Simulating Timescale Dynamics of Network Traffic Using Homogeneous Modeling

Simulating and understanding traffic dynamics in large networks are difficult and challenging due to the complexity of such networks and the limitations inherent in simulation modeling. Typically, simulation models used to study traffic dynamics include substantial detail representing protocol mechanisms across several layers of functionality. Such models must be restricted in space and time in order to be computationally tractable. We propose an alternative simulation approach that uses homogeneous modeling with an increased level of abstraction, in order to explore networks at larger space-time scales than otherwise feasible and to develop intuition and insight about the space-time dynamics of large networks. To illustrate the utility of our approach, we examine some current understandings of the timescale dynamics of network traffic, and we discuss some speculative results obtained with homogeneous modeling. Using a wavelet-based technique, we show correlation structures, and changes in correlation structures, of network traffic under variations in traffic sources, transport mechanisms, and network structure. Our simulation results justify further investigation of our approach, which might benefit from cross-verifications against more detailed simulation models.