Complexity Of Network Management Research Articles

Linear optimal power flow model for modern distribution systems: Management of normally closed loop grids and on-load tap changers

Modern distribution systems face new challenges due to the rise of small-scale renewable energy resources and the electrification of energy demand. Additionally, the complexity of network management increases with the exchange of flexibility services between distribution and higher voltage levels. The system operator's role involves optimizing the planning and operation of the distribution network. In current scenarios, this includes managing flexibility resources (such as generators, demand response, and on-load tap changers) and implementing new operating strategies (such as closed-loop topologies and dynamic reconfiguration). This paper proposes a reformulation of one of the most used linear approximations of the Optimal Power Flow model for distribution networks. The novelty of this reformulation lies in integrating equations to handle tap-changing transformers with closed-loop/meshed network operation, while preserving the original linear formulation and computational tractability.

LSTM network optimization and task network construction based on heuristic algorithm

This work aims to advance the security management of complex networks to better align with evolving societal needs. The work employs the Ant Colony Optimization algorithm in conjunction with Long Short-Term Memory neural networks to reconstruct and optimize task networks derived from time series data. Additionally, a trend-based noise smoothing scheme is introduced to mitigate data noise effectively. The approach entails a thorough analysis of historical data, followed by applying trend-based noise smoothing, rendering the processed data more scientifically robust. Subsequently, the network reconstruction problem for time series data originating from one-dimensional dynamic equations is addressed using an algorithm based on the principles of Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD). This algorithm decomposes time series data into smaller samples and yields optimal learning outcomes in conjunction with an adaptive learning rate SGD approach. Experimental results corroborate the remarkable fidelity of the weight matrix reconstructed by this algorithm to the true weight matrix. Moreover, the algorithm exhibits efficient convergence with increasing data volume, manifesting shorter time requirements per iteration while ensuring the attainment of optimal solutions. When the sample size remains constant, the algorithm’s execution time is directly proportional to the square of the number of nodes. Conversely, as the sample size scales, the SGD algorithm capitalizes on the availability of more information, resulting in improved learning outcomes. Notably, when the noise standard deviation is 0.01, models predicated on SGD and the Least-Squares Method (LSM) demonstrate reduced errors compared to instances with a noise standard deviation of 0.1, highlighting the sensitivity of LSM to noise. The proposed methodology offers valuable insights for advancing research in complex network studies.

Satellite-Terrestrial Integrated 6G: An Ultra-Dense LEO Networking Management Architecture

With the rapid development of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, the ultra-dense LEO satellite-terrestrial integrated networking has become a promising paradigm to provide wide coverage, high capacity and flexible services for the sixth generation (6G) mobile communication networks. However, the natural heterogeneity, high dynamics, and large scale of ultradense LEO satellite networks pose new challenges to network control and management. To this end, in this article, we propose a medium earth orbit (MEO), low earth orbit (LEO) and satellite Earth stations (SESs) integrated multi-layered management architecture for the ultra-dense LEO satellite network, where global controllers and local controllers are introduced to reduce the network management complexity. With the aid of this hybrid multi-layered management framework, we can efficiently implement the network status control, mobility management, resource management, and service management in the satelliteterrestrial integrated network. To obtain proper global and local controllers with high management efficiency in the hybrid multilayered network management architecture, we further propose a novel and efficient grouping and clustering method for the ultradense LEO satellite network, where each group manager MEO satellite and cluster head (CH) LEO satellites are respectively considered as the global and local controllers of each LEO satellite group. Numerical simulations are carried out to evaluate the superiority and effectiveness of the proposed hybrid multilayered ultra-dense LEO networking management architecture.

Network Traffic Prediction Model in a Data-Driven Digital Twin Network Architecture

The proliferation of immersive services, including virtual reality/augmented reality, holographic content, and the metaverse, has led to an increase in the complexity of communication networks, and consequently, the complexity of network management. Recently, digital twin network technology, which applies digital twin technology to the field of communication networks, has been predicted to be an effective means of managing complex modern networks. In this paper, a digital twin network data pipeline architecture is proposed that demonstrates an integrated structure for flow within the digital twin network and network modeling from a data perspective. In addition, a network traffic modeling technique using data feature extraction techniques is proposed to realize the digital twin network, which requires the use of massive streaming data. The proposed method utilizes the data generated in the OMNeT++ environment and verifies that the learning time is reduced by approximately 25% depending on the feature extraction interval, while the accuracy remains similar.

Deep-learning-based Intrusion Detection for Software-defined Networking Space Systems

This paper briefly reviews the application of the Software-defined Networking (SDN) architecture to satellite networks. It highlights the prominent cyber threats that SDN-based satellite networks are vulnerable to and proposes relevant defence mechanisms. SDN transforms traditional networking architectures by separating the control plane from the forwarding (data) plane. This separation enhances scalability and centralises management. In comparison, in traditional networks, the control plane and the data plane are usually combined, resulting in complex network management and reduced scalability. Satellite networks can take advantage of these benefits offered by SDN and this supports them as key enablers of critical services, including weather prediction, global broadband Internet coverage, and Internet of Things (IoT) services. Ease of configuration and flexibility are essential for satellites providing critical services to instantly adapt to network changes. These desirable attributes can be realised by applying SDN to satellite networks. Although SDN offers significant benefits to satellite networks, it is vulnerable to cyber-attacks and particularly due to its centralised architecture. A common attack on SDN is the Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack which could render the entire SDN unavailable. To mitigate such threats, an efficient Intrusion Detection System (IDS) is required to monitor the network and detect any suspicious traffic. However, traditional IDSs produce too many false positives and often fail to detect advanced attacks. For their ability to learn feature hierarchies in network traffic data automatically, whether, for network traffic classification or anomaly detection, deep learning (DL) plays an increasingly important role in IDSs. In this paper, we present a brief review of recent developments in cyber security for SDN-based space systems, and we identify vulnerabilities and threats to an SDN-based satellite network. We further discuss the potential of a DL-based IDS for the detection of cyber threats. Finally, we identify further research gaps in the recent literature and propose future research directions.

An Effective Multi-Agent Ant Colony Optimization Algorithm for QoS-Aware Cloud Service Composition

In order to improve the efficiency of wireless network virtualization resource processing, this paper combines the dynamic resource allocation algorithm to construct a wireless network virtualization resource sharing model. This paper proposes a task-oriented resource management model and uses the task-oriented TRS model to describe resources and service processes, reducing the complexity of formulating resource allocation strategies. Moreover, this paper comprehensively considers factors such as centralized coordination control cost and limited domain topology visibility to improve the dynamic resource allocation algorithm. Through the abstraction and unified representation of network resources, resource sharing, and efficient reuse, the coexistence and integration of heterogeneous wireless networks can be realized. Wireless network virtualization can decouple complex and diverse network management and control functions from hardware and extract them to the upper layer for unified coordination and management, thereby reducing network management costs and improving network management and control efficiency

Dual-Stage Planning for Elastic Optical Networks Integrating Machine-Learning-Assisted QoT Estimation

Following the emergence of Elastic Optical Networks (EONs), Machine Learning (ML) has been intensively investigated as a promising methodology to address complex network management tasks, including, e.g., Quality of Transmission (QoT) estimation, fault management, and automatic adjustment of transmission parameters. Though several ML-based solutions for specific tasks have been proposed, how to integrate the outcome of such ML approaches inside Routing and Spectrum Assignment (RSA) models (which address the fundamental planning problem in EONs) is still an open research problem. In this study, we propose a dual-stage iterative RSA optimization framework that incorporates the QoT estimations provided by a ML regressor, used to define lightpaths’ reach constraints, into a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) formulation. The first stage minimizes the overall spectrum occupation, whereas the second stage maximizes the minimum inter-channel spacing between neighbor channels, without increasing the overall spectrum occupation obtained in the previous stage. During the second stage, additional interference constraints are generated, and these constraints are then added to the MILP at the next iteration round to exclude those lightpaths combinations that would exhibit unacceptable QoT. Our illustrative numerical results on realistic EON instances show that the proposed ML-assisted framework achieves spectrum occupation savings up to 52.4% (around 33% on average) in comparison to a traditional MILP-based RSA framework that uses conservative reach constraints based on margined analytical models.

Random-Delay-Corrected Deep Reinforcement Learning Framework for Real-World Online Closed-Loop Network Automation

The future mobile communication networks (beyond 5th generation (5G)) are evolving toward the service-based architecture where network functions are fine-grained, thereby meeting the dynamic requirements of diverse and differentiated vertical applications. Consequently, the complexity of network management becomes higher, and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies can improve AI-native network automation with their ability to solve complex problems. Specifically, deep reinforcement learning (DRL) technologies are considered the key to intelligent network automation with a feedback mechanism similar to that of online closed-loop architecture. However, the 0-delay assumptions of the standard Markov decision process (MDP) of traditional DRL algorithms cannot directly be adopted into real-world networks because there exist random delays between the agent and the environment that will affect the performance significantly. To address this problem, this paper proposes a random-delay-corrected framework. We first abstract the scenario and model it as a partial history-dependent MDP (PH-MDP), and prove that it can be transformed to be the standard MDP solved by the traditional DRL algorithms. Then, we propose a random-delay-corrected DRL framework with a forward model and a delay-corrected trajectory sampling to obtain samples by continuous interactions to train the agent. Finally, we propose a delayed-deep-Q-network (delayed-DQN) algorithm based on the framework. For the evaluation, we develop a real-world cloud-native 5G core network prototype whose management architecture follows an online closed-loop mechanism. A use case on the top of the prototype namely delayed-DQN-enabled access and mobility management function (AMF) scaling is implemented for specific evaluations. Several experiments are designed and the results show that our proposed methodologies perform better in the random-delayed networks than other methods (e.g., the standard DQN algorithm).

A review of machine learning-based failure management in optical networks

Failure management plays a significant role in optical networks. It ensures secure operation, mitigates potential risks, and executes proactive protection. Machine learning (ML) is considered to be an extremely powerful technique for performing comprehensive data analysis and complex network management and is widely utilized for failure management in optical networks to revolutionize the conventional manual methods. In this study, the background of failure management is introduced, where typical failure tasks, physical objects, ML algorithms, data sources, and extracted information are illustrated in detail. An overview of the applications of ML in failure management is provided in terms of alarm analysis, failure prediction, failure detection, failure localization, and failure identification. Finally, the future directions on ML for failure management are discussed from the perspective of data, model, task, and emerging techniques.

A survey of deep reinforcement learning application in 5G and beyond network slicing and virtualization

The 5th Generation (5G) and beyond networks are expected to offer huge throughputs, connect large number of devices, support low latency and large numbers of business services. To realize this vision, there is a need for a paradigm shift in the way cellular networks are designed, built, and maintained. Network slicing divides the physical network infrastructure into multiple virtual networks to support diverse business services, enterprise applications and use cases. Multiple services and use cases with varying architectures and quality of service requirements on such shared infrastructure complicates the network environment. Moreover, the dynamic and heterogeneous nature of 5G and beyond networks will exacerbate network management and operations complexity. Inspired by the successful application of machine learning tools in solving complex mobile network decision making problems, deep reinforcement learning (Deep RL) methods provide potential solutions to address slice lifecycle management and operation challenges in 5G and beyond networks. This paper aims to bridge the gap between Deep RL and the 5G network slicing research, by presenting a comprehensive survey of their existing research association. First, the basic concepts of Deep RL framework are presented. 5G network slicing and virtualization principles are then discussed. Thirdly, we review challenges in 5G network slicing and the current research efforts to incorporate Deep RL in addressing them. Lastly, we present open research problems and directions for future research.

Development of a Conceptual Data Model for 3D Geospatial Road Management Based on LandInfra Standard: A Case Study of Korea

In practice, road management data are typically managed in two-dimensional (2D) geospatial forms. However, 2D geographic information system (GIS)-based road infrastructure management data have limitations in their representation of complex roads, such as interchanges, bridges, and tunnels. As such, complex and large road network management data cannot be adequately managed in a 2D GIS-based form. This study discusses the use of the LandInfra standard for road infrastructure management in Korea, considering its focus on land and civil engineering infrastructure facilities. To facilitate the transition from 2D to 3D GIS, we analyzed existing road management models of road pavement and road register information and created Unified Modeling Language (UML) class diagrams depicting these models. Then, existing road management classes and LandInfra classes were mapped. Based on the results, we propose a road management model based on the Facility, Alignment, and Road parts of LandInfra. For its implementation, several classes of the proposed data model were encoded into InfraGML using real-world data input. Taken together, this study shows how the LandInfra standard can be extended and applied to the field of road infrastructure management in Korea, supporting the transition from a 2D to a 3D GIS-based model.

A blockchain-based secure data-sharing framework for Software Defined Wireless Body Area Networks

In the past few years, blockchain has proven its necessity and unprecedented prospects in providing a secure environment for information exchange between two parties. The integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) with blockchain has enabled a digital transformation in many areas such as healthcare, supply chain, and financial services. Like blockchain, the programmable Software-Defined Network (SDN) is also achieving popularity due to its ability to reduce network management complexity. It is evident that incorporating SDNs with IoT-based healthcare systems can significantly improve healthcare management services. However, there are a number of challenges such as data confidentiality, user-centric design, integrity and privacy that makes it difficult to share sensitive information among different parties in a healthcare system. To overcome these challenges, we propose an architectural framework that incorporates blockchain with Software-Defined Wireless Body Area Networks (SDWBANs) to facilitate secure data sharing. We have also designed and integrated a smart contract based fine-grained access control policy to ensure that only data owners will have full control over their health data. The experimental outcomes show that the proposed model achieves good throughput and incurs a very low overhead in terms of latency compared to traditional cloud-based systems.

Multiplicatively weighted Voronoi-based sensor collaborative redeployment in software-defined wireless sensor networks

Large-scale deployment of mobile wireless sensor networks has been widely used in some dangerous and hostile urban security surveillance scenarios. As a new network architecture, software-defined networks was introduced into wireless sensor networks to form a new software-defined wireless sensor networks to solve the problem of balanced large-scale deployment of sensor networks and simplify the complexity of network management. In this article, we first develop an original confident information coverage–based multiplicatively weighted Voronoi diagram through sensor clustering and sensor collaborative sensing. And then, we propose two sensor collaborative redeployment algorithms based on the novel confident information coverage–based multiplicatively weighted Voronoi diagram and software-defined wireless sensor networks architecture to provide high-confidence coverage and improve the coverage ratio. Finally, we demonstrate the superiority of the confident information coverage–based multiplicatively weighted Voronoi diagram and the effectiveness and efficiency of our proposed algorithms via a series of experiments.

The artist and the automaton in digital game production

This article analyses discourses around procedural content generation (PCG) as automation of creativity in the games industry. PCG refers to techniques for creating game content algorithmically, by manipulating data through sets of computational operations and parameters. By producing scalable results with combinatorial diversity, procedural generation is touted as the future of content, yet flouted as the harbinger of technological unemployment in game art production. Critical scholarship on automation suggests that the real danger is not job loss per se, but the constitution of an underclass of artists whose vital work of conditioning algorithmic outputs is denigrated as derivative and ‘manual’. Framed by liberal humanist ideas of agency, PCG naturalizes trade-offs where the autonomy of generative machines is contingent upon the automatism of its human conditioners. This qualitative analyses of talks on PCG at the Game Developers Conference (2015–2020) shows how procedural systems bifurcate the creative work of algorithmic cultural production into affective and mechanical forms of conditioning that map onto stratifications of racial capitalism. Affective tuning resists documentation and is reserved for artists with technomasculine forms of cultural capital; mechanical tuning is relegated to automatable and outsourced labour and relies on replicable technique that is considered artistic but not creative. This article argues that PCG’s reclassification of creativity through racialised dialectics of human agency and machine automaticity overlooks the autonomy of procedural systems. PCG pipelines are organised less around the agency of human toolmakers and more around the autonomy of systems that assimilate tasks in the management of complex networks of dependencies. Instead of pitting artists against machines, this analysis politicises automation’s racial stratifications by examining the momentum of more-than-human systems in which toolmakers and tool users negotiate granularities of control and degrees of concession.

Machine Learning-Based Botnet Detection in Software-Defined Network: A Systematic Review

In recent decades, the internet has grown and changed the world tremendously, and this, in turn, has brought about many cyberattacks. Cybersecurity represents one of the most serious threats to society, and it costs millions of dollars each year. The most significant question remains: Where do these attacks come from? The answer is that botnets provide platforms for cyberattacks. For many organizations, a botnet-assisted attack is a terrifying threat that can cause financial losses and leave global victims in its wake. It is therefore imperative to defend organizations against botnet-assisted attacks. Software defined networking (SDN) has emerged as one of the most promising paradigms for this because it allows exponential increases in the complexity of network management and configuration. SDN has a substantial advantage over traditional approaches with regard to network management because it separates the control plane from network equipment. However, security challenges continue to arise, which raises the need for different types of implementation strategies to spread attack vectors, despite the significant benefits. The main objective of this survey is to assess botnet detection techniques by using systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We evaluated various articles published since 2006 in the field of botnet detection, based on machine learning, and from 2015 in the field of SDN. Specifically, we used top-rated journals that featured the highest impact factors. In this paper, we aim to elaborate on several research areas regarding botnet attacks, detection techniques, machine learning, and SDN. We also address current research challenges and propose directions for future research.

Framework for Behavioral Analysis of Mobile Networks.

The arrival of the Fifth Generation (5G) entails a significant evolution in the context of mobile communication networks. This new technology will bring heterogeneous scenarios with new types of services and an increasingly high number of users and nodes. The efficient management of such complex networks has become an important challenge. To address this problem, automatic and efficient algorithms must be developed to facilitate operators’ management and optimization of their networks. These algorithms must be able to cope with a very high number of heterogeneous data and different types of scenarios. In this paper, a novel framework for a cellular network behavioral analysis and monitoring is presented. This framework is based on a combination of unsupervised and supervised machine learning techniques. The proposed system can analyze the behavior of cells and monitor them, searching for behavior changes over time. The information extracted by the framework can be used to improve subsequent management and optimization functions.

Blockchain and 5G integrated softwarized UAV network management: Architecture, solutions, and challenges

Network management for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is challenging, keeping in view the high mobility of the vehicles. Hence, for smooth execution of various operations such as rescue, surveillance, and crowdsensing in a UAV environment, softwarization of UAV networks becomes essential, which separates control functions from hardware, i.e., data from the control plane. Using softwarization, various complex operations in the UAV environment can be executed with an increase in UAVs. However, with an increase in the complexity of UAV network management, secure communication among UAVs becomes a tedious task as most of the communication among UAVs takes place using an open network, i.e., the Internet. Software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) are the key softwarization enabling techniques in fifth-generation (5G) networks, which are used to manage secure network services with reduced capital and operating expenditures. However, different softwarization layers may suffer from controller hijacking, user authentication, access control, and resource consumption attack. Many solutions reported in the literature for this problem are centralized controlled that suffers from single-point of failure and also prone to various security attacks. Motivated from this, in this paper, a systematic and comprehensive survey is presented, which is based on blockchain (BC)-envisioned secure and trusted softwarized UAV network management. We also propose a BC-based softwarized UAV architecture to make the communication network secure and easily manageable. It can offer flexible and dynamic decision capabilities for network management services even in open 5G-enabled UAV networks. Finally, we analyzed the research challenges posed and future challenges in this area.

Intelligence‐enabled approach for load balancing in software‐defined data center networks

SummarySoftware‐defined network provides eminent solutions for many complex network management functionalities in a data center network (DCN). One of the major tasks in any network is the load balancing in the available links. Due to dynamic data traffic nature in network, it is necessary to perform deep learning approaches for the long‐term and the short‐term data. This paper proposes a splitting policy‐based RL network (SPRLN) approach, a reinforcement learning‐based proactive load balancing algorithm that avoids the poll to the controller after the switch encounters an abnormality. The proposed method has been tested with simulations and found successful in improving the overall network performance by taking appropriate action for reward maximization. The testbed environment is treated as a Q‐learning algorithm; here, the optimality is defined as the path having the least score so that the overloaded path in that particular time can be avoided. An artificial neural network is needed because the data are uncertain all the time. Thus, the proposed SPRLN method yields 30% increased throughput and with 80% reduced data loss, when compared to existing approaches.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Proactive Load Balancing Strategy Towards Intelligence-Enabled Software-Defined Network

Software-defined network provides a greater solution to many of the complex network management functionalities in a data center network (DCN). In a software-defined data center network, it is essential to manage heavy traffic, to avoid data loss, and to avoid server unavailability during heavy flows. One of the major tasks in a network is the load balancing in the available links. Due to the dynamic data traffic in the network, it is necessary to perform a deep learning of the long-term and the short-term data. Hence, this paper proposes an intelligent load balancing scenario that includes link load balancing, server load balancing, and traffic classification. An artificial neural network is needed because the data are uncertain all the time. Thus, our method provides improved throughput, minimized the flow completion time, and minimizes data loss.

Virtual Network Function Embedding under Nodal Outage Using Deep Q-Learning

With the emergence of various types of applications such as delay-sensitive applications, future communication networks are expected to be increasingly complex and dynamic. Network Function Virtualization (NFV) provides the necessary support towards efficient management of such complex networks, by virtualizing network functions and placing them on shared commodity servers. However, one of the critical issues in NFV is the resource allocation for the highly complex services; moreover, this problem is classified as an NP-Hard problem. To solve this problem, our work investigates the potential of Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) as a swift yet accurate approach (as compared to integer linear programming) for deploying Virtualized Network Functions (VNFs) under several Quality-of-Service (QoS) constraints such as latency, memory, CPU, and failure recovery requirements. More importantly, the failure recovery requirements are focused on the node-outage problem where outage can be either due to a disaster or unavailability of network topology information (e.g., due to proprietary and ownership issues). In DRL, we adopt a Deep Q-Learning (DQL) based algorithm where the primary network estimates the action-value function Q, as well as the predicted Q, highly causing divergence in Q-value’s updates. This divergence increases for the larger-scale action and state-space causing inconsistency in learning, resulting in an inaccurate output. Thus, to overcome this divergence, our work has adopted a well-known approach, i.e., introducing Target Neural Networks and Experience Replay algorithms in DQL. The constructed model is simulated for two real network topologies—Netrail Topology and BtEurope Topology—with various capacities of the nodes (e.g., CPU core, VNFs per Core), links (e.g., bandwidth and latency), several VNF Forwarding Graph (VNF-FG) complexities, and different degrees of the nodal outage from 0% to 50%. We can conclude from our work that, with the increase in network density or nodal capacity or VNF-FG’s complexity, the model took extremely high computation time to execute the desirable results. Moreover, with the rise in complexity of the VNF-FG, the resources decline much faster. In terms of the nodal outage, our model provided almost 70–90% Service Acceptance Rate (SAR) even with a 50% nodal outage for certain combinations of scenarios.