Definitions and Multi-Provider Problem Formalisation

Abstract

In order to formally define the multi-provider service set up process, a model of the underlying communication networks, the services offered, and the end-to-end communication demands need to be specified. These models represent a simplified and abstract view of real concrete networks and communication services in a way that make it possible to effectively solve the MuSS problem. Given the deployment of techniques and methods from different research and technology fields as well as their integration within a unified framework for solving problems in the networking field, a preliminary step to avoid ambiguity is the definition of terms and concepts (see Section 3.1).

One benefit of a modelling effort, sometimes obtained unintentionally, is that it forces an improved understanding of what is really happening in the system being modelled. - P. Bratley, B. Fox, L. Schrage, A Guide to Simulation, 1987