Project No.: 5003-045311 01.04.96 - 31.12.99

Project leader:Prof. Jean-Yves Le Boudec, Laboratoire de réseaux de communication, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne (EPFL)
e-mail: leboudec@di.epfl.ch

Name of project: Integrated Management for Multimedia Networks (IMMuNe)

Partners:
Prof. Boi Faltings, Laboratoire d’Intelligence Artificielle, EPFL
Prof. Jean-Pierre Hubyaux, TCOM, EPFL
Dr. Kateel Vijayananda, Swisscom Corporate Technology, Bern
Günter Koch, Synlogic AG, Binningen
Stefan Frey, Institut für Technische Informatik und Kommunikationsnetze, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Zurich (ETHZ)

Funding: Sfr 1,025,389.-

Summary:
The IMMuNe (Integrated Management for Multimedia Networks) project is concerned with the management of multimedia networks. To satisfy the high reliability requirements of multimedia networks, an explicit resource allocation must be established in order to avoid overloading the system. The problem of resource allocation is of exponential complexity, but it must nevertheless be capable of resolution in realtime. The contradictory requirements can only be reconciled by a systematic procedure. The present project examines the problem with reference to multimedia information services.

The allocation problem exists on three levels:

• short-term decisions arising from the network elements in a distributed fashion;
• network management by operators, who determine the optimal network parameters;
• long-term planning of network topology and allocation strategies.

Whereas these three levels are separate in traditional technology, the present project seeks to integrate them vertically with the help of specialists in the various fields. This integrated solution is intended to point up new ways for matters of network management in relation to the multimedia information highway.

The first phase of the project already brought gratifying progress in integrating these different aspects. Phase two will lift some restrictions which were originally necessary:

• use of real traffic data in place of synthetic data;
• use of learning on all time levels, both short-term (call setup) and long-term (planning);
• distribution of allocation strategies from a present centralized tool to autonomous agents;
• approval not only of CBR (constant bit rate) connections but also of VBR (variable bit rate) connections.

Cooperation:
The project is being operated by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne (EPFL) together with the Federal Institute of Technology at Zurich and Swisscom. At the EPFL, the project involves the communication networks lab, the telecommunications lab and the artificial intelligence lab. The project has taken on board a new industrial partner in the form of Synlogic SA, as well as a spin-off of EPFL: Iconomics Systems. The business partner Synlogic will also be responsible for marketing the software.