Evolutionary algorithms refining a heuristic: a hybrid method for shared-path protections in WDM networks under SRLG...

Area of Science:

• Telecommunications Network Engineering
• Computer Science
• Operations Research

Background:

• Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) networks require robust protection mechanisms.
• Shared-risk link group (SRLG) constraints complicate path protection.
• Optimizing construction heuristics is crucial for efficient network solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and optimize a parameterized construction heuristic for SRLG-constrained shared-path protection in WDM networks.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of an evolutionary algorithm (EA) in tuning heuristic parameters.
• To compare EA performance with guided mutation against conventional genetic algorithms.

Main Methods:

• Proposed a three-phase parameterized construction heuristic.
• Applied an EA for optimizing the heuristic's control parameters.
• Conducted experiments on various network instances to assess performance.

Main Results:

• The proposed EA-optimized heuristic demonstrated effectiveness across all tested network instances.
• EA with guided mutation outperformed a conventional genetic algorithm in parameter tuning.
• Optimized parameters led to nearly optimal solutions for shared-path protection.

Conclusions:

• The EA-based approach provides an effective method for tuning construction heuristics in WDM networks.
• Guided mutation strategies enhance EA performance for complex optimization problems.
• Combining global and local search information improves algorithm efficiency in network optimization.