CAREER Proposal: Fundamental Algorithmic, Architectural and Economic Issues in Designing High Speed QoS-capable Data Networks

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A broad research program is outlined for investigating fundamental issues arising in the design of high speed, quality-of-service (QoS) capable data networks. Several key problems are identified within an over all architectural framework, similar to that considered by the IETF Working Group on Differentiated Services (DIFFSERV) for the Next Generation Internet (NGI). The research program consists of technological and economic components, each containing several problems that confront the research community. The essential issue of providing differentiated QoS to individual users is the fair allocation of network resources among the users. The network can accomplish this by employing packet scheduling mechanisms like Weighted Fair Queueing (WFQ) at the switching nodes. It has been shown that these schemes effectively erect bandwidth firewalls between the flows of different users, thus guaranteeing that the QoS of one flow is not at the mercy of other flows. But schemes like WFQ suffer from the curse of dimensionality: They require switches/routers to maintain flow state information for distinguishing the packets of individual flows. This renders them too complex to be used in large high speed networks. Alternatively, if users can be incentivised to condition their flows to prescribed parameters, then the network can be spared the burden of having to erect bandwidth firewalls. This considerably reduces the complexity of router design. Using economic thinking researchers argue that the requisite incentive can be provided by charging users for the damage caused to other traffics by their ill-conditioned flows. But the feasibility of charging schemes depends on their implementability: Although they reduce the cost of routers, they require the installation of devices for monitoring each flow and for producing a charge accordingly. This research program taps into both these interrelated currents and takes a unifiedapproach. The central questions addressed are: (i) Can implementationally simple routermechanisms be designed for providing QoS guarantees to individual flows? (ii) Can simple and effective charging mechanisms be devised for incentivising users to condition their flows? Preliminary work conducted by the proposer gives an encouraging answer to these questions, and suggests a general approach to the problem of providing QoS with minimal implementation overhead. The overall program involves devising algorithms, considering architectural issues, analyzing mathematical models, and using game theoretic and economic ideas. The robustness of solutions will be tested through extensive simulation of a wide range of network topologies and parameter values. The complexity of implementing them will be explored through simulation and possibly through prototype design. The education plan consists of developing an advanced networking course which aims to closely integrate theory and practice, developing an undergraduate course in Networking over the next two years, initiating cross-disciplinary education and research activities, and involving undergraduate and graduate students in research.