A Framework to Quantify Network Resilience and Survivability

The significance of resilient communication networks in the modern society is well established. Resilience and survivability mechanisms in current networks are limited and domain specific. Subsequently, the evaluation methods are either qualitative assessments or context-specific metrics. There is a need for rigorous quantitative evaluation of network resilience. We propose a service oriented framework to characterize resilience of networks to a number of faults and challenges at any abstraction level. This dissertation presents methods to quantify the operational state and the expected service of the network using functional metrics. We formalize resilience as transitions of the network state in a two-dimensional state space quantifying network characteristics, from which network service performance parameters can be derived. One dimension represents the network as normally operating, partially degraded, or severely degraded. The other dimension represents network service as acceptable, impaired, or unacceptable. Our goal is to initially understand how to characterize network resilience, and ultimately how to guide network design and engineering toward increased resilience. We apply the proposed framework to evaluate the resilience of the various topologies and routing protocols. Furthermore, we present several mechanisms to improve the resilience of the networks to various challenges

End-to-End Resilience Mechanisms for Network Transport Protocols

The universal reliance on and hence the need for resilience in network communications has been well established. Current transport protocols are designed to provide fixed mechanisms for error remediation (if any), using techniques such as ARQ, and offer little or no adaptability to underlying network conditions, or to different sets of application requirements. The ubiquitous TCP transport protocol makes too many assumptions about underlying layers to provide resilient end-to-end service in all network scenarios, especially those which include significant heterogeneity. Additionally the properties of reliability, performability, availability, dependability, and survivability are not explicitly addressed in the design, so there is no support for resilience. This dissertation presents considerations which must be taken in designing new resilience mechanisms for future transport protocols to meet service requirements in the face of various attacks and challenges. The primary mechanisms addressed include diverse end-to-end paths, and multi-mode operation for changing network conditions

Robustness surfaces of complex networks

Despite the robustness of complex networks has been extensively studied in the last decade, there still lacks a unifying framework able to embrace all the proposed metrics. In the literature there are two open issues related to this gap: (a) how to dimension several metrics to allow their summation and (b) how to weight each of the metrics. In this work we propose a solution for the two aforementioned problems by defining the $R^*$-value and introducing the concept of \emph{robustness surface} ($\Omega$). The rationale of our proposal is to make use of Principal Component Analysis (PCA). We firstly adjust to 1 the initial robustness of a network. Secondly, we find the most informative robustness metric under a specific failure scenario. Then, we repeat the process for several percentage of failures and different realizations of the failure process. Lastly, we join these values to form the robustness surface, which allows the visual assessment of network robustness variability. Results show that a network presents different robustness surfaces (i.e., dissimilar shapes) depending on the failure scenario and the set of metrics. In addition, the robustness surface allows the robustness of different networks to be compared.Comment: submitted to Scientific Report

Network Resilience Improvement and Evaluation Using Link Additions

Computer networks are getting more involved in providing services for most of our daily life activities related to education, business, health care, social life, and government. Publicly available computer networks are prone to targeted attacks and natural disasters that could disrupt normal operation and services. Building highly resilient networks is an important aspect of their design and implementation. For existing networks, resilience against such challenges can be improved by adding more links. In fact, adding links to form a full mesh yields the most resilient network but it incurs an unfeasibly high cost. In this research, we investigate the resilience improvement of real-world networks via adding a cost-efficient set of links. Adding a set of links to an obtain optimal solution using an exhaustive search is impracticable for large networks. Using a greedy algorithm, a feasible solution is obtained by adding a set of links to improve network connectivity by increasing a graph robustness metric such as algebraic connectivity or total graph diversity. We use a graph metric called flow robustness as a measure for network resilience. To evaluate the improved networks, we apply three centrality-based attacks and study their resilience. The flow robustness results of the attacks show that the improved networks are more resilient than the non-improved networks

Modelling and Design of Resilient Networks under Challenges

Communication networks, in particular the Internet, face a variety of challenges that can disrupt our daily lives resulting in the loss of human lives and significant financial costs in the worst cases. We define challenges as external events that trigger faults that eventually result in service failures. Understanding these challenges accordingly is essential for improvement of the current networks and for designing Future Internet architectures. This dissertation presents a taxonomy of challenges that can help evaluate design choices for the current and Future Internet. Graph models to analyse critical infrastructures are examined and a multilevel graph model is developed to study interdependencies between different networks. Furthermore, graph-theoretic heuristic optimisation algorithms are developed. These heuristic algorithms add links to increase the resilience of networks in the least costly manner and they are computationally less expensive than an exhaustive search algorithm. The performance of networks under random failures, targeted attacks, and correlated area-based challenges are evaluated by the challenge simulation module that we developed. The GpENI Future Internet testbed is used to conduct experiments to evaluate the performance of the heuristic algorithms developed

Survivable and disaster- resilient submarine optical-fiber cable deployment

06.03.2018 tarihli ve 30352 sayılı Resmi Gazetede yayımlanan “Yükseköğretim Kanunu İle Bazı Kanun Ve Kanun Hükmünde Kararnamelerde Değişiklik Yapılması Hakkında Kanun” ile 18.06.2018 tarihli “Lisansüstü Tezlerin Elektronik Ortamda Toplanması, Düzenlenmesi ve Erişime Açılmasına İlişkin Yönerge” gereğince tam metin erişime açılmıştır.Internete olan mevcut sosyal ve ekonomik bağlılık ve servis kesintileri nedeni ile oluşan önemli miktardaki tamir masrafları ile ağ kalımlılığı günümüzde telekomünikasyon ağ dizaynının önemli bir parçası olmuştur. Ayrıca, denizaltı fiber optik kabloların depremler gibi doğal afetlere veya insan-yapımı afetlere karşı zayıf olduğu da herkesçe kabul edilmiş bir gerçektir. Afete dayanıklı bir denizaltı kablo yerleştirilmesi, bir yada daha fazla kablo afet nedeni ile koptuğunda ağ servislerini yeniden eski haline getirmek için ağ operatörünün maliyetlerini (yolculuk maliyeti, kapasite kayıp maliyeti ve hasar gören kablonun tamir maliyeti) azaltabilir. Bu çalışmada afet-farkındalı denizaltı fiber optik kabloları yerleştirme problemini araştırdık. Kablolar için bir yol/rota seçerken yaklaşımımız toplam beklenen kayıp maliyetini, denizaltı fiber kabloların afetler nedeni ile zarar görebileceğini de düşünerek, bütçe ve diğer kısıtlamalar altında minimize etmeyi hedefler. Yaklaşımımızda afetle ilişkisiz arızaların ana kablonun yanında bir de yedek kablo sağlanarak üstesinden gelindiğini varsaydık. Önce basitçe bir su kütlesi (deniz/okyanus) tarafından ayrılmış iki kara parçası üzerine yerleştirilmiş iki düğümün olduğu bir senaryoyu düşündük. Daha sonra problemi formüle edebilmek için afet bölgelerinden sakınacak şekilde eliptik kablo şeklini dikkate aldık. En nihayetinde problem için, bu durumda yaklaşımımızın potansiyel faydalarını gösteren sayısal örneklerle desteklediğimiz bir Tamsayı Lineer Programlama formülasyonu ürettik. Bununla birlikte problemi daha pratik hale getirmek için, farklı kara parçalarına yerleşmiş çoklu düğümlerin örgüsel bir ağ topolojisini, düzenli şekillere sahip olmayan kabloları, deniz altındaki ortamın topografisini de dikkate aldık. Bu problemi de ifade etmek için sayısal örneklere birlikte bir Tamsayı Lineer Programlama sunduk. Sonuç olarak, pratik durumu düşünerek bir örnek durum incelemesi üzerinde yaklaşımımızı mevcut kablolama sistemleri ile kıyaslayarak teyit ettik. İki durumda da, sonuçlar bize %2-%11 oranında bir yerleştirme maliyeti artışı karşılığında beklenen maliyeti %90-%100 arasında azaltabileceğimizi gösterdi.With the existing profoundly social and economic reliance on the Internet and the significant reparation cost associated with service interruption, network survivability is an important element in telecommunication network design nowadays. Moreover, the fact that submarine optical-fiber cables are susceptible to man-made or natural disasters such as earthquakes is well recognized. A disaster-resilient submarine cable deployment can save cost incurred by network operators such as the capacity-loss cost, the cruising cost and the repair cost of the damaged cables, in order to restore network service when cables break due to a disaster. In this study, we investigate disaster-aware submarine fiber-optic cable deployment problem. While selecting a route/path for cables, our approach aims to minimize the total expected cost, considering that submarine optical-fiber cables may break because of natural disasters, subject to deployment budget and other constraints. In our approach, we assume disaster-unrelated failures are handled by providing a backup cable along with primary cable. In the simple case we consider a scenario with two nodes located on two different lands separated by a water body (sea/ocean). We then consider an elliptic cable shape to formulate the problem, which can be extended to other cable shapes, subject to avoiding deploying cable in disaster zones. Eventuaaly, we provide an Integer Linear Programming formulation for the problem supported with illustrative numerical examples that show the potential benefit of our approach. Furthermore, in order to make the problem more practical, we consider a mesh topology network with multiple nodes located on different sea/ocean, submarine optical- fiber cables of irregular shape, and the topography of undersea environment. Eventually, we provide an Integer Linear Programming to address the problem, together with illustrative numerical examples. Finally, we validate our approach by conducting a case study wherein we consider a practical submarine optical-fiber cable system susceptible to natural disasters. In this case, we compare our approach against the existing cable system in terms of deployment cost and reduction in expected cost. In either case results show that our approach can reduce expected cost from 90% to 100% at a slight increase of 2% to 11% in deployment cost of disaster-unaware approach

Criticality Analysis for Network Utilities Asset Management

The proposed work describes the main part of asset criticality analysis for Distribution Network Services Providers (DNSP), also known as Network Utilities, the severity-value factors definition. The methodology is based on the risk-based evaluation of assets, considering potential impacts of their failures on network value. Thus, it provides the capability to take maintenance management decision in terms of value and risk, considering the whole network under unique and homogeneous criteria. A hierarchy of assets ranked according to with value and risk will come out of this process, which represents a fundamental result serving as input of the subsequent steps of the asset management process. Specific attention is paid to network utilities issues, characterizing assets in these companies, and the services that they provide. In addition to this, high requirements established by the Service Level Agreements (SLA), that are characteristics of network services contracts, make this methodology especially suitable in this application. In order to illustrate method applicability, an example extracted from a real electrical network use case is included.Unión Europea 64573