11513651
A scalable solution to the multi-resource QoS problem
The problem of maximizing system utility by allocating a single finite resource to satisfy discrete Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of multiple applications along multiple QoS dimensions was studied previously. In this paper we consider the more complex problem of apportioning multiple finite resources to satisfy the QoS needs of multiple applications along multiple QoS dimensions. In other words, each application, such as video-conferencing, needs multiple resources to satisfy its QoS requirements. We evaluate and compare three strategies to solve this provably NP-hard problem. We show that dynamic programming and mixed integer programming compute optimal solutions to this problem but exhibit very long running times. We then adapt the mixed integer programming problem to yield near-optimal results with smaller running times. Finally, we present an approximation algorithm based on a local search technique that is less than 5% away from the optimal solution but which is more than two orders of magnitude faster. Perhaps more significantly, the local search technique turns out to be very scalable and robust as the number of resources required by each application increases.
5320438
On quality of service optimization with discrete QoS options
We present a QoS management framework that enables us to quantitatively measure QoS, and to analytically plan and allocate resources. In this model, end users' quality preferences are considered when system resources are apportional across multiple applications such that the net utility that accrues to the end-users is maximized. We previously worked with continuous QoS dimensions, and assumed that the utility gained by improvements along a QoS dimension were always representable by concave functions. In this paper we relax both assumptions. One, we support discrete QoS operating points. Two, we make no assumptions about the concavity of the utility functions. Using these as the basis, we tackle the problem of maximizing system utility by allocating a single finite resource to satisfy the QoS requirements of multiple applications along multiple QoS dimensions. We present two near-optimal algorithms to solve this problem. The first yields an allocation within a known bounded distance from the optimal solution, and the second yields an allocation whose distance from the optimal solution can be explicitly controlled by the QoS manager, We compare the run-times of these near-optimal algorithms and their solution quality relative to the optimal allocation, which in turn is computed using dynamic programming. These detailed evaluations provide practical insight into which of these algorithms can be used online in real-time systems.
203663688
Practical Solutions for QoS-Based Resource Allocation
An apparatus and method is disclosed for forming a liquid-tight container having a rectangular cross-section formed from a one-piece, T-shaped blank of paperboard material. The carton preferably includes an access flap and straw element on one side thereof which, when manually lifted, exposes an end of the straw element from which the contents of the carton may be consumed by a user. The apparatus is compact in nature, possessing relatively few transport mechanisms which advance the T-shaped carton blank through a plurality of work stations. A novel method and apparatus for serially applying the straw element and access panel to the carton blank is disclosed, wherein the straw element and a length of polyethylene coated Mylar tape is automatically bonded to the carton blank upon a rotating heat sealing and alignment drum. A conveyor for collating a plural number of the carton blanks about a forming mandrel is also provided, and is positioned transversely to the remainder of the apparatus thereby significantly reducing the overall size of the apparatus. An ultrasonic welder bonds the side seams and end closure panels of the container upon a rotating crossbar mandrel which eliminates any misalignment during the sealing process. A substantially rigid conveyor transport carries a plurality of the carton blanks through pre-form, filler, and end closure work stations, and includes plural anvils for the ultrasonic welding process. An ejector mechanism is additionally provided which ejects the filled carton blanks from the rigid conveyor along a dual direction path, thereby eliminating the possibility of creasing or puncturing the filled and sealed container. The apparatus of the present invention additionally accommodates the production of differing size containers with only minor adjustments.
8218476
A resource allocation model for QoS management
Quality of service (QoS) has been receiving wide attention in many research communities including networking, multimedia systems, real-time systems and distributed systems. In large distributed systems such as those used in defense systems, on-demand service and inter-networked systems, applications contending for system resources must satisfy timing, reliability and security constraints as well as application-specific quality requirements. Allocating sufficient resources to different applications in order to satisfy various requirements is a fundamental problem in these situations. A basic yet flexible model for performance-driven resource allocations can therefore be useful in making appropriate tradeoffs. We present an analytical model for QoS management in systems which must satisfy application needs along multiple dimensions such as timeliness, reliable delivery schemes, cryptographic security and data quality. We refer to this model as Q-RAM (QoS-based Resource Allocation Model). The model assumes a system with multiple concurrent applications, each of which can operate at different levels of quality based on the system resources available to it. The goal of the model is to be able to allocate resources to the various applications such that the overall system utility is maximized under the constraint that each application can meet its minimum needs. We identify resource profiles of applications which allow such decisions to be made efficiently and in real-time. We also identify application utility functions along different dimensions which are composable to form unique application requirement profiles. We use a video-conferencing system to illustrate the model.
2648996
Determination of the Registration Point for Location Update by Dynamic Programming in PCS
Location management is important to effectively keep track of mobile terminals with reduced signal flows and database queries. Even though dynamic location management strategies are known to show good performance, we in this paper consider the static location management strategy which is easy to implement. A system with single home location register and pointer forwarding is assumed. A mobile terminal is assumed to have memory to store the IDs of visitor location registers (VLRs) each of which has the forwarding pointer to identify its current location. To obtain the registration point which minimizes the database access and signaling cost from the current time to the time of power-off probabilistic dynamic programming formulation is presented. A Selective Pointer Forwarding scheme is proposed which is based on one-step dynamic programming. The proposed location update scheme determines the least cost temporary VLR which point forwards the latest location of the mobile. The computational results show that the proposed scheme outperforms IS-41, pure Pointer Forwarding, and One-step Pointer Forwarding at the expense of small storage and a few computations at the mobile terminals.
2097119
Coordinated search and track by multiple phased array radars
This paper addresses the search and track coordination problems of multiple shipboard radars. The proposed approach first exploits the physical characteristics of a single phased array radar to improve its effective capacity. Its effective capacity is abstracted by a closed-form equation called a schedulability envelope. Using the schedulability envelope for each radar, we deal with search and track coordination as a relative-load-balancing problem in a multiresource environment. The simulation results show that the proposed approach significantly improves the overall capacity of a multiship multiradar system.
7325845
Probabilistic QoS guarantee in reliability and timeliness domains in wireless sensor networks
In this paper, we present a novel packet delivery mechanism called multi-path and multi-speed routing protocol (MMSPEED) for probabilistic QoS guarantee in wireless sensor networks. The QoS provisioning is performed in two quality domains, namely, timeliness and reliability. Multiple QoS levels are provided in the timeliness domain by guaranteeing multiple packet delivery speed options. In the reliability domain, various reliability requirements are supported by probabilistic multipath forwarding. All these for QoS provisioning are realized in a localized way without global network information by employing localized geographic packet forwarding augmented with dynamic compensation, which compensates the local decision inaccuracy as a packet travels towards its destination. This way, MMSPEED can guarantee end-to-end requirements in a localized way, which is desirable for scalability and adaptability to large scale dynamic sensor networks. Simulation results show that MMSPEED provides QoS differentiation in both reliability and timeliness domains and, as a result, significantly improves the effective capacity of a sensor network in terms of number of flows that meet both reliability and timeliness requirements.
33337266
A genetic fuzzy agent using ontology model for meeting scheduling system
A Genetic Fuzzy Agent (GFA) using the ontology model for Meeting Scheduling System (MSS) is presented in this paper. The ontology model includes the Fuzzy Meeting Scheduling Ontology (FMSO) and the Fuzzy Personal Ontology (FPO) that can support to construct the knowledge base of the GFA. The FMSO is utilized to record and describe the meeting scheduling domain knowledge for the GFA. In addition, we implement a FMSO editor for generating the Web Ontology Language, OWL, that will be utilized by the GFA. Furthermore, the GFA will infer the suitable meeting time slots based on the ontology model. Moreover, it also adjusts the FMSO and FPO based on the results of the genetic learning mechanism for the next meeting. The experimental results show that our approach can effectively work for MSS.
40821829
Service class based online QoS management in surveillance radar systems
Many application level qualities are functions of available computation resources. Recent studies have handled the computation resource allocation problem to maximize the overall application quality. However such QoS problem is fundamentally a multi-dimensional optimization problem that requires extensive computation. Therefore, online usage of optimization procedures may significantly reduce the computation resource available for applications. This raises the question of how to best use the optimization procedures for dynamic real-time task sets. This paper proposes a method called service classes configuration to address the QoS problem with dynamic arrival and departure of tasks. A simplified radar application is used as an illustrative example.