A novel ring-tree-based routing and wavelength assignment algorithm for multicasting in DWDM optical mesh networks

Multicast session communications, such as video-conferencing and video-broadcasting, in DWDM mesh networks require the efficient multipoint-to-multipoint multicast algorithms. Several heuristics have approximate solutions using lightpath or light-tree for one-to-multipoint multicast communications, but few papers have discussed the multipoint-to-multipoint multicast problems in DWDM mesh networks. This paper proposes a ring-tree-based routing and wavelength assignment (RTRWA) solution in DWDM mesh networks. It proceeds to multipoint-to-multipoint multicast transmission by reserving links and wavelengths assigned by the Least Converter Count algorithm. The RTRWA algorithm tries to find an optimal ring path that connects all multicast session members with unidirectional links and connects the remaining nodes to the ring path with the light-tree. The RTRWA algorithm outperforms the Steiner minimal tree (SMT) algorithm in terms of the call blocking probability, difference in user capacity and the mean maximum transmission time.     

A novel pricing approach to support QoS in 3G networks

Pricing in 3G and other communication networks may control and manage the utilisation of network resources. The available network resources get strained with increased usage levels, which results in poor service to the users. Most users prefer receiving high quality services at affordable costs. This requires the provision of QoS guarantees for network services at a low cost. In a real business scenario, this relationship is hard to achieve; moreover revenue sources for network operators have been shifting from the provision of network access to provisioning of rich services, e.g. multimedia services. To attain a functional compromise, we propose a pricing scheme that relies on service profiles to manage resource utilisation in a DiffServ-enabled 3G network. The service profiles define the QoS achieved for accessing services through a common resource pool, in which resource sharing is used to maximise network resource utilisation, user satisfaction and profits for the network operators. In an NGN scenario users would select pricing profiles according to their budgets, and the network will map these profiles to a set of QoS options that may translate to the choice of an access network for service access. In this paper, we present the mathematical model of the proposed pricing scheme, the proposed design of an evaluation framework, QoS performance results, and a service provisioning scenario illustrating the applicability of the proposed pricing scheme.     

DWDM光网络中RWA问题的遗传求解方法

针对密集波分复用(dense wavelength-division multiplexing,DWDM)光网络通信中的动态路由与波长分配(routing and wavelength assignment,RWA)问题,提出了一种基于遗传算法的动态RWA方法.将遗传算法与分层图模型相结合,实现了RWA的方便计算.通过扩展适应值函数,能够有效地处理带时延约束的通信量请求.实验结果表明,与已有最短路径算法(Dijks-tra)相比,该算法能够提供多条候选路由方案,更适应较差环境下的网络通信.     

On utility-fair bandwidth adaptation for multi-class traffic QoS provisioning in wireless networks

The ability to adjust the allocated bandwidth of ongoing calls to cope with wireless network resource fluctuations is becoming increasingly important. In this paper, we describe a utility-based bandwidth adaptation scheme for multi-class traffic quality-of-service (QoS) provisioning in wireless networks. With the proposed scheme, each call is assigned a utility function according to its adaptive characteristics. Depending on the network load the allocated bandwidth of ongoing calls are upgraded or degraded dynamically such that each call receives fair utility. The quantization of utility function by dividing the utility range into a fixed number of equal intervals is a key feature of our proposed utility-fair algorithm. Appropriate call admission control and bandwidth reservation policies are also integrated into the proposed scheme to provide QoS guarantees to the new and handoff calls. Extensive simulation experiments have been conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme compared with two other existing ones. Results show that our bandwidth adaptation scheme is effective in achieving utility fairness while keeping the call blocking and handoff dropping probabilities substantially low.     

An adaptive-evolution-based quantum-inspired evolutionary algorithm for QoS multicasting in IP/DWDM networks

This paper investigates least-cost QoS multicast routing problem in IP/DWDM optical networks, and proposes an improved evolutionary algorithm (AEQEA). Based on quantum-inspired evolutionary algorithm (QEA) with quantum rotation gate strategy, AEQEA introduces adaptive evolution mechanism (AEM), which allows each chromosome in a population to update itself to a fitter position according to its own situation. In term of this mechanism, AEQEA can significantly improve its capability of exploration and exploitation, since every chromosome is able to be allocated with suitable evolutionary parameters before each update. A repair method is applied to eliminate illegal graphs as many as possible hence more excellent solutions will appear in each evolutionary generation. Simulations are carried out over a number of network topologies. And the results show that, for the QoS multicasting problem, AEQEA outperforms other existing heuristic algorithms and is characterized by robustness, high success ratio, fast convergence and excellent capability on global searching.     

A measurement-based approach for dynamic QoS adaptation in DiffServ networks

This paper presents a practical approach to managing multimedia traffic in DiffServ network, using network monitoring feedback and control. We exploit the flexibility of multimedia traffic and process network level parameters to adapt the traffic according to the current state of the network. The latter is determined based on reports sent by bandwidth monitors installed on each node of a DiffServ Domain. The bandwidth monitors interact with a policy server which, depending on the network state, decides the policy(ies) that should be enforced by the DiffServ network. The implementation of the selected policies typically leads to accepting, remarking, or dropping the multimedia traffic entering the network. Multimedia streams may be assigned different levels of QoS, as interpreted by the marker at the DiffServ edge router and marked according to network state. To achieve such dynamic QoS adaptation for multimedia applications, we have implemented and evaluated a policy-based management system. Performance evaluation shows that multimedia applications adapt better to network conditions using our approach.     

A novel TCP with dynamic Burst-Contention Loss notification over OBS networks

In this paper, a novel congestion control scheme with dynamic Burst-Contention Loss notifications in Optical Burst Switching (OBS) networks is proposed. The proposed scheme, called TCP-BCL, aims to handle various OBS bursty conditions that negatively affect TCP throughput performance and fairness. The basic design principle of the scheme is to tune the congestion control parameters α and β such that the congestion window sizes in the corresponding TCP senders can be adjusted with an explicit notification from the OBS edge node. The performance impact on TCP in terms of burst dropping due to random contention, which is also known as false congestion detection is considered and investigated. An analytical model is developed and further verified through extensive simulation.     

A QoS-based dynamic pricing approach for services provisioning in heterogeneous wireless access networks

In this paper we propose a simple QoS-based dynamic pricing approach for services provisioning in a heterogeneous wireless access network environment which attempts to increase user’s satisfaction level by firstly, maximizing the provided QoS level, and secondly, by applying dynamic pricing strategies according to the QoS. These strategies will allow service providers to maximize their profits. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed dynamic pricing approach benefits both users and wireless service providers (WSPs). Results also suggest that users have better overall satisfaction due to a better QoS level and fairer prices. The analysis shows that our proposed pricing approach contributes to an increase in WSPs profits compared to the application of the flat-rate pricing model in a competitive market-model.     

QoS provisioning in IEEE 802.11-compliant networks: Past,present, and future

Proliferation of portable, wireless-enabled laptop computers and PDAs, cost-effective deployment of access points, and availability of the license-exempt bands and appropriate networking standards contribute to the conspicuous success of IEEE 802.11 WLANs. In the article, we provide a comprehensive overview of techniques for capacity improvement and QoS provisioning in the IEEE 802.11 protocol family. These techniques represent the R&D efforts both in the research community and the IEEE 802.11 Working Groups. Specifically, we summarize the operations of IEEE 802.11 legacy as well as its extension, introduce several protocol modeling techniques, and categorize the various approaches to improve protocol capacity, to provide QoS (by either devising new MAC protocol components or fine-tuning protocol parameters in IEEE 802.11), and to judiciously arbitrate radio resources (e.g., transmission rate and power). To demonstrate how to adapt QoS provisioning in newly emerging areas, we use the wireless mesh network as an example, discuss the role IEEE 802.11 plays in such a network, and outline research issues that arise.     

A novel approach for automated land partitioning using genetic algorithm

Land consolidation is an important tool to prevent land fragmentation and enhance agricultural productivity. Land partitioning is one of the most significant problems within the land consolidation process. This process is related to the subdivision of a block having non-uniform geometric shapes. Land partitioning determines the location of new land parcels and is a complex problem containing many conflicting demands, so conventional programming techniques are not sufficient for this NP optimization problem. Therefore, it is necessary to have an intelligent system with a standard decision-making mechanism capable of processing many criteria simultaneously and evaluating a number of different solutions in a short time. To overcome this problem and accelerate the land partitioning process, we proposed automated land partitioning using a genetic algorithm (ALP-GA). Besides the parcel's size, shape and land value, the proposed method evaluates fixed facilities, and the degree and location of cadastral parcels to generate a land partitioning plan. The proposed method automated the land partitioning process using an intelligent system and was implemented over a real project area. Experimental study shows that the proposed method is more successful and efficient than the designer with respect to the results meeting the objective function. In addition, the land partition process is greatly simplified by the proposed method.     

The CASPER user-centric approach for advanced service provisioning in mobile networks

This paper presents an overview of the project CASPER,¹ a 4-year Marie Curie Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) project running between 2016 and 2020, describing its objectives, approach, architecture, tools and key achievements. CASPER combines academic and industrial forces towards leveraging the expected benefits of Quality of Experience (QoE) exploitation in future networks. In order to achieve that, a QoE orchestrator has been proposed which implements the basic functionalities of QoE monitoring, estimation and management. With means of simulation and testbed emulation, CASPER has managed to develop a proprietary SDN Controller, which implements QoE-based traffic rerouting for the challenging scenario of HTTP adaptive video streaming, leading to more stable and higher QoE scores compared to a state-of-the-art SDN Controller implementation.     

A novel reduction approach to analyzing QoS of workflow processes

Quality of service (QoS) of workflows and workflow‐based applications is given increasing attention by both industry and academic. In this paper, we propose a novel analytical framework to analyze QoS (metrics include make‐span, cost, and reliability) of workflow systems based on GWF‐net, which extends traditional workflow net by associating tasks with generally distributed firing delay and time‐to‐failure. The GFW‐net model is used to model process structure and task organization of workflows at the process level. In contrast with prevailing QoS models based on Markovian process, we introduce a reduction technique to evaluate QoS of GWF‐net process avoiding the state‐explosion problem and tedious mathematical derivation of state‐transition probabilities. Through a case study, we show that our framework is capable of modeling real‐world workflow‐based application effectively. Also, experiments and confidence‐interval analysis in the case study indicate that the reduction methods are verified by real results. We also compare our approach with related research in the text. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A redundant overbooking reservation algorithm for OBS/OPS networks

Optical burst switch (OBS) has been a hot topic in the area of optical networks. OBS can realize statistic multiplexing while having the advantage of simplicity in deployment. A key issue in OBS is how to reduce the rate of the burst dropping caused by the absence of optical buffers or by the limited number of Fiber Delay Line (FDL). Existing work addresses this issue in the wavelength, time, or space domains. This paper proposes an algorithm, which works from a new domain to address this problem. Specially, it works by using the idle bandwidth in upstream links to transmit redundant copies of bursts to provide more sending chances at the downstream node. Simulation results are given to demonstrate the high performance of our algorithm.     

A vector partitioning approach to detecting community structure in complex networks

In recent years, the problem of community structure detection has attracted more and more attention and many approaches have been proposed. Recently, Newman pointed out that this issue can be transformed into the problem of constrained maximization of the assignment matrix over possible divisions of a network. He presents further that this maximization process can be written in terms of the eigenspectrum of the “modularity matrix”. On the basis of this work and the vector partition approach in computer science, we propose a kind of multiway division approach for detecting community structure of complex networks. Experimental results indicate that the algorithm works well and is effective at finding both good communities and the appropriate number of communities.     

A multipopulation parallel genetic simulated annealing-based QoS routing and wavelength assignment integration algorithm for multicast in optical networks

In this paper, we propose an integrated Quality of Service (QoS) routing algorithm for optical networks. Given a QoS multicast request and the delay interval specified by users, the proposed algorithm can find a flexible-QoS-based cost suboptimal routing tree. The algorithm first constructs the multicast tree based on the multipopulation parallel genetic simulated annealing algorithm, and then assigns wavelengths to the tree based on the wavelength graph. In the algorithm, routing and wavelength assignment are integrated into a single process. For routing, the objective is to find a cost suboptimal multicast tree. For wavelength assignment, the objective is to minimize the delay of the multicast tree, which is achieved by minimizing the number of wavelength conversion. Thus both the cost of multicast tree and the user QoS satisfaction degree can approach the optimal. Our algorithm also considers load balance. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm is feasible and effective. We also discuss the practical realization mechanisms of the algorithm.     

Fuzzy DIFACONN-miner: A novel approach for fuzzy rule extraction from neural networks

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are mathematical models inspired from the biological nervous system. They have the ability of predicting, learning from experiences and generalizing from previous examples. An important drawback of ANNs is their very limited explanation capability, mainly due to the fact that knowledge embedded within ANNs is distributed over the activations and the connection weights. Therefore, one of the main challenges in the recent decades is to extract classification rules from ANNs. This paper presents a novel approach to extract fuzzy classification rules (FCR) from ANNs because of the fact that fuzzy rules are more interpretable and cope better with pervasive uncertainty and vagueness with respect to crisp rules. A soft computing based algorithm is developed to generate fuzzy rules based on a data mining tool (DIFACONN-miner), which was recently developed by the authors. Fuzzy DIFACONN-miner algorithm can extract fuzzy classification rules from datasets containing both categorical and continuous attributes. Experimental research on the benchmark datasets and comparisons with other fuzzy rule based classification (FRBC) algorithms has shown that the proposed algorithm yields high classification accuracies and comprehensible rule sets.     

OPTIMIS: A holistic approach to cloud service provisioning

We present fundamental challenges for scalable and dependable service platforms and architectures that enable flexible and dynamic provisioning of cloud services. Our findings are incorporated in a toolkit targeting the cloud service and infrastructure providers. The innovations behind the toolkit are aimed at optimizing the whole service life cycle, including service construction, deployment, and operation, on a basis of aspects such as trust, risk, eco-efficiency and cost. Notably, adaptive self-preservation is crucial to meet predicted and unforeseen changes in resource requirements. By addressing the whole service life cycle, taking into account several cloud architectures, and by taking a holistic approach to sustainable service provisioning, the toolkit aims to provide a foundation for a reliable, sustainable, and trustful cloud computing industry.     

A game theoretic approach for power allocation with QoS constraints in wireless multimedia sensor networks

The distinctive features of wireless multimedia sensor networks (WMSNs) include application-specific quality-of-service (QoS) requirements and limited energy supply, with which each node makes its own decisions selfishly. Therefore this paper presents a power control game theoretic approach for WMSNs by studying the effect of transmission power on QoS and energy efficiency. The game approach determines the transmission strategy using utility optimization according to the fluctuation of channel states. Here, the utility function is defined by effective throughput per unit power while satisfying the user’s delay QoS constraints. The existence and uniqueness of Nash equilibrium for the proposed game are proved. Finally, the simulation results show that each user chooses the optimal transmission power to maximize its utility based on other constant parameters and the effects of delay constraints on the user’s utility are quantified as well.