Algorithms for 2 edge connectivity with fixed costs in telecommunications networks

Abstract

In this thesis, several algorithms are developed in order to provide costeffective and survivable communication in telecommunications networks. In its broadest sense, a survivable network is one which can maintain communication even in the presence of a physical breakdown. There are several ways of providing survivable communication in a given network. Our choice is to hedge against single link failures and provide two edge disjoint paths for every source and destination pair. Each edge in the network is assumed to have a variable unit routing cost and a fixed usage cost. Our objective is the minimization of the total routing cost of the traffic demand and the fixed cost of the utilized links. Several constructive and improvement type heuristics are developed and tested extensively in an experimental design setting.