A fast path-based approach to infer link loss rates by explicit estimation

Abstract

To estimate the link loss rates using network tomography, this paper proposes a Fast Path-based Approach (FPA) by explicit estimation. Instead of inferring the link loss rates directly, we first infer the path loss rates from which we can easily derive the link loss rates. In addition, the path loss rates are inferred by a new estimator which is an explicit function of loss observations. The presented estimator is analytical and only requires simple arithmetic calculation. It is also proved to be consistent and have the same asymptotic variance as that of the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE). The simulation results show that the FPA can accurately estimate the link loss rates.