A genetic algorithm for server location and storage allocation in multimedia-on-demand network

We propose a genetic algorithm (GA) to design a non-hierarchical and decentralized multimedia-on-demand (MOD) network architecture. To optimize the MOD network resource based on cost analysis, including server installation cost, program storage cost, and transmission cost, both server location and storage allocation were considered. In applying the proposed algorithm to the problem considered, many of components are devised to improve solution quality and computational efficiency: genetic representation; evaluation function; genetic operators; procedure. The results of extensive computational simulations showed that the proposed algorithm provides high quality solutions within reasonable computation times.