Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Στην εργασία αυτή αναλύεται θεωρητικά ένα σύστημα ηλεκτρονικής ψηφοφορίας και προσδιορίζονται πειραματικά οι κυριότεροι παράμετροι απόδοσής του. Αρχικά προτείνεται ένα πρωτόκολλο για ασφαλή επικοινωνία και στη συνέχεια το σύστημα μοντελοποιείται σαν ένα κλειστό δίκτυο αναμονής. Χρησιμοποιώντας τη τεχνική της Ανάλυσης Μέσης Τιμής μπορέσαμε να υπολογίσουμε μέσες τιμές για το χρόνο απόκρισης του συστήματος, τη διεκπεραιωτική του ικανότητα, το μήκος ουράς αναμονής των επιμέρους υποσυστημάτων καθώς και να προσδιορίσουμε τις ανάγκες σε τεχνολογικό εξοπλισμό. Στο θεωρητικό κομμάτι περιγράφονται και επεξηγούνται αναλυτικά όλες οι έννοιες που αφορούν τα δίκτυα αναμονής και παρουσιάζονται οι βασικοί μαθηματικοί νόμοι που διέπουν τη λειτουργία τους. Επίσης παρουσιάζεται αναλυτικά ο αλγόριθμός της μέσης τιμής καθώς και μια δημοφιλής προσέγγιση σε αυτόν. Στο πρακτικό κομμάτι έχει γίνει μια προγραμματιστική υλοποίηση του αλγόριθμου σε γλώσσα C. Με το πρόγραμμα αυτό μπορούμε εισάγοντας τις τιμές εισόδου για το μοντέλο μας να μελετήσουμε την απόδοσή του. / In this paper we analyze the performance of a large-scale e-voting system. To do so, we develop a performance model based on a closed queuing network and solve it using an Exact Mean Value Analysis technique. From the solution of our model we can estimate several performance parameters of the system ( such as throughput, response time, utilization and queue length) and define its main bottlenecks .In Chapter 1 we present the theory of queuing networks and their operational laws. In chapter 2, we present the algorithm of Mean Value Analysis and a very popular approximation of the algorithm. Finally we present the program we developed based on the MVA algorithm, in order to analyze the proposed e-voting system and its results.

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An increasing number of network applications use reliable transport protocols. Applications with constant data transmission recover from loss without major performance disruption, however, applications that send data sporadically, in small packets, also called thin-streams, experience frequently high latencies due to 'Bufferbloat', that reduce the application performance. Active Queue Management mechanisms were proposed to dynamically manage the queues in routers by dropping packets early and reduce these, hence reducing latency. While their deployment to the internet remains an open issue, the proper investigation into how their functioning mechanism impacts latency is the main focus of this work and research questions have been devised to investigate the AQM impact on latency. A range of AQM mechanisms has been evaluated by the research, exploring performance of the methods for latency sensitive network applications. This has explored new single queue AQM mechanisms such as Controlled Delay (CODEL) and Proportional Integral Enhanced (PIE) and Adaptive RED (ARED). The evaluation has shown great improvements in queuing latency when AQM are used over a range of network scenarios. Scheduling AQM algorithms such as FlowQueue CODEL (FQ-CODEL) isolates traffic and minimises the impact of Bufferbloat on flows. The core components of FQ-CODEL, still widely misunderstood at the time of its inception, have been explained in depth by this study and their contribution to reducing latency have been evaluated. The results show significant reductions in queuing latency for thin streams using FQ-CODEL. When TCP is used for thin streams, high application latencies can arise when there are retransmissions, for example after dropping packets by an AQM mechanism. This delay is a result of TCP's loss-based congestion control mechanism that controls sender transmission rate following packet loss. ECN, a marking sender-side improvement to TCP reduces applicationlayer latency without disrupting the overall network performance. The thesis evaluated the benefit of using ECN using a wide range of experiments. The findings show that FQ-CODEL with ECN provides a substantial reduction of application latency compared to a drop-based AQM. Moreover, this study recommends the combination of FQ-CODEL with other mechanisms, to reduce application latency. Mechanisms such as ABE, have been shown to increase aggregate throughput and reduce application latency for thin-stream applications.

Thesis(M.S.)--Auburn University, 2006. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references (p.44-45).

Active queue management (AQM) techniques for congestion control in Internet Protocol (IP) networks have been designed using both heuristic and analytical methods. But so far, there has been found no AQM scheme designed in the realm of stochastic optimization. Of the many options available in this arena, the gradient-based stochastic approximation method using Infintesimal Perturbation Analysis (IPA) gradient estimators within the Stochastic Fluid Model (SFM) framework is very promising. The research outlined in this thesis provides the theoretical basis and foundational layer for the development of IPA-based AQM schemes. Algorithms for computing the IPA gradient estimators for loss volume and queue workload were derived for the following cases: a single-stage queue with instantaneous, additive loss-feedback, a single-stage queue with instantaneous, additive loss-feedback and an unresponsive competing flow, a single-stage queue with delayed, additive loss-feedback, and a multi-stage tandem network of $m$ queues with instantaneous, additive loss-feedback. For all cases, the IPA gradient estimators were derived with the control parameter, $ heta$, being the buffer-limits of the queue(s). For the single-stage case and the multi-stage case with instantaneous, additive loss-feedback, the IPA gradient estimators for when the control parameter, $ heta$, is the loss-feedback constant, were also derived. Sensitivity analyses and optimizations were performed with control parameter, $ heta$, being the buffer-limits of the queue(s), as well as the loss-feedback constant.

This thesis is concerned with queueing models where demand is allowed to exceed the system capacity, and also with the capacity sizing and pricing problem for heterogeneous products and resources under demand uncertainty. Our aim is to improve productivity and profitability. In the first part of the thesis, we consider the dynamic assignment of servers to tasks in queueing networks where demand may exceed the capacity for service. The objective is to maximize the system throughput. We use fluid limit analysis to show that several quantities of interest, namely the maximum possible throughput, the maximum throughput for a given arrival rate, the minimum arrival rate that will yield a desired feasible throughput, and the optimal allocations of servers to classes for a given arrival rate and desired throughput, can be computed by solving linear programming problems. We develop generalized round robin policies for assigning servers to classes for a given arrival rate and desired throughput, and show that our policies achieve the desired throughput as long as this throughput is feasible for the arrival rate. We conclude with numerical examples that illustrate the points discussed and provide insights into the system behavior when the arrival rate deviates from the one the system is designed for. In the second part of the thesis, we consider the effects of inspection and repair stations on the production capacity and product quality in a serial line with possible inspection and repair following each operation. We consider multiple defect types and allow for possible inspection errors that are defect dependent. We construct a profit function that takes into account inspection, repair, and goodwill costs, as well as the capacity of each station. Then we compare the profitability of different inspection plans and discuss how to identify the optimal inspection plan. Finally, in the third part of the thesis, we consider the capacity and pricing decisions made by a monopolistic firm producing two heterogeneous products under demand uncertainty. The objective is to maximize profit. Our model incorporates dedicated and flexible resources, product substitutability, and processing rates that may depend on the product and on the resource type. We provide the optimum prices and production quantities as functions of resource capacities and demand intercepts. We also show that investment in flexible capacity is only desirable when it is optimal to invest in dedicated capacities for both products, and obtain upper bounds for the costs of the dedicated capacities that need to be satisfied for investment in the flexible resource. We conclude with numerical examples that illustrate the points discussed and provide insights into how the optimal capacities and expected production quantities, prices, and profit depend on various model parameters.

This dissertation is concerned with the tail asymptotics of queueing networks with subexponential service time distributions. Our objective is to investigate the tail characteristics of key performance measures such as cycle times and waiting times on a variety of queueing models which may arise in many applications such as communication and manufacturing systems. First, we focus on a general class of closed feedforward fork and join queueing networks under the assumption that the service time distribution of at least one station is subexponential. Our goal is to derive the tail asymptotics of transient cycle times and waiting times. Furthermore, we argue that under certain conditions the asymptotic tail distributions remain the same for stationary cycle times and waiting times. Finally, we provide numerical experiments in order to understand how fast the convergence of tail probabilities of cycle times and waiting times is to their asymptotic counter parts. Next, we consider closed tandem queues with finite buffers between stations. We assume that at least one station has a subexponential service time distribution. We analyze this system under communication blocking and manufacturing blocking rules. We are interested in the tail asymptotics of transient cycle times and waiting times. Furthermore, we study under which conditions on system parameters a stationary regime exists and the transient results can be generalized to stationary counter parts. Finally, we provide numerical examples to understand the convergence behavior of the tail asymptotics of transient cycle times and waiting times. Finally, we study open tandem queueing networks with subexponential service time distributions. We assume that number of customers in front of the first station is infinite and there is infinite room for finished customers after the last station but the size of the buffer between two consecutive stations is finite. Using (max,+) linear recursions, we investigate the tail asymptotics of transient response times and waiting times under both communication blocking and manufacturing blocking schemes. We also discuss under which conditions these results can be generalized to the tail asymptotics of stationary response times and waiting times. Finally, we provide numerical examples to investigate the convergence of the tail probabilities of transient response times and waiting times to their asymptotic counter parts.

Nous étudions les systèmes de véhicules en libre service en aller-simple : avec emprunt et restitution dans des lieux éventuellement différents. La publicité promeut l'image de flexibilité et d'accessibilité (tarifaire) de tels systèmes, mais en réalité il arrive qu'il n'y ait pas de véhicule disponible au départ, voire pire, pas de place à l'arrivée. Il est envisageable (et pratiqué pour Vélib' à Paris) de relocaliser les véhicules pour éviter que certaines stations soient vides ou pleines à cause des marées ou de la gravitation. Notre parti-pris est cependant de ne pas considérer de ``relocalisation physique'' (à base de tournées de camions) en raison du coût, du trafic et de la pollution occasionnées (surtout pour des systèmes de voitures, comme Autolib' à Paris). La question à laquelle nous désirons répondre dans cette thèse est la suivante : Une gestion via des tarifs incitatifs permet-elle d'améliorer significativement les performances des systèmes de véhicules en libre service ? / One way Vehicle Sharing Systems (VSS), in which users pick-up and return a vehicle in different places is a new type of transportation system that presents many advantages. However, even if advertising promotes an image of flexibility and price accessibility, in reality customers might not find a vehicle at the original station (which may be considered as an infinite price), or worse, a parking spot at destination. Since the first Bike Sharing Systems (BSS), problems of vehicles and parking spots availability have appeared crucial. We define the system performance as the number of trips sold (to be maximized). BSS performance is currently improved by vehicle relocation with trucks. Our scope is to focus on self regulating systems through pricing incentives, avoiding physical station balancing. The question we are investigating in this thesis is the following: Can a management of the incentives increases significantly the performance of the vehicle sharing systems?

No / Security mechanisms, such as encryption and authentication protocols, require extra computing resources and therefore, have an adverse effect upon the performance of robotic mobile wireless ad hoc networks (RANETs). Thus, an optimal performance and security trade-off should be one of the main aspects that should be taken into consideration during the design, development, tuning and upgrading of such networks. In this context, an exposition is initially undertaken on the applicability of Petri nets (PNs) and queueing networks (QNs) in conjunction with their generalisations and hybrid integrations as robust quantitative modelling tools for the performance analysis of discrete flow systems, such as computer systems, communication networks and manufacturing systems. To overcome some of the inherent limitations of these models, a novel hybrid modelling framework is explored for the quantitative evaluation of RANETs, where each robotic node is represented by an abstract open hybrid G-GSPN_QN model with head-of-line priorities, subject to combined performance and security metrics (CPSMs). The proposed model focuses on security processing and state-based control and it is based on an open generalised stochastic PN (GSPN) with a gated multi-class 'On-Off' traffic and mobility model. Moreover, it employs a power consumption model and is linked in tandem with an arbitrary QN consisting of finite capacity channel queues with blocking for 'intra' robot component-to-component communication and 'inter' robot-to-robot transmission. Conclusions and future research directions are included.