The Design and Analysis of Virtual Network Configuration for a Wireless Mobile ATM Network

This research concentrates on the design and analysis of an algorithm referred to as Virtual Network Configuration which uses predicted future states of a system for faster network configuration and management. Virtual Network Configuration is applied to the configuration of a wireless mobile Asynchronous Transfer Mode network. Virtual Network Configuration is built on techniques from parallel discrete event simulation merged with constraints from real-time systems and applied to mobile ATM configuration and handoff. Configuration in a mobile network is a dynamic and continuous process. Factors such as load, distance, capacity and topology are all constantly changing in a mobile environment. The Virtual Network Configuration algorithm anticipates configuration changes and speeds the reconfiguration process by pre-computing and caching results. Virtual Network Configuration propagates local prediction results throughout the Virtual Network Configuration enhanced system. The Global Positioning System is an enabling technology for the use of Virtual Network Configuration in mobile networks because it provides location information and accurate time for each node. This research has resulted in well defined structures for the encapsulation of physical processes within Logical Processs and a generic library for enhancing a system with Virtual Network Configuration. Enhancing an existing system with Virtual Network Configuration is straight forward assuming the existing physical processes do not