Optimum Capacity-Flow Assignment Problems with Respect to Fairness in Loop Networks.

Conventionally, the problem of capacity-flow assignment in packet switching computer networks has been considered mainly for the purpose of improving the network performance and the effective usage of the resources in the networks. The problem of the fair allocation of the network resources to each user (fairness) has been investigated little. Because one of the most important purposes of the computer network is that a plural number are arranged dispersively in the network, we must make sufficient study of fairness in the problem of the flow assignment of the packet and the problem of the distribution of the line capacity. However, no clear definition of the fair allocation has been proposed to data. In this paper, we adopt the "power" (function) as the performance measure and discuss the problem of the network capacity-flow assignment in which maximized network power ensures effective usage of networks, and equalized power for each user realizes the fairness. The results of this study provide a new guideline to solve the problem of distributing the resources effectively and fairly. The method in this paper can be discussed generally without limitation of the network topology. However, since the concrete numerical calculation is so complicated, we take loop networks for the object of the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]