Design and analysis of an approximation algorithm for Stackelberg network pricing

We consider the problem of maximizing the revenue raised from tolls set on the arcs of a transportation network, under the constraint that users are assigned to toll-compatible shortest paths. We first prove that this problem is strongly NP-hard. We then provide a polynomial time algorithm with a worst-case precision guarantee of $\frac{1}{2}\log m_T+1$, where … Read more

An annotated bibliography of network interior point methods

This paper presents an annotated bibliography on interior point methods for solving network flow problems. We consider single and multi-commodity network flow problems, as well as preconditioners used in implementations of conjugate gradient methods for solving the normal systems of equations that arise in interior network flow algorithms. Applications in electrical engineering and miscellaneous papers … Read more

Transparent optical network design with sparse wavelength conversion

We consider the design of transparent optical networks from a practical perspective. Network operators aim at satisfying the communication demands at minimum cost. Such an optimization involves three interdependent planning issues: the dimensioning of the physical topology, the routing of lightpaths, and the wavelength assignment. Further topics include the reliability of the configuration and sparse … Read more

STRONG LOWER BOUNDS FOR THE PRIZE COLLECTING STEINER PROBLEM IN GRAPHS

Given an undirected graph G with nonnegative edges costs and nonnegative vertex penalties, the prize collecting Steiner problem in graphs (PCSPG) seeks a tree of G with minimum weight. The weight of a tree is the sum of its edge costs plus the sum of the penalties of those vertices not spanned by the tree. … Read more

Hierarchical Network Design Using Simulated Annealing

The hierarchical network problem is the problem of finding the least cost network, with nodes divided into groups, edges connecting nodes in each groups and groups ordered in a hierarchy. The idea of hierarchical networks comes from telecommunication networks where hierarchies exist. Hierarchical networks are described and a mathematical model is proposed for a two … Read more

Mesh Topology Design in Overlay Virtual Private Networks

We study the mesh topology design problem in overlay virtual private networks. Given a set of customer nodes and associated traffic matrix, tunnels that are connecting node pairs through a public service provider network subject to degree constraints are determined so as to minimize total multihopped traffic. Valid inequalities strengthening the LP relaxation and a … Read more

Reformulating Linear Programs with Transportation Constraints — with Applications to Workforce Scheduling

We study linear programming models that contain transportation constraints in their formulation. Typically, these models have a multi-stage nature and the transportation constraints together with the associated flow variables are used to achieve consistency between consecutive stages. We describe how to reformulate these models by projecting out the flow variables. The reformulation can be more … Read more

A Mixed Integer Disjunctive Model for Transmission Network Expansion

The classical non-linear mixed integer formulation of the transmission network expansion problem cannot guarantee finding the optimal solution due to its non-convex nature. We propose an alternative mixed integer linear disjunctive formulation, which has better conditioning properties than the standard disjunctive model. The mixed integer program is solved by a commercial Branch and Bound code, … Read more

The Robust Shortest Path Problem with Interval Data

Motivated by telecommunication applications, we investigate the shortest path problem on directed acyclic graphs under arc length uncertainties represented as interval numbers. Using a minimax-regret criterion we define and identify robust paths via mixed-integer programming and exploiting interesting structural properties of the problem. Citation Bilkent University, Department of Industrial Engineering, Technical Report August 2001 Article … Read more

A GRASP with path-relinking for private virtual circuit routing

A frame relay service offers virtual private networks to customers by provisioning a set of long-term private virtual circuits (PVCs) between customer endpoints on a large backbone network. During the provisioning of a PVC, routing decisions are made without any knowledge of future requests. Over time, these decisions can cause inefficiencies in the network and … Read more