12,249 research outputs found
Active Learning of Multiple Source Multiple Destination Topologies
We consider the problem of inferring the topology of a network with
sources and receivers (hereafter referred to as an -by- network), by
sending probes between the sources and receivers. Prior work has shown that
this problem can be decomposed into two parts: first, infer smaller subnetwork
components (i.e., -by-'s or -by-'s) and then merge these components
to identify the -by- topology. In this paper, we focus on the second
part, which had previously received less attention in the literature. In
particular, we assume that a -by- topology is given and that all
-by- components can be queried and learned using end-to-end probes. The
problem is which -by-'s to query and how to merge them with the given
-by-, so as to exactly identify the -by- topology, and optimize a
number of performance metrics, including the number of queries (which directly
translates into measurement bandwidth), time complexity, and memory usage. We
provide a lower bound, , on the number of
-by-'s required by any active learning algorithm and propose two greedy
algorithms. The first algorithm follows the framework of multiple hypothesis
testing, in particular Generalized Binary Search (GBS), since our problem is
one of active learning, from -by- queries. The second algorithm is called
the Receiver Elimination Algorithm (REA) and follows a bottom-up approach: at
every step, it selects two receivers, queries the corresponding -by-, and
merges it with the given -by-; it requires exactly steps, which is
much less than all possible -by-'s. Simulation results
over synthetic and realistic topologies demonstrate that both algorithms
correctly identify the -by- topology and are near-optimal, but REA is
more efficient in practice
Understanding edge-connectivity in the Internet through core-decomposition
Internet is a complex network composed by several networks: the Autonomous
Systems, each one designed to transport information efficiently. Routing
protocols aim to find paths between nodes whenever it is possible (i.e., the
network is not partitioned), or to find paths verifying specific constraints
(e.g., a certain QoS is required). As connectivity is a measure related to both
of them (partitions and selected paths) this work provides a formal lower bound
to it based on core-decomposition, under certain conditions, and low complexity
algorithms to find it. We apply them to analyze maps obtained from the
prominent Internet mapping projects, using the LaNet-vi open-source software
for its visualization
How Realistic Should Knowledge Diffusion Models Be?
Knowledge diffusion models typically involve two main features: an underlying social network topology on one side, and a particular design of interaction rules driving knowledge transmission on the other side. Acknowledging the need for realistic topologies and adoption behaviors backed by empirical measurements, it becomes unclear how accurately existing models render real-world phenomena: if indeed both topology and transmission mechanisms have a key impact on these phenomena, to which extent does the use of more or less stylized assumptions affect modeling results? In order to evaluate various classical topologies and mechanisms, we push the comparison to more empirical benchmarks: real-world network structures and empirically measured mechanisms. Special attention is paid to appraising the discrepancy between diffusion phenomena (i) on some real network topologies vs. various kinds of scale-free networks, and (ii) using an empirically-measured transmission mechanism, compared with canonical appropriate models such as threshold models. We find very sensible differences between the more realistic settings and their traditional stylized counterparts. On the whole, our point is thus also epistemological by insisting that models should be tested against simulation-based empirical benchmarks.Agent-Based Simulation, Complex Systems, Empirical Calibration and Validation, Knowledge Diffusion, Model Comparison, Social Networks
AI Solutions for MDS: Artificial Intelligence Techniques for Misuse Detection and Localisation in Telecommunication Environments
This report considers the application of Articial Intelligence (AI) techniques to
the problem of misuse detection and misuse localisation within telecommunications
environments. A broad survey of techniques is provided, that covers inter alia
rule based systems, model-based systems, case based reasoning, pattern matching,
clustering and feature extraction, articial neural networks, genetic algorithms, arti
cial immune systems, agent based systems, data mining and a variety of hybrid
approaches. The report then considers the central issue of event correlation, that
is at the heart of many misuse detection and localisation systems. The notion of
being able to infer misuse by the correlation of individual temporally distributed
events within a multiple data stream environment is explored, and a range of techniques,
covering model based approaches, `programmed' AI and machine learning
paradigms. It is found that, in general, correlation is best achieved via rule based approaches,
but that these suffer from a number of drawbacks, such as the difculty of
developing and maintaining an appropriate knowledge base, and the lack of ability
to generalise from known misuses to new unseen misuses. Two distinct approaches
are evident. One attempts to encode knowledge of known misuses, typically within
rules, and use this to screen events. This approach cannot generally detect misuses
for which it has not been programmed, i.e. it is prone to issuing false negatives.
The other attempts to `learn' the features of event patterns that constitute normal
behaviour, and, by observing patterns that do not match expected behaviour, detect
when a misuse has occurred. This approach is prone to issuing false positives,
i.e. inferring misuse from innocent patterns of behaviour that the system was not
trained to recognise. Contemporary approaches are seen to favour hybridisation,
often combining detection or localisation mechanisms for both abnormal and normal
behaviour, the former to capture known cases of misuse, the latter to capture
unknown cases. In some systems, these mechanisms even work together to update
each other to increase detection rates and lower false positive rates. It is concluded
that hybridisation offers the most promising future direction, but that a rule or state
based component is likely to remain, being the most natural approach to the correlation
of complex events. The challenge, then, is to mitigate the weaknesses of
canonical programmed systems such that learning, generalisation and adaptation
are more readily facilitated
More "normal" than normal: scaling distributions and complex systems
One feature of many naturally occurring or engineered complex systems is tremendous variability in event sizes. To account for it, the behavior of these systems is often described using power law relationships or scaling distributions, which tend to be viewed as "exotic" because of their unusual properties (e.g., infinite moments). An alternate view is based on mathematical, statistical, and data-analytic arguments and suggests that scaling distributions should be viewed as "more normal than normal". In support of this latter view that has been advocated by Mandelbrot for the last 40 years, we review in this paper some relevant results from probability theory and illustrate a powerful statistical approach for deciding whether the variability associated with observed event sizes is consistent with an underlying Gaussian-type (finite variance) or scaling-type (infinite variance) distribution. We contrast this approach with traditional model fitting techniques and discuss its implications for future modeling of complex systems
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