JOINT VIRTUAL PATH ROUTING AND CAPACITY DESIGN FOR ATM NETWORKS

In addition to simplifying nodal processing and network architecture, a good virtual path layout/capacity design reduces network system cost s and improves overall QoS (Quality of Service) manageability and syst em utilization. A shortest-path based layout scheme and a virtual path capacity allocation scheme are proposed in this paper. For ease of im plementation, we adopt a deterministic Virtual Path (VP) capacity assi gnment scheme. Each VP contains multiple Virtual Channels (VCs). The b andwidth assigned to each VC affects both the VC's QoS and the remaini ng capacity in the corresponding VP. We have recently proposed a novel bandwidth allocation scheme, in which bandwidth assignments are made based on a bandwidth queue model, to maximize the network utilization and user satisfaction. In this paper, this bandwidth queue model is us ed to quantify VP costs and a constrained non-linear optimization prob lem with VP capacities as decision variables is formulated. Since Swit ched Virtual Connection (SVC) traffic may be routed through different VPs, and hence affect the optimal VP capacity design, SVC routing para meters are also included as decision variables and determined together with the VP capacities.