Section: Overall Objectives

Overall Objectives

The research team Rap (Networks, Algorithms and Communication Networks) was created in 2004 on the basis of a long standing collaboration between engineers at France Telecom R&D in Lannion and researchers from INRIA Paris — Rocquencourt. The initial objective was to formalize and expand this fruitful collaboration.

At France-Telecom R&D in Lannion, the members of the team are experts in the analytical modeling of communication networks as well as on some of the operational aspects of network management concerning traffic measurements on ADSL networks, for example.

At INRIA Paris — Rocquencourt, the members of RAP have a recognized expertise in modeling methodologies applied to stochastic models of communication networks.

From the very beginning, it has been decided that RAP would focus on a number of particular issues over a period of three or four years. The general goal of the collaboration is to develop, analyze and optimize algorithms for communication networks. Projects currently in progress are the following.

1. Mathematical models of traffic measurements of ADSL traffic.

2. Design of algorithms to allocate bandwidth in optical networks.

Rap also has the objective of developing new fundamental tools to investigate probabilistic models of complex communication networks. We believe that mathematical models of complex communication networks require a deep understanding of general results on stochastic processes. It could be argued that, since stochastic networks are “applied”, general results concerning Markov processes (for example) are not of real use in practice and, therefore, that ad-hoc results are more helpful. Recent developments in the study of communication networks have shown that this point of view is flawed. Technical tools such as scaling methods, large deviations and rare events, requiring a sound understanding of some fundamental results concerning stochastic processes, are now used in the analysis of these stochastic models. Two domains are currently investigated

1. Design and analysis of algorithms for communication networks.

2. Analysis of scaling methods for Markov processes: fluid limits and functional limit theorems.