Distributed admission control for QoS and SLS management

This article proposes a distributed admission control (AC) model based on on-line monitoring to manage the quality of Internet services and Service Level Specifications (SLSs) in class-based networks. The AC strategy covers intra- and interdomain operation, without adding significant complexity to the network control plane and involving only edge nodes. While ingress nodes perform implicit or explicit AC resorting to service-oriented rules for SLS and QoS parameters control, egress nodes collect service metrics providing them as inputs for AC. The end-to-end operation is viewed as a cumulative and repetitive process of AC and available service computation.We discuss crucial key points of the model implementation and evaluate its two main components: themonitoring process and the AC criteria. The results show that, using proper AC rules and safety margins, service commitments can be efficiently satisfied, and the simplicity and flexibility of the model can be explored to manage successfully QoS requirements of multiple Internet services.(undefined

Optimal Partition of QoS Requirements on Unicast Paths and Multicast Trees

We investigate the problem of optimal resource allocation for end-to-end QoS requirements on unicast paths and multicast trees. Specifically, we consider a framework in which resource allocation is based on local QoS requirements at each network link, and associated with each link is a cost function that increases with the severity of the QoS requirement. Accordingly, the problem that we address is how to partition an end-to-end QoS requirement into local requirements, such that the overall cost is minimized. We establish efficient (polynomial) solutions for both unicast and multicast connections. These results provide the required foundations for the corresponding QoS routing schemes, which identify either paths or trees that lead to minimal overall cost. In addition, we show that our framework provides better tools for coping with other fundamental multicast problems, such as dynamic tree maintenance. Keywords --- QoS, QoS-dependent costs, Multicast, Routing, Broadband ne..

Localised Routing Algorithms with Quality of Service Constraints. Development and performance evaluation by simulation of new localised Quality of Service routing algorithms for communication networks using residual bandwidth and mean end-to-end delay as metrics.

School of Computing, Informatics and MediaLocalised QoS routing is a relatively new, alternative and viable approach to solve the problems of traditional QoS routing algorithms which use global state information resulting in the imposition of a large communication overhead and route flapping. They make use of a localised view of the network QoS state in source nodes to select paths and route flows to destination nodes. Proportional Sticky Routing (PSR) and Credit Based Routing (CBR) have been proposed as localised QoS routing schemes and these can offer comparable performances. However, since network state information for a specific path is only updated when the path is used, PSR and CBR operate with decision criteria that are often stale for paths that are used infrequently. The aim of this thesis is to focus on localised QoS routing and contribute to enhancing the scalability of QoS routing algorithms. In this thesis we have developed three new localised QoS routing schemes which are called Score Based QoS Routing (SBR), Bandwidth Based QoS Routing (BBR) and Delay Based Routing (DBR). In some of these schemes, the path setup procedure is distributed and uses the current network state to make decisions thus avoiding problems of staleness. The methods also avoid any complicated calculations. Both SBR and BBR use bandwidth as the QoS metric and mean delay is used as the QoS metric in DBR. Extensive simulations are applied to compare the performance of our proposed algorithms with CBR and the global Dijkstra¿s algorithm for different update intervals of link state, different network topologies and using different flow arrival distributions under a wide range of traffic loads. It is demonstrated by simulation that the three proposed algorithms offer a superior performance under comparable conditions to the other localised and global algorithms

Delay-aware Link Scheduling and Routing in Wireless Mesh Networks

Resource allocation is a critical task in computer networks because of their capital-intensive nature. In this thesis we apply operations research tools and technologies to model, solve and analyze resource allocation problems in computer networks with real-time traffic. We first study Wireless Mesh Networks, addressing the problem of link scheduling with end-to-end delay constraints. Exploiting results obtained with the Network Calculus framework, we formulate the problem as an integer non-linear optimization problem. We show that the feasibility of a link schedule does depend on the aggregation framework. We also address the problem of jointly solving the routing and link scheduling problem optimally, taking into account end-to-end delay guarantees. We provide guidelines and heuristics. As a second contribution, we propose a time division approach in CSMA MAC protocols in the context of 802.11 WLANs. By grouping wireless clients and scheduling time slots to these groups, not only the delay of packet transmission can be decreased, but also the goodput of multiple WLANs can be largely increased. Finally, we address a resource allocation problem in wired networks for guaranteed-delay traffic engineering. We formulate and solve the problem under different latency models. Global optimization let feasible schedules to be computed with instances where local resource allocation schemes would fail. We show that this is the case even with a case-study network, and at surprisingly low average loads

Localised Routing Algorithms in Communication Networks with Quality of Service Constraints. Performance Evaluation and Enhancement of New Localised Routing Approaches to Provide Quality of Service for Computer and Communication Networks.

The Quality of Service (QoS) is a profound concept which is gaining increasing attention in the Internet industry. Best-effort applications are now no longer acceptable in certain situations needing high bandwidth provisioning, low loss and streaming of multimedia applications. New emerging multimedia applications are requiring new levels of quality of services beyond those supported by best-effort networks. Quality of service routing is an essential part in any QoS architecture in communication networks. QoS routing aims to select a path among the many possible choices that has sufficient resources to accommodate the QoS requirements. QoS routing can significantly improve the network performance due to its awareness of the network QoS state. Most QoS routing algorithms require maintenance of the global network¿s state information to make routing decisions. Global state information needs to be periodically exchanged among routers since the efficiency of a routing algorithm depends on link-state information accuracy. However, most QoS routing algorithms suffer from scalability due to the high communication overhead and the high computation effort associated with maintaining accurate link state information and distributing global state information to each node in the network. The ultimate goal of this thesis is to contribute towards enhancing the scalability of QoS routing algorithms. Towards this goal, the thesis is focused on Localised QoS routing algorithms proposed to overcome the problems of using global network state information. Using such an approach, the source node makes routing decisions based on the local state information for each node in the path. Localised QoS routing algorithms avoid the problems associated in the global network state, like high communication and processing overheads. In Localised QoS routing algorithms each source node maintains a predetermined set of candidate paths for each destination and avoids the problems associated with the maintenance of a global network state by using locally collected flow statistics and flow blocking probabilities.Libya's higher educatio

Bursting the broadband bubble

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Broadband has revolutionised the way the Internet is used and has become the critical enabling infrastructure of our modem and knowledge-based economy. Its widespread introduction has not only greatly enhanced the speed at which information online can be accessed, but also the range and sophistication of the content available. It is still penetrating the telecommunication market and is seen by some as the most significant evolutionary step since the emergence of the Internet. However in the rush to achieve market share, there is a risk that insufficient attention may be paid to quality issues, the central theme of this research. The research addresses the issues of broadband quality with a stated objective of assessing broadband quality by means of an integrated framework that encompasses factors beyond strict technical characteristics of broadband networks. Indeed, the concept of quality is a multi-facetted one, for which various perspectives can be distinguished. In this work, broadband quality as perceived by users, ISP and Government in the United Kingdom (UK) is looked at and a survey report is given and analysed. The aim of this doctoral research was to provide much needed empirical broadband quality framework that would guide the service provider as well as the UK government in the provision of quality broadband to its consumers. It will also stand as a benchmark to countries wanting to provide quality broadband to its citizens. A survey research approach was employed to achieve the overall aim and objective of this research. This was conducted using the response of 133 participants located in various boroughs in the UK. The results of the survey show that quality, though desired by many, has been short-changed by the desire to have access to the Internet via broadband at the lowest cost possible. However, this has not encouraged some consumers to switch to broadband from dial-up service despite continuous low prices being offered by service providers. Furthermore, the results also indicated that focusing on broadband quality will improve and promote investment in broadband capacity and decrease the uncertainty in consumer demand for applications such as multi-media content delivery, enhanced electronic commerce and telecommuting that exploit broadband access

Localized Quality of Service Routing Algorithms for Communication Networks. The Development and Performance Evaluation of Some New Localized Approaches to Providing Quality of Service Routing in Flat and Hierarchical Topologies for Computer Networks.

Quality of Service (QoS) routing considered as one of the major components of the QoS framework in communication networks. The concept of QoS routing has emerged from the fact that routers direct traffic from source to destination, depending on data types, network constraints and requirements to achieve network performance efficiency. It has been introduced to administer, monitor and improve the performance of computer networks. Many QoS routing algorithms are used to maximize network performance by balancing traffic distributed over multiple paths. Its major components include bandwidth, delay, jitter, cost, and loss probability in order to measure the end users¿ requirements, optimize network resource usage and balance traffic load. The majority of existing QoS algorithms require the maintenance of the global network state information and use it to make routing decisions. The global QoS network state needs to be exchanged periodically among routers since the efficiency of a routing algorithm depends on the accuracy of link-state information. However, most of QoS routing algorithms suffer from scalability problems, because of the high communication overhead and the high computation effort associated with marinating and distributing the global state information to each node in the network.The goal of this thesis is to contribute to enhancing the scalability of QoS routing algorithms. Motivated by this, the thesis is focused on localized QoS routing that is proposed to achieve QoS guarantees and overcome the problems of using global network state information such as high communication overhead caused by frequent state information updates, inaccuracy of link-state information for large QoS state update intervals and the route oscillating due to the view of state information. Using such an approach, the source node makes its own routing decisions based on the information that is local to each node in the path. Localized QoS routing does not need the global network state to be exchanged among network nodes because it infers the network state and avoids all the problems associated with it, like high communication and processing overheads and oscillating behaviour. In localized QoS routing each source node is required to first determine a set of candidate paths to each possible destination. In this thesis we have developed localized QoS routing algorithms that select a path based on its quality to satisfy the connection requirements. In the first part of the thesis a localized routing algorithm has been developed that relies on the average residual bandwidth that each path can support to make routing decisions. In the second part of the thesis, we have developed a localized delay-based QoS routing (DBR) algorithm which relies on a delay constraint that each path satisfies to make routing decisions. We also modify credit-based routing (CBR) so that this uses delay instead of bandwidth. Finally, we have developed a localized QoS routing algorithm for routing in two levels of a hierarchal network and this relies on residual bandwidth to make routing decisions in a hierarchical network like the internet. We have compared the performance of the proposed localized routing algorithms with other localized and global QoS routing algorithms under different ranges of workloads, system parameters and network topologies. Simulation results have indicated that the proposed algorithms indeed outperform algorithms that use the basics of schemes that currently operate on the internet, even for a small update interval of link state. The proposed algorithms have also reduced the routing overhead significantly and utilize network resources efficiently

A differentiated quality of service oriented multimedia multicast protocol

Les systèmes de communication multimédia modernes aspirent à fournir de nouveaux services tels que des communications multipoints. Néanmoins, l'apparition de dispositifs multimédias très diversifiés et le nombre croissant de clients ont révélé de nouveaux besoins pour les mécanismes et les protocoles. Dans une communication multimédia, les flux présentent des contraintes différentes et la QdS requise pour chaque flux n'est pas la même. De plus, dans une communication multipoint, tous les utilisateurs ne peuvent pas ou ne sont pas capables de recevoir la même QdS ; cette contrainte implique que les nouveaux mécanismes de communication doivent prendre en compte les besoins des utilisateurs pour fournir un service adéquat à chaque utilisateur, surtout pour éviter le gaspillage des ressources réseau. Cette thèse propose une architecture multipoint à QdS différentiée appelée M-FPTP. Basée sur des proxies client/serveur, elle relie plusieurs LANs multipoints à travers des liens point-à-point partiellement fiables. Cette architecture fournit une QdS différente à chaque LAN dépendant des besoins des utilisateurs. Pour ce faire, nous proposons un modèle du réseau appelé Arbre Hiérarchisé (AH) qui représente en même temps les performances du réseau et les contraintes de QdS des utilisateurs. Nonobstant, l'application de méthodes standard pour la création d'arbres sur un AH peut conduire à des problèmes de surcharge du degré de sortie dans la source. Pour résoudre ce problème, nous proposons alors un nouvel algorithme appelé Arbre de Plus Courts Chemins à Degré de Sortie Limité. Le déploiement de ce service nécessite, pour gérer les utilisateurs et le déploiement correct des proxies, un nouveau protocole appelé Protocole Simple de Session pour QdS multipoint. L'ensemble des solutions proposées a été modélisé, vérifié, validé et testé en utilisant UML 2.0 et l'outil TAU G2. ABSTRACT : Modern multimedia (MM) communication systems aim to provide new services such as multicast (MC) communication. But the rising of new very different MM capable devices and the growing number of clients drive to new requirements for mechanisms and protocols. In a MM communication, there are some flows that have constraints different from others and the required QoS for each flow is not the same. Furthermore, in MC communications, all the users do not want or are not able to receive the same QoS. These constraints imply that new communication mechanisms have to take into account the user requirements in order to provide an ad hoc service to each user and to avoid wasting the network resources. This dissertation proposes a new differentiated QoS multicast architecture, based on client/server proxies, called M-FPTP, which relays many MC LANs by single partially reliable links. This architecture provides a different QoS to each LAN depending on the users requirements. For doing so, it is also provided a network model called Hierarchized Graph (HG) which represents at the same time the network performances and the users QoS constraints. Nevertheless, the application of standard tree creation methods on an HG can lead to source overloading problems. It is then proposed a new algorithm called Degree-Bounded Shortest-Path-Tree (DgB-SPT) which solves this problem. However, the deployment of such a service needs a new protocol in order to collect users requirements and correctly deploy the proxies. This protocol is called Simple Session Protocol for QoS MC (SSP-QoM). The proposed solutions have been modeled, verified, validated and tested by using UML 2.0 and TAU G2 CASE tool