Elsevier

Computer Communications

Volume 20, Issue 5, 1 July 1997, Pages 393-405
Computer Communications

Dynamic application scaling as a means for QoS management

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-3664(97)00034-0Get rights and content

Abstract

In addition to their capability to offer high transfer rates, flexible resource allocation is also a key feature of broadband networks. The use of efficient resource allocation schemes enables network and service providers to acquire adequate control power over the infrastructure and the provided services on one hand, and on the other hand to become more competitive by offering attractive incentives regarding cost and quality to the end-users. In this paper, we study a resource allocation scheme based on dynamic scaling of applications. In order to be adjusted by the network, the end-user applications should be subscribed to the Dynamic Scaling Service (DSS) which adjusts the quality and traffic levels at which they operate. Two perspectives are taken into consideration, the service/network provider's point of view focused on efficient resource utilisation and revenue increase, and the end-user's point of view focused on cost efficiency and acceptable QoS. The proposed scheme is evaluated and verified by means of a simulation study. It is found that through adequate tuning, with respect to a given user and traffic model, DSS can beneficially affect both the revenue and the call blocking probability.

Introduction

Broadband integrated networks not only allow for high transfer rates but also flexible resource allocation. Exploiting these properties, it becomes of prime importance to devise efficient resource allocation schemes aiming to achieve a twofold goal. Firstly, B-ISDN network and service providers should hold adequate control power over the infrastructure and the provided services by regulating appropriate QoS parameters at several layers of the communication protocol stacks [1]. Furthermore, they should be able to offer sufficiently attractive incentives to the end-users in order to win the competitive race in the telecommunications marketplace. Secondly, from the end-user's point of view, the user seeks the most cost efficient way to satisfy his/her telecommunications needs while keeping QoS within a pre-specified acceptable range.

The abovementioned two goals are conflicting and a tradeoff should be sought. This paper proposes such a tradeoff. Moreover, as the suggested solution should also be scalable over large networks, with sizes comparable to legacy circuit-switched telephony networks, the techniques and mechanisms involved have to able to operate properly in all scales.

The paper is structured as follows: in Section 2the problem addressed is set. Section 3introduces the concept of service scalability and subsequently the dynamic scaling service is defined and presented by means of an example. The scalability of the dynamic scaling service is discussed in Section 4. Numerical results and conclusions are given in Section 5. Finally, Section 6summarises the conclusions.

Section snippets

Problem statement

By allowing flexible resource allocation and co-existence of services with diverse QoS and resource requirements within a B-ISDN, a major problem which has to be addressed is the resource allocation policy that the network/service providers should follow. On the other hand, end-users would expect higher QoS levels and, most significantly, a beneficial impact of ATM technology on the costs that tele-services require. If current tariffs are automatically transferred to B-ISDN service

The concept of application scaling

The vast majority of telecommunications services, including both those used nowadays and those envisaged in the very near future, possess a very valuable feature: media scalability [3]. By this term, we denote the ability of a medium to operate at different transfer rates, e.g. a video may be shot and displayed at a wide range of frame rates, typical values range from 25 frames s−1 down to 1 frame s−1, compressing algorithms may operate at different compression factors, audio may intelligibly

DSS network scalability

It is easily seen that a DSS scheme in which all connections on a network are re-arranged upon QoS degradation is not feasible, unless the network under study is a small-sized, local network, with a limited number of nodes and end-systems. In order to cater for network scalability,2 a hierarchical architecture similar to the routing architecture of

Simulation models

In order to test and validate the DSS approach, simulations have been set up driven by specific models resembling actual user demand and traffic behaviour. The simulations aimed at examining the overall efficiency of the proposed system as well as the behaviour of the system over an extensive range of system parameter settings. In this section, we present some of the simulation results concerning the effect of the algorithm sensitivity and responsiveness on the system performance. More

Conclusions

In this paper it has been shown how the end-user perceived quality and SP/NP revenue can be efficiently balanced by means of application scaling. Through simulations the performance of DSS has been evaluated. Its potential seems motivating enough to proceed on investigating its integration into legacy and future network management activities. The results have shown that under a wide range of traffic models and DSS parameters, the system remains within a pre-specified region of performance. What

Yannis I. Manolessos received his degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1993 from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece. Since 1993 he has been involved in a number of research projects on Telecommunications funded by the European Union (RACE II and ACTS programmes). His research interests include QoS Management and Traffic Control in B-ISDN, Routing, Protocols and Mobile Communications in Business Environments. Currently, he is working towards his Ph.D. thesis at the

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Yannis I. Manolessos received his degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1993 from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece. Since 1993 he has been involved in a number of research projects on Telecommunications funded by the European Union (RACE II and ACTS programmes). His research interests include QoS Management and Traffic Control in B-ISDN, Routing, Protocols and Mobile Communications in Business Environments. Currently, he is working towards his Ph.D. thesis at the National Technical University of Athens in the field of QoS Management in B-ISDN.

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Michael E. Theologou received a degree in Electrical Engineering from Patras University in 1972 and his Ph.D degree from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science of the National Technical University of Athens in 1990. During 1972–1974 he worked in the Research Centre of the Greek Army. From 1975 to 1991 he has been working as a Telecommunications Engineer in the Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE). In parallel he served as an instructor at NTUA teaching Telecom Courses and conducting Telecom System Laboratory. Currently he is an Assistant Professor at the Division of Computer Science, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, National Technical University of Athens, conducting teaching and research in the wider area of Telecommunication Systems. His research interests are in the fields of Integrated Broadband Communications Networks, routing, flow control, quality of service and mobile communications.

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