Multiobjective Optimization of MPLS-IP Networks with a Variable Neighborhood Genetic Algorithm

The demand for different levels of Quality of Service (QoS) in IP networks is growing, mainly to attend multimedia applications. However, not only indicators of quality have conflicting features, but also the problem of determining routes covered by more than two QoS constraints is NP-complete (Nondeterministic Polynomial Time Complete). This work proposes an algorithm to optimize multiple Quality of Service indices of Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) IP networks. Such an approach aims at minimizing the network cost and the amount of simultaneous requests rejection, as well as performing load balancing among routes. The proposed algorithm, the Variable Neighborhood Multiobjective Genetic Algorithm (VN-MGA), is a Genetic Algorithm based on the Elitist Non-Dominated Sorted Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II), with a particular feature that different parts of a solution are encoded differently, at Level 1 and Level 2. In order to improve results, both representations are needed. At Level 1, the first part of the solution is encoded by considering as decision variables the arrows that form the routes to be followed by each request (whilst the second part of the solution is kept constant), whereas at Level 2, the second part of the solution is encoded by considering the sequence of requests as decision variables, and first part is kept constant. Pareto-fronts obtained by VN-MGA dominate fronts obtained by fixed-neighborhood encoding schemes. Besides potential benefits of the proposed approach application to packet routing optimization in MPLS networks, this work raises the theoretical issue of the systematic application of variable encodings, which allow variable neighborhood searches, as operators inside general evolutionary computation algorithms.