Collaborative Research: A Hybrid Systems Framework for Scalable Analysis and Design of Communications Networks

这一协作项目勾勒出了一个雄心勃勃的多学科三年研究和教育计划，旨在开发一个可扩展的框架，用于为异类通信网络的协议进行建模、分析和设计。它包括混合网络模型的设计，并将提供协议设计和分析工具。混合模型将离散事件与连续变化的量结合在一起。它们允许将计算机网络中发生的一些离散事件聚集在一起，因此，可以用连续变化的数量(如事件的发生率)来描述网络。然而，它们仍然可以保留感兴趣的离散事件(例如，拥塞控制模式之间的转换、无线网络中的中断、路由的改变等)。不同的聚合级别导致多分辨率模型，这些模型可扩展到任意大小的高带宽网络，从而构成协议设计和评估的宝贵工具。所提出的研究将为研究异质数据通信网络的可扩展方法论提供科学基础，包括基于混合系统形式化的大规模、异质通信网络的多分辨率模型的开发，用于数据通信网络的形式化分析的基于模型的工具的开发，特别是用于评估和调整网络协议的基于模型的工具的开发，以及用于设计满足特定应用(例如，发送速率变化的界限)和/或一般(例如，公平)性能约束的网络协议的基于模型的控制理论工具的开发。

This collaborative project delineates an ambitious multi-disciplinary three-year research and education plan to develop a scalable framework for modeling, analysis, and design of protocols for heterogeneous communication networks. It encompasses the design of models for hybrid networks and will provide tools for protocol design and analysis. Hybrid models combine discrete events with continuously varying quantities. They allow some of the discrete events that occur in computer networks to be aggregated and, as a result, networks can be described in terms of continuously varying quantities (such as rates of occurrence of events). However, they can still retain discrete events of interest (e.g., transitions between modes of congestion control, blackouts in wireless networks, changes in routing, etc.). Different aggregation levels result in multi-resolution models, which scale to arbitrarily large, high-bandwidth networks and thus constitute invaluable tools for protocol design and evaluation. The research proposed will produce the scientific foundation for a scalable methodology to study heterogeneous data communication networks, including the development of multi-resolution models for large-scale, heterogeneous communication networks based on a hybrid systems formalism, development of model-based tools for formal analysis of data communication networks, and in particular, for evaluating and tuning network protocols, and, development of model-based control-theoretical tools for designing network protocols that satisfy application-specific (e.g., bounds on sending rate variation) and/or general (e.g., fairness) performance constraints.