On Generalizations of Network Design Problems with Degree Bounds

Iterative rounding and relaxation have arguably become the method of choice in dealing with unconstrained and constrained network design problems. In this paper we extend the scope of the iterative relaxation method in two directions: (1) by handling more complex degree constraints in the minimum spanning tree problem (namely, laminar crossing spanning tree), and (2) by incorporating `degree bounds' in other combinatorial optimization problems such as matroid intersection and lattice polyhedra. We give new or improved approximation algorithms, hardness results, and integrality gaps for these problems.Comment: v2, 24 pages, 4 figure

Survivable Cloud Networking Services

Cloud computing paradigms are seeing very strong traction today and are being propelled by advances in multi-core processor, storage, and high-bandwidth networking technologies. Now as this growth unfolds, there is a growing need to distribute cloud services over multiple data-center sites in order to improve speed, responsiveness, as well as reliability. Overall, this trend is pushing the need for virtual network (VN) embedding support at the underlying network layer. Moreover, as more and more mission-critical end-user applications move to the cloud, associated VN survivability concerns are also becoming a key requirement in order to guarantee user service level agreements. Overall, several different types of survivable VN embedding schemes have been developed in recent years. Broadly, these schemes offer resiliency guarantees by pre-provisioning backup resources at service setup time. However, most of these solutions are only geared towards handling isolated single link or single node failures. As such, these designs are largely ineffective against larger regional stressors that can result in multiple system failures. In particular, many cloud service providers are very concerned about catastrophic disaster events such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, cascading power outages, and even malicious weapons of mass destruction attacks. Hence there is a pressing need to develop more robust cloud recovery schemes for disaster recovery that leverage underlying distributed networking capabilities. In light of the above, this dissertation proposes a range of solutions to address cloud networking services recovery under multi-failure stressors. First, a novel failure region-disjoint VN protection scheme is proposed to achieve improved efficiency for pre-provisioned protection. Next, enhanced VN mapping schemes are studied with probabilistic considerations to minimize risk for VN requests under stochastic failure scenarios. Finally, novel post-fault VN restoration schemes are also developed to provide viable last-gap recovery mechanisms using partial and full VN remapping strategies. The performance of these various solutions is evaluated using discrete event simulation and is also compared to existing strategies

Algorithms for 2-connected network design and flexible Steiner trees with a constant number of terminals

The k-Steiner-2NCS problem is as follows: Given a constant (positive integer) k, and an undirected connected graph G = (V, E), non-negative costs c on the edges, and a partition (T, V \ T) of V into a set of terminals, T, and a set of non-terminals (or, Steiner nodes), where |T| = k, find a min-cost two-node connected subgraph that contains the terminals. The k-Steiner-2ECS problem has the same inputs; the algorithmic goal is to find a min-cost two-edge connected subgraph that contains the terminals. We present a randomized polynomial-time algorithm for the unweighted k-Steiner-2NCS problem, and a randomized FPTAS for the weighted k-Steiner-2NCS problem. We obtain similar results for a capacitated generalization of the k-Steiner-2ECS problem. Our methods build on results by Björklund, Husfeldt, and Taslaman (SODA 2012) that give a randomized polynomial-time algorithm for the unweighted k-Steiner-cycle problem; this problem has the same inputs as the unweighted k-Steiner-2NCS problem, and the algorithmic goal is to find a min-cost simple cycle C that contains the terminals (C may contain any number of Steiner nodes)

Architecture and algorithm for reliable 5G network design

This Ph.D. thesis investigates the resilient and cost-efficient design of both C-RAN and Xhaul architectures. Minimization of network resources as well as reuse of already deployed infrastructure, either based on fiber, wavelength, bandwidth or Processing Units (PU), is investigated and shown to be effective to reduce the overall cost. Moreover, the design of a survivable network against a single node (Baseband Unit hotel (BBU), Centralized/Distributed Unit (CU/DU) or link failure proposed. The novel function location algorithm, which adopts dynamic function chaining in relation to the evolution of the traffic estimation also proposed and showed remarkable improvement in terms of bandwidth saving and multiplexing gain with respect to conventional C-RAN. Finally, the adoption of Ethernet-based fronthaul and the introduction of hybrid switches is pursued to further decrease network cost by increasing optical resource usage

Towards a Virtualized Next Generation Internet

A promising solution to overcome the Internet ossification is network virtualization in which Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are decoupled into two tiers: service providers (SPs), and infrastructure providers (InPs). The former maintain and customize virtual network(s) to meet the service requirement of end-users, which is mapped to the physical network infrastructure that is managed and deployed by the latter via the Virtual Network Embedding (VNE) process. VNE consists of two major components: node assignment, and link mapping, which can be shown to be NP-Complete. In the first part of the dissertation, we present a path-based ILP model for the VNE problem. Our solution employs a branch-and-bound framework to resolve the integrity constraints, while embedding the column generation process to effectively obtain the lower bound for branch pruning. Different from existing approaches, the proposed solution can either obtain an optimal solution or a near-optimal solution with guarantee on the solution quality. A common strategy in VNE algorithm design is to decompose the problem into two sequential sub-problems: node assignment (NA) and link mapping (LM). With this approach, it is inexorable to sacrifice the solution quality since the NA is not holistic and not-reversible. In the second part, we are motivated to answer the question: Is it possible to maintain the simplicity of the Divide-and-Conquer strategy while still achieving optimality? Our answer is based on a decomposition framework supported by the Primal-Dual analysis of the path-based ILP model. This dissertation also attempts to address issues in two frontiers of network virtualization: survivability, and integration of optical substrate. In the third part, we address the survivable network embedding (SNE) problem from a network flow perspective, considering both splittable and non-splittable flows. In addition, the explosive growth of the Internet traffic calls for the support of a bandwidth abundant optical substrate, despite the extra dimensions of complexity caused by the heterogeneities of optical resources, and the physical feature of optical transmission. In this fourth part, we present a holistic view of motivation, architecture, and challenges on the way towards a virtualized optical substrate that supports network virtualization