Blocking of Dynamic Multicast Connections

Multicast connections have a bandwidth saving nature. This means that a multicast connection – in taking the form of a tree with streams merging at the nodes – requires much less capacity from the network links than a bunch of separate point-to-point connections providing the same connectivity. In this paper, we consider dynamic multicast connections that can be used to model, for example, TV or radio delivery on a telecommunications network, such as an ATM network with virtual circuits. We show how to calculate the blocking probabilities of requests to join such a tree. First, we consider the blocking probabilities occurring in a single link. The resulting model is able to capture heterogeneous capacity requirements for different multicast channels. Then we extend the results to a whole network using the reduced load approximation. The accuracy of the approximation method is studied by simulations.     

A Noncooperative Game-Theoretic Framework for Radio Resource Management in 4G Heterogeneous Wireless Access Networks

Fourth generation (4G) wireless networks will provide high-bandwidth connectivity with quality-of-service (QoS) support to mobile users in a seamless manner. In such a scenario, a mobile user will be able to connect to different wireless access networks such as a wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN), a cellular network, and a wireless local area network (WLAN) simultaneously. We present a game-theoretic framework for radio resource management (that is, bandwidth allocation and admission control) in such a heterogeneous wireless access environment. First, a noncooperative game is used to obtain the bandwidth allocations to a service area from the different access networks available in that service area (on a long-term basis). The Nash equilibrium for this game gives the optimal allocation which maximizes the utilities of all the connections in the network (that is, in all of the service areas). Second, based on the obtained bandwidth allocation, to prioritize vertical and horizontal handoff connections over new connections, a bargaining game is formulated to obtain the capacity reservation thresholds so that the connection-level QoS requirements can be satisfied for the different types of connections (on a long-term basis). Third, we formulate a noncooperative game to obtain the amount of bandwidth allocated to an arriving connection (in a service area) by the different access networks (on a short-term basis). Based on the allocated bandwidth and the capacity reservation thresholds, an admission control is used to limit the number of ongoing connections so that the QoS performances are maintained at the target level for the different types of connections.     

Extending the effective bandwidth concept to networks with priorityclasses

ATM switches are now being designed to allow connections to be partitioned into priority classes, with packets being emitted for higher priority classes before packets are emitted for lower priority classes. Accordingly, allocation of network resources based on different priority levels is becoming a realistic possibility. Thus, we need new methods for connection admission control and capacity planning that take account of the priority structure. We show that the notion of effective bandwidths can be used for these purposes when appropriately extended. The key is to have admissibility of a set of connections determined by a linear constraint for each priority level, involving a performance criterion for each priority level. For this purpose, connections are assigned more than one effective bandwidth, one for its own priority level and one for each lower priority level. Candidate effective bandwidths for each priority level can be determined by using previous methods associated with the first-in first-out discipline. The proposed effective bandwidth structure makes it possible to apply product-form stochastic loss network models to perform dimensioning     

Squeezing the most out of ATM

Although ATM seems to be the wave of the future, one analysis requires that the utilization of the network be quite low. That analysis is based on asymptotic decay rates of steady-state distributions used to develop a concept of effective bandwidths for connection admission control. The present authors have developed an exact numerical algorithm that shows that the effective-bandwidth approximation can overestimate the target small blocking probabilities by several orders of magnitude when there are many sources that are more bursty than Poisson. The bad news is that the appealing simple connection admission control algorithm using effective bandwidths based solely on tail-probability asymptotic decay rates may actually not be as effective as many have hoped. The good news is that the statistical multiplexing gain on ATM networks may actually be higher than some have feared. For one example, thought to be realistic, the analysis indicates that the network actually can support twice as many sources as predicted by the effective-bandwidth approximation. The authors also show that the effective bandwidth approximation is not always conservative. Specifically, for sources less bursty than Poisson, the asymptotic constant grows exponentially in the number of sources (when they are scaled as above) and the effective-bandwidth approximation can greatly underestimate the target blocking probabilities. Finally, they develop new approximations that work much better than the pure effective-bandwidth approximation     

On network bandwidth sharing for transporting rate‐adaptive packet video using feedback

While existing research shows that feedback‐based congestion control mechanisms are capable of providing better video quality and higher link utilization for rate‐adaptive packet video, there has been relatively little study on how to share network bandwidth among competing rate‐adaptive video connections, when feedback control is used in a fully distributed network. This paper addresses this issue by presenting a framework of network bandwidth sharing for transporting rate‐adaptive packet video using feedback. We show how a weight‐based bandwidth sharing policy can be used to allocate network bandwidth among competing video connections and design a feedback control algorithm using an Available Bit Rate (ABR)‐like flow control mechanism. A novel video source rate adaptation algorithm is also introduced to decouple a video source's actual transmission rate from the rate used for distributed protocol convergence. Our feedback control algorithm provides guaranteed convergence and smooth source rate adaptation to our weight‐based bandwidth sharing policy under any network configuration and any set of link distances. Finally, we show the on‐line minimum rate renegotiation and weight adjustment options in our feedback control algorithm, which offer further flexibility in network bandwidth sharing for video connections. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Nonstationary Offered-Load Model for Packet Networks

Motivated by the desire to appropriately account for complex features of network traffic revealed in traffic measurements, such as heavy-tail probability distributions, long-range dependence, self similarity and nonstationarity, we propose a nonstationary offered-load model. Connections of multiple types arrive according to independent nonhomogeneous Poisson processes, and general bandwidth stochastic processes (not necessarily Markovian) describe the individual user bandwidth requirements at multiple links of a communication network during their connections. We obtain expressions for the moment generating function, mean and variance of the total required bandwidth of all customers on each link at any designated time. We justify Gaussian approximations by establishing a central limit theorem for the offered-load process. We also obtain a Gaussian approximation for the time-dependent buffer-content distribution in an infinite-capacity buffer with constant processing rate. The offered-load model can be used for predicting future bandwidth requirements; we then advocate exploiting information about the history of connections in progress.     

A Novel Probability-Based Handoff Strategy for Multimedia LEO Satellite Communications

A novel bandwidth allocation strategy and a connection admission control technique arc proposed to improve the utilization of network resource and provide the network with better quality of service （QoS） guarantees in multimedia low earth orbit （LEO） satellite networks. Our connection admission control scheme, we call the probability based dynamic channel reservation strategy （PDR）, dynamically reserves bandwidth for real-time services based on their handoff probability. And the reserved bandwidth for real-time handoff connection can also be used by new connections under a certain probability determined by the mobility characteristics and bandwidth usage of the system. Simulation results show that our scheme not only lowers the call dropping probability （CDP） for Class I real-time service but also maintains the call blocking probability （CBP） to certain degree. Consequently, the scheme can offer very low CDP for rcal-time connections while keeping resource utilization high.     

Bandwidth allocation in wireless networks with guaranteedpacket-loss performance

Providing quality-of-service (QoS) guarantees over wireless packet networks poses a host of technical challenges that are not present in wireline networks. One of the key issues is how to account for the characteristics of the time-varying wireless channel and for the impact of link-layer error control in the provisioning of packet-level QoS. We accommodate both aspects in analyzing the packet-loss performance over a wireless link. We consider the cases of a single and multiplexed traffic streams. The link capacity fluctuates according to a fluid version of Gilbert-Elliott channel model. Traffic sources are modeled as on-off fluid processes. For the single-stream case, we derive the exact packet-loss rate (PLR) due to buffer overflow at the sender side of the wireless link. We also obtain a closed-form approximation for the corresponding wireless effective bandwidth. In the case of multiplexed streams, we obtain a good approximation for the PLR using the Chernoff-dominant eigenvalue (CDE) approach. Our analysis is then used to study the optimal forward error correction code rate that guarantees a given PLR while minimizing the allocated bandwidth. Numerical results and simulations are used to verify the adequacy of our analysis and to study the impact of error control on the allocation of bandwidth for guaranteed packet-loss performance     

Exact analysis in discrete time of 2×2 ATM switch servingcorrelated traffic at both inputs

A simple and exact discrete-time closed-form expression is derived for the cell loss probability (CLP) in a 2×2 ATM switch supplied at each input by a two-state Markov source with general transition probabilities, thus generalising a previous result in which only one of the inputs is correlated. This exact result is used to study the effective bandwidth approximation     

On scheduling all-to-all personalized connection and cost-effectivedesigns in WDM rings

We consider the problem of scheduling all-to-all personalized connections (AAPC) in WDM rings. Scheduling one connection for every source-destination pair in a network of limited connectivity provides a way to reduce routing control and guarantee throughput. For a given number of wavelengths K and a given number of transceivers per node T, we first determine the lower bound (LB) on the schedule length, which depends on both K and T. To achieve the LB, either the network bandwidth, the I/O capacity, or both should be fully utilized. This approach first constructs and then schedules circles, each of which is formed by up to four non-overlapping connections and can fully utilize the bandwidth of one wavelength. The proposed circle construction and scheduling algorithms can achieve the LB if K⩽T相似文献   

Performance issues of bandwidth management in ATM networks

In our days, efficient management of the available network resources becomes a critical issue, both from a functional point of view (so that users can be provided with the bandwidth they need), and an economical point of view (so that carriers can satisfactorily and efficiently serve as many customers as possible and at the same time increase their revenue). In this paper we consider a bandwidth control scheme (i.e. managed bandwidth service) for an ATM network infrastructure which is applied to the Greek research and technology network (GRNET). We present some methods that we have tested (in a simulation setting) in order to increase the efficiency of the system and the utilization of the available bandwidth. More specifically, we consider a bandwidth‐resizing algorithm for virtual paths, in order to keep the allocated bandwidth very close to the bandwidth actually used. This leads to an increased number of accepted requests and better network utilization. We, also, use the simulation results in order to get an estimation of the effective bandwidth for VBR paths that can be used in call admission. Finally, we consider a semi‐offline scheme where requests are gathered and considered for acceptance in regular intervals. Simulation results show an increase in the utilization of resources. As a further improvement, we allow connections to be allocated a little before or after the time initially requested. This leads to further improvement in network utilization. All the improvement schemes were tested with the ATM‐TN simulator and the results look promising. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dimensioning bandwidth for elastic traffic in high-speed datanetworks

Simple and robust engineering rules for dimensioning bandwidth for elastic data traffic are derived for a single bottleneck link via normal approximations for a closed-queueing network (CQN) model in heavy traffic. Elastic data applications adapt to available bandwidth via a feedback control such as the transmission control protocol (TCP) or the available bit rate transfer capability in asynchronous transfer mode. The dimensioning rules satisfy a performance objective based on the mean or tail probability of the per-flow bandwidth. For the mean objective, we obtain a simple expression for the effective bandwidth of an elastic source. We provide a new derivation of the normal approximation in CQNs using more accurate asymptotic expansions and give an explicit estimate of the error in the normal approximation. A CQN model was chosen to obtain the desirable property that the results depend on the distribution of the file sizes only via the mean, and not the heavy-tail characteristics. We view the exogenous “load” in terms of the file sizes and consider the resulting flow of packets as dependent on the presence of other flows and the closed-loop controls. We compare the model with simulations, examine the accuracy of the asymptotic approximations, quantify the increase in bandwidth needed to satisfy the tail-probability performance objective as compared with the mean objective, and show regimes where statistical gain can and cannot be realized     

Integration of IEEE 802.11 WLANs with IEEE 802.16-based multihop infrastructure mesh/relay networks: A game-theoretic approach to radio resource management

One of the promising applications of IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX)-based wireless mesh/relay networks is to provide infrastructure/backhaul support for IEEE 802.11-based mobile hotspots. In this article we present an architecture for integrating IEEE 802.11 WLANs with IEEE 802.16-based multihop wireless mesh infrastructure to relay WLAN traffic to the Internet. The major research issues in this integrated architecture are outlined and related work is reviewed. A game-theoretic model is developed for radio resource management in this integrated network architecture. In particular, a multiplayer bargaining game formulation is used for fair bandwidth allocation and optimal admission control of different types of connections (e.g., WLAN connections, relay connections, and connections from standalone subscriber stations) in an IEEE 802.16 base station/mesh router. Both connection-level and inconnection-level performances for this bandwidth management and admission control framework are presented     

A study on a receiver‐based management scheme of access link resources for QoS‐controllable TCP connections

Although the bandwidth of access networks is rapidly increasing with the latest techniques such as DSL and FTTH, the access link bandwidth remains a bottleneck, especially when users activate multiple network applications simultaneously. Furthermore, since the throughput of a standard TCP connection is dependent on various network parameters, including round‐trip time and packet loss ratio, the access link bandwidth is not shared among the network applications according to the user's demands. In this thesis, we present a new management scheme of access link resources for effective utilization of the access link bandwidth and control of the TCP connection's throughput. Our proposed scheme adjusts the total amount of the receive socket buffer assigned to TCP connections to avoid congestion at the access network, and assigns it to each TCP connection according to characteristics in consideration of QoS. The control objectives of our scheme are (1) to protect short‐lived TCP connections from the bandwidth occupation by long‐lived TCP connections, and (2) to differentiate the throughput of the long‐lived TCP connections according to the upper‐layer application's demands. One of the results obtained from the simulation experiments is that our proposed scheme can reduce the delay of short‐lived document transfer perceived by the receiver host by up to about 90%, while a high utilization of access link bandwidth is maintained. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Performance analysis of an RSVP-capable router

RSVP is a bandwidth reservation protocol that allows distributed real-time applications such as videoconferencing software to make bandwidth reservations over packet-switched networks. Coupled with real-time scheduling mechanisms built into packet routers, the network guarantees to provide the reserved bandwidth throughout the lifetime of the applications. Although guaranteed services are of great value to both end users and carrier providers, their performance cost, due to additional control and data processing overhead, can potentially have a negative impact on the packet throughput and latency of RSVP-capable routers. The goal of this article is to examine the performance cost of RSVP based on measurements from an industrial-strength RSVP implementation on a commercial IP router. The focus is on the detailed evaluation of the performance implications of various architectural decisions in RSVP. We found that RSVP's control messages do not incur significant overhead in terms of processing delay and bandwidth consumption. However, the performance overhead of real-time packet scheduling is noticeable in the presence of a large number of real-time connections. In extreme cases, the performance guarantees of existing real-time connections may not be kept, and some best-effort packets are actually dropped, although the overall bandwidth requirement from these connections is smaller than the available link bandwidth     

A distributed control architecture of high-speed networks

A control architecture for a high-speed packet-switched network is described. The architecture was designed and implemented as part of the PARIS (subsequently plaNET and BBNS) networking project at IBM. This high bandwidth network for integrated communication (data, voice, video) is currently operational as a laboratory prototype. It will also be deployed within the AURORA Testbed that is part of the NSF/DARPA gigabit networking program. The high bandwidth dictates the need for specialized hardware to support faster packet handling for both point-to-point and multicast connections. A faster and more efficient network control is also required in order to support the increased number of connections and their changing requirements with time. The new network control architecture presented exploits specialized hardware, thereby enabling tasks to be performed faster and with less computation overhead. In particular, since control information can be distributed quickly using hardware packet handling mechanisms, decisions can be made based upon more complete and accurate information. In some respects, this has the effect of having the benefits of centralized control (e.g., easier bandwidth resource allocation to connections), while retaining the fault tolerance and scalability of a distributed architecture     

A framework for bandwidth management in ATM networks-aggregateequivalent bandwidth estimation approach

A unified framework for traffic control and bandwidth management in ATM networks is proposed. It bridges algorithms for real-time and data services. The central concept of this framework is adaptive connection admission. It employs an estimation of the aggregate equivalent bandwidth required by connections carried in each output port of the ATM switches. The estimation process takes into account both the traffic source declarations and the connection superposition process measurements in the switch output ports. This is done in an optimization framework based on a linear Kalman filter. To provide a required quality of service guarantee, bandwidth is reserved for possible estimation error. The algorithm is robust and copes very well with unpredicted changes in source parameters, thereby resulting in high bandwidth utilization while providing the required quality of service. The proposed approach can also take into account the influence of the source policing mechanism. The tradeoff between strict and relaxed source policing is discussed     

Admission control in time-slotted multihop mobile networks

The emergence of nomadic applications have generated a lot of interest in next-generation wireless network infrastructures which provide differentiated service classes. So it is important to study how the quality of service (QoS), such as packet loss and bandwidth, should be guaranteed. To accomplish this, we develop am admission control scheme which can guarantee bandwidth for real-time applications in multihop mobile networks. In our scheme, a host need not discover and maintain any information of the network resources status on the routes to another host until a connection request is generated for the communication between the two hosts, unless the former host is offering its services as an intermediate forwarding station to maintain connectivity between two other hosts. This bandwidth guarantee feature is important for a mobile network to interconnect wired networks with QoS support. Our connection admission control scheme can also work in a stand-alone mobile ad hoc network for real-time applications. This control scheme contains end-to-end bandwidth calculation and bandwidth allocation. Under such a scheme, the source is informed of the bandwidth and QoS available to any destination in the mobile network. This knowledge enables the establishment of QoS connections within the mobile network and the efficient support of real time applications. In the case of ATM interconnection, the bandwidth information can be used to carry out an intelligent handoff between ATM gateways and/or to extend the ATM virtual circuit service to the mobile network with possible renegotiation of QoS parameters at the gateway. We examine via simulation the system performance in various QoS traffic flows and mobility environments     

Adaptive bandwidth management in ATM networks

A framework for adaptive bandwidth management in ATM based networks is proposed. It is based on a layered approach which includes bandwidth allocation to virtual networks. The central concept of this approach is adaptive estimation of the effective bandwidth required, by connections carried in the network. To achieve reliable results the estimation process takes into account both the traffic source declarations and the connection superposition process measurements on the network links. This is done in an optimization framework provided by estimation theory. A study, based on a linear two-state Kalman filter, shows that the proposed approach provides good adaptation to undeclared changes in traffic parameters and that the network performance is significantly improved when compared to the effective bandwidth allocation based solely on the source parameters declarations. These features allow more relaxed source parameter declarations and at the same time permit less stringent source policing. Thus the two bottlenecks influencing bandwidth management in ATM networks can be significantly widened.     

Performance analysis of a wireless ad hoc network with QoS support

A wireless ad hoc multihop network is introduced and protocols for the air interface are described and evaluated. Ad hoc networks can be realized due to the ability of stations to route connections according to the current meshing of the network. The decentrally organized network is able to guarantee the bandwidth contracted to a connection in a hidden station environment by means of contention-free data transmission, for both, channel and packet switched services, based on real channel connections. Channels are established and used for the duration of a so called train of data packets, released when the train ends and re-established when the next train arrives. To guarantee available capacity of the network for the re-establishment of a connection and to guarantee the quality of service needed for a wireless extension of a fixed ATM network, connection admission control is applied considering the overall interference situation and the current meshing of the stations in the network.For the purpose of realistic and reliable performance analysis a simulation tool appropriate for the investigation of the proposed network is introduced, and performance results for the proposed protocols are given by means of event-driven simulation studies in example scenarios. The simulated protocols have been formally specified in SDL, translated to C++, and embedded into a simulation environment.