Modeling and simulation of telecommunication networks for control and management

In this paper we describe methodologies for telecommunication networks modeling and simulation that are targeted to be useful as tools in on-line and off-line decision making of the type encountered in network control, management and planning problems. We describe the development, validation and use of self-similar and multi-fractal models, queuing control and performance evaluation, assessing the incremental utility of various models, hierarchical models based on aggregation, analytic approximation models for various performance metrics, trade-off and sensitivity analysis using a multi-objective optimization framework and automatic differentiation. We also describe four illustrative examples of applying these methodologies to dynamic network control and management problems. The examples involve primarily mobile ad hoc wireless and satellite networks in changing environments.