Distributed Multiagent Resource Allocation using Reservations to Improve Handling of Dynamic Task Arrivals

In the artificial intelligence subfield of multi-agent systems, there are many applications for algorithms which optimally allocate a set of resources among many available tasks which demand those resources. In this thesis we present a distributed algorithm to solve this problem which adapts well to dynamic task arrivals, where new work arises at short notice. This algorithm builds on prior work which focused on finding the optimal allocation in a closed environment with a fixed number of tasks. Our algorithm is designed to leverage preemption if it is available, revoking resource allocations to tasks in progress if new opportunities arise which those resources are better suited to handle. However, interrupting tasks in progress is rarely without cost, and our algorithm both respects these costs and may reserve resources to avoid unnecessary costs from hasty allocation. Our multi-agent model assigns a task agent to each task which must be completed and a proxy agent to each resource which is available. These proxy agents are responsible for allocating the resource they manage, while task agents are responsible for learning about their environment and planning out which resources to request for their task. The distributed nature of our model makes it easy to dynamically introduce new tasks with associated task agents. Preemption occurs when a task agent approaches a proxy agent with a sufficiently compelling need that the proxy agent determines the newcomer derives more benefit from the proxy agent's resource than the task agent currently using that resource. We compare to other multi-agent resource allocation frameworks which permit preemption under more conservative assumptions, and show through simulation that our planning and learning techniques allow for improved allocations through more permissive preemption. Our simulations present a medical application which models fallible human resources, though the techniques used are applicable to other domains such as computer scheduling. We then revisit the model with a focus on opportunity cost, introducing resource reservation as an alternative method to preemption for addressing expected future changes in the task allocation environment. Simulations help identify the scenarios where opportunity cost is a significant concern. The model is then further expanded to account for switching costs, where interrupting tasks in progress is worse than simply delaying tasks, and the logical extreme where resource allocation is irrevocable thus encouraging careful decisions about where to commit resources. This thesis makes three primary contributions to multi-agent resource allocation. The first is an improved distributed resource allocation framework which uses Transfer-of-Control strategies and learning to rapidly find good allocations in a dynamic environment. The second is a discussion of the importance of opportunity cost in resource allocation, accompanied by a simple "dummy agent" implementation which validates the use of resource reservation to address scenarios vulnerable to opportunity cost. Finally, the effectiveness of this resource allocation framework with reservation is extended to environments where preemption is costly or impossible

Market-Based Scheduling in Distributed Computing Systems

In verteilten Rechensystemen (bspw. im Cluster und Grid Computing) kann eine Knappheit der zur Verfügung stehenden Ressourcen auftreten. Hier haben Marktmechanismen das Potenzial, Ressourcenbedarf und -angebot durch geeignete Anreizmechanismen zu koordinieren und somit die ökonomische Effizienz des Gesamtsystems zu steigern. Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich anhand vier spezifischer Anwendungsszenarien mit der Frage, wie Marktmechanismen für verteilte Rechensysteme ausgestaltet sein sollten

Integrating Consumer Flexibility in Smart Grid and Mobility Systems - An Online Optimization and Online Mechanism Design Approach

Consumer flexibility may provide an important lever to align supply and demand in service systems. However, harnessing dispersed flexibility endowments in the presence of self-interested agents requires appropriate incentive structures. This thesis quantifies the potential value of consumers\u27 flexibility in smart grid and mobility systems. In order to include incentives, online optimization approaches are augmented with methods from online mechanism design

Robust hybrid central/self-organising multi-agent systems in intersections without traffic lights

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Working Notes from the 1992 AAAI Spring Symposium on Practical Approaches to Scheduling and Planning

The symposium presented issues involved in the development of scheduling systems that can deal with resource and time limitations. To qualify, a system must be implemented and tested to some degree on non-trivial problems (ideally, on real-world problems). However, a system need not be fully deployed to qualify. Systems that schedule actions in terms of metric time constraints typically represent and reason about an external numeric clock or calendar and can be contrasted with those systems that represent time purely symbolically. The following topics are discussed: integrating planning and scheduling; integrating symbolic goals and numerical utilities; managing uncertainty; incremental rescheduling; managing limited computation time; anytime scheduling and planning algorithms, systems; dependency analysis and schedule reuse; management of schedule and plan execution; and incorporation of discrete event techniques

Anti load-balancing for energy-aware distributed scheduling of virtual machines

La multiplication de l'informatique en nuage (Cloud) a abouti à la création de centres de données dans le monde entier. Le Cloud contient des milliers de nœuds de calcul. Cependant, les centres de données consomment d'énorme quantités d'énergie à travers le monde estimées à plus de 1,5 % de la consommation mondiale d'électricité et devrait continuer à croître. Une problématique habituellement étudiée dans les systèmes distribués est de répartir équitablement la charge. Mais lorsque l'objectif est de réduire la consommation électrique, ce type d'algorithmes peut mener à avoir des serveurs fortement sous chargés et donc à consommer de l'énergie inutilement. Cette thèse présente de nouvelles techniques, des algorithmes et des logiciels pour la consolidation dynamique et distribuée de machines virtuelles (VM) dans le Cloud. L'objectif principal de cette thèse est de proposer des stratégies d'ordonnancement tenant compte de l'énergie dans le Cloud pour les économies d'énergie. Pour atteindre cet objectif, nous utilisons des approches centralisées et décentralisées. Les contributions à ce niveau méthodologique sont présentées sur ces deux axes. L'objectif de notre démarche est de réduire la consommation de l'énergie totale du centre de données en contrôlant la consommation globale d'énergie des applications tout en assurant les contrats de service pour l'exécution des applications. La consommation d'énergie est réduite en désactivant et réactivant dynamiquement les nœuds physiques pour répondre à la demande des ressources. Les principales contributions sont les suivantes: - Ici on s'intéressera à la problématique contraire de l'équilibrage de charge. Il s'agit d'une technique appelée Anti Load-Balancing pour concentrer la charge sur un nombre minimal de nœuds. Le but est de pouvoir éteindre les nœuds libérés et donc de minimiser la consommation énergétique du système. - Ensuite une approche centralisée a été proposée et fonctionne en associant une valeur de crédit à chaque nœud. Le crédit d'un nœud dépend de son affinité pour ses tâches, sa charge de travail actuelle et sa façon d'effectuer ses communications. Les économies d'énergie sont atteintes par la consolidation continue des machines virtuelles en fonction de l'utilisation actuelle des ressources, les topologies de réseaux virtuels établis entre les machines virtuelles et l'état thermique de nœuds de calcul. Les résultats de l'expérience sur une extension de CloudSim (EnerSim) montrent que l'énergie consommée par les applications du Cloud et l'efficacité énergétique ont été améliorées. - Le troisième axe est consacré à l'examen d'une approche appelée "Cooperative scheduling Anti load-balancing Algorithm for cloud". Il s'agit d'une approche décentralisée permettant la coopération entre les différents sites. Pour valider cet algorithme, nous avons étendu le simulateur MaGateSim. Avec une large évaluation expérimentale d'un ensemble de données réelles, nous sommes arrivés à la conclusion que l'approche à la fois en utilisant des algorithmes centralisés et décentralisés peut réduire l'énergie consommée des centres de données.The multiplication of Cloud computing has resulted in the establishment of largescale data centers around the world containing thousands of compute nodes. However, Cloud consume huge amounts of energy. Energy consumption of data centers worldwide is estimated at more than 1.5% of the global electricity use and is expected to grow further. A problem usually studied in distributed systems is to evenly distribute the load. But when the goal is to reduce energy consumption, this type of algorithms can lead to have machines largely under-loaded and therefore consuming energy unnecessarily. This thesis presents novel techniques, algorithms, and software for distributed dynamic consolidation of Virtual Machines (VMs) in Cloud. The main objective of this thesis is to provide energy-aware scheduling strategies in cloud computing for energy saving. To achieve this goal, we use centralized and decentralized approaches. Contributions in this method are presented these two axes. The objective of our approach is to reduce data center's total energy consumed by controlling cloud applications' overall energy consumption while ensuring cloud applications' service level agreement. Energy consumption is reduced by dynamically deactivating and reactivating physical nodes to meet the current resource demand. The key contributions are: - First, we present an energy aware clouds scheduling using anti-load balancing algorithm : concentrate the load on a minimum number of severs. The goal is to turn off the machines released and therefore minimize the energy consumption of the system. - The second axis proposed an algorithm which works by associating a credit value with each node. The credit of a node depends on its affinity to its jobs, its current workload and its communication behavior. Energy savings are achieved by continuous consolidation of VMs according to current utilization of resources, virtual network topologies established between VMs, and thermal state of computing nodes. The experiment results, obtained with a simulator which extends CloudSim (EnerSim), show that the cloud application energy consumption and energy efficiency are being improved. - The third axis is dedicated to the consideration of a decentralized dynamic scheduling approach entitled Cooperative scheduling Anti-load balancing Algorithm for cloud. It is a decentralized approach that allows cooperation between different sites. To validate this algorithm, we have extended the simulator MaGateSim. With an extensive experimental evaluation with a real workload dataset, we got the conclusion that both the approach using centralized and decentralized algorithms can reduce energy consumed by data centers

Flexible Demand in Smart Grids - Modeling and Coordination

The economic analysis of smart grid capabilities needs to incorporate physical boundaries as hard constraints which need to be facilitated by means of flexibility potentials and intelligent dispatching. Due to the distributed nature of demand, economic coordination also needs to be able to facilitate a multitude of individual agents. Questions concerning the modeling and coordination of an active demand side are addressed using tools and techniques from information systems and economics