and full wavelength conversion.     

Mechanisms and analysis for supporting multicast traffic by using multilayer multistage interconnection networks

Multilayer multistage interconnection networks (MLMINs) integrate communication with network components and the components of parallel systems, especially when they service multicast traffic. This paper presents an approximate performance methodology for self‐routing MLMINs that consist of two segments, each of which is composed of symmetrical switch elements. The first segment is subject to blocking situations with one mode of packet transmission policy (unicast). The second segment—the multilayer—is blocking free and employs double modes of transmission policy (unicast and multicast replication). Applying the current analytical model, which is based on a convergence method on the above types of MLMINs, an estimate can be made of their performance indicators. This model was applied to variable network size MLMINs under different multicasting patterns of traffic. It was also validated by extensive simulations. All the MLMINs under study apply special packet (traffic) management techniques, which allow for the integration of sub‐networking into larger networks such as grids. The results are accurate and useful for network engineering, especially in the service of local area networks. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Traffic analysis for multiparty videoconferencing in virtual path‐based ATM networks

With effective bandwidth concept encapsulating cell‐level behaviour, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network design and analysis at the call‐level may be formulated in the framework of circuit‐switched loss networks. In this paper, we develop an analytical framework for a kind of multiparty videoconferencing in the VP‐based ATM network at call‐level. For this kind of conference, only the video of the current speaker is broadcast to other conferees. We first address several conference management issues in the VP‐based ATM network, including the bandwidth allocation strategies, routing rule, call admission policy and speaker change management. Next, we formulate a traffic model for the conferences. Since an exact analysis of such a multiparty conference network is mathematically intractable, an approximate analysis for such conferences in a fully connected VP network is performed. The key of our method is to make use of the reduced‐load approximation and open Jackson network model to derive the traffic loads from new conferences as well as that from the speaker change of the on‐going conferences. Our study shows that the proposed analysis can give accurate predictions of the blocking probabilities for the new conference calls as well as video freeze probabilities for the on‐going conferences. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluating the performability of tactical communications networks

Tactical communications networks are multihop wireless networks in which switches and endpoints are mobile nodes. In a tactical environment, system performance degrades when switching nodes and/or communication links fail to operate. Fast algorithms for performance analysis are desirable for optimizing the network in a timely fashion. Further, tactical networks commonly use preemptive priorities to achieve low blocking probabilities for high-priority calls when the loss of equipment in the battlefield is not trivial. This paper discusses three measures and analytical algorithms for the performability evaluation of a two-tier tactical communications network where preemptive priority service discipline is employed and traffic is divided into multiple classes to provide multiple grades of service. Each class of traffic has its distinct characteristics, such as average call-arrival rate, average call-holding time, and service priority. The three performability measures are devised to evaluate the impact of nodes/links failures on system performance. Experiments show that the preemption does provide robust service for higher priority traffic. The techniques for performability evaluation presented in this paper may also be useful in other rapidly deployable networks, where mobility, communication efficiency, and computational complexity for adapting the network to unpredictable environments are of significant concern.     

A novel method to evaluate clustering algorithms for hierarchical optical networks

The routing issues in multi-layer and multi-domain optical networks have drawn much attention in current research. With the introduction of the path computation element, routes can be calculated more efficiently in multi-domain optical networks. However, the optimal degree of routing approach in multi-layer and multi-domain optical networks is also determined by the clustering algorithms deployed for construction of hierarchical networks. Therefore, it is important to investigate the way to evaluate the impact of the clustering algorithm on the routing approach (e.g., blocking probability) in optical networks with dynamic traffic, which has not been studied sufficiently. In this paper, a novel method to describe and evaluate the clustered structures generated by different clustering algorithms for hierarchical optical networks is proposed. This method deploys a novel evaluation metric that represents blocking probability of clustered optical networks, so it can be used as guidelines for designing clustered structures. Besides theoretical analysis, simulations are carried out on different network topologies and clustered types to validate the effectiveness of the method presented.     

Computing approximate blocking probabilities for large lossnetworks with state-dependent routing

A reduced load approximation (also referred to as an Erlang fixed point approximation) for estimating point-to-point blocking probabilities in loss networks (e.g., circuit switched networks) with state-dependent routing is considered. In this approximation scheme, the idle capacity distribution for each link in the network is approximated, assuming that these distributions are independent from link to link. This leads to a set of nonlinear fixed-point equations which can be solved by repeated substitutions. The accuracy and the computational requirements of the approximation procedure for a particular routing scheme, namely least loaded routing, is examined. Numerical results for six-node and 36-node asymmetric networks are given. A novel reduced load approximation for multirate networks with state-dependent routing is also presented     

Performance Evaluations for Dynamic Wavelength Routed All-Optical Multifiber Networks

This paper presents a study on dynamic wavelength routed all-optical networks by simulating traffic on all-optical networks. A performance study is carried out on dynamic all-optical networks for fixed and free routing. It is explained how multiple fibers correspond to limited wavelength conversion, and it is explained why the presence of wavelength converters increase the complexity of optical cross connects. We find that both free routing and wavelength conversion lowers the blocking probability significantly. The new contribution is that we determine the gain in blocking probability as function of the number of fibers per link and the offered load. We find that multiple fibers reduce the effect of wavelength converters significantly.     

Performance analyses of optical burst-switching networks

This paper provides a scalable framework for analysis and performance evaluation of optical burst-switching (OBS) networks. In particular, a new reduced load fixed point approximation model to evaluate blocking probabilities in OBS networks is introduced. The model is versatile enough to cover known OBS reservation policies such as just-enough-time, just-in-time, burst segmentation, and route-dependent priorities. The accuracy of the model is confirmed by simulation and the various policies are compared.     

Computing approximate blocking probabilities for transparent waveband switching based WDM networks using hierarchical cross-connects

An analytical model is presented to study the dynamics of wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) networks with waveband switching (WBS). The reduced load approximation method is considered to compute approximated network blocking probabilities in WBS-based WDM networks. The analytical model considers the link blocking probability due to insufficient link capacity and an impact of the waveband granularity (G). The analytical model also considers the node blocking probability due to unavailability of a switch port at the wavelength cross connect (WXC) layer of an Hierarchical cross connect (HXC) switch node. The set of nonlinear equations is obtained with the link independence assumption and solved using repeated substitutions. The accuracy of the analytical model is examined by comparing with simulation results considering the random-fit algorithm for waveband and wavelength assignments in different network scenarios. Lightpaths are routed between source and destination (s-d) HXC switch nodes using shortest path first (SPF) routing. An impact of the switch parameter to limit the input and the output WXC switch ports of an HXC switching node is also being investigated using the analytical model as well as through simulation results.