@misc{SchwartzBorndoerferBartz2016, author = {Schwartz, Stephan and Bornd{\"o}rfer, Ralf and Bartz, Gerald}, title = {The Graph Segmentation Problem}, issn = {1438-0064}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-60750}, year = {2016}, abstract = {We investigate a graph theoretical problem arising in the automatic billing of a network toll. Given a network and a family of user paths, we study the graph segmentation problem (GSP) to cover parts of the user paths by a set of disjoint segments. The GSP is shown to be NP-hard but for special cases it can be solved in polynomial time. We also show that the marginal utility of a segment is bounded. Computational results for real-world instances show that in practice the problem is more amenable than the theoretic bounds suggest.}, language = {en} } @misc{BorndoerferKarbstein2015, author = {Bornd{\"o}rfer, Ralf and Karbstein, Marika}, title = {Metric Inequalities for Routings on Direct Connections with Application in Line Planning}, issn = {1438-0064}, doi = {10.1016/j.disopt.2015.07.004}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-53507}, year = {2015}, abstract = {We consider multi-commodity flow problems in which capacities are installed on paths. In this setting, it is often important to distinguish between flows on direct connection routes, using single paths, and flows that include path switching. We derive a feasibility condition for path capacities supporting such direct connection flows similar to the feasibility condition for arc capacities in ordinary multi-commodity flows. The concept allows to solve large-scale real-world line planning problems in public transport including a novel passenger routing model that favors direct connections over connections with transfers.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Raack2012, author = {Raack, Christian}, title = {Capacitated Network Design - Multi-Commodity Flow Formulations, Cutting Planes, and Demand Uncertainty}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus-36167}, school = {Technische Universit{\"a}t Berlin}, year = {2012}, abstract = {In this thesis, we develop methods in mathematical optimization to dimension networks at minimal cost. Given hardware and cost models, the challenge is to provide network topologies and efficient capacity plans that meet the demand for network traffic (data, passengers, freight). We incorporate crucial aspects of practical interest such as the discrete structure of available capacities as well as the uncertainty of demand forecasts. The considered planning problems typically arise in the strategic design of telecommunication or public transport networks and also in logistics. One of the essential aspects studied in this work is the use of cutting planes to enhance solution approaches based on multi-commodity flow formulations. Providing theoretical and computational evidence for the efficacy of inequalities based on network cuts, we extend existing theory and algorithmic work in different directions. First, we prove that special-purpose techniques, originally designed to solve capacitated network design problems, can be successfully integrated into general-purpose mixed integer programming (MIP) solvers. Our approach relies on an automatic detection of network structure within the constraint matrix of general mixed in teger programs. More precisely, we identify multi-commodity (MCF) network sub-matrices and resolve the isomorphisms of the commodity blocks as well as the original graph structure. In the subsequent separation framework, we guide the constraint aggregation of available cutting plane procedures (e. g. based on mixed integer rounding) to produce strong cutting planes that reflect the structure of the constructed network. The new MCF-separator integrates network design specific methodology into general optimization tools which is of particular importance for practitioners that tend to use MIP solvers as black boxes. Extensive computational tests show that our network detection procedure operates accurately and reliably. Moreover, due to the generated cutting planes, we achieve an average speed-up of a factor of two for pure network design problems with general MIP solvers. Many of these instances can only be solved to optimality in reasonable time if the new MCF-separator is active. In 9 \% of the instances of general MIP test sets we find consistent embedded networks and generate violated inequalities. In this case the computation time decreases by 18 \% on average with almost no degradation for unaffected instances. Second, we generalize concepts, models, and cutting planes from deterministic network design to robust network design, incorporating the uncertainty of traffic demands. We enhance and compare strategies that are able to handle a polyhedral set of different traffic scenarios. In particular, we consider two correlated solution methods, based on separating extreme demand scenarios and dualizing the linear description of the demand polytope, respectively. We consider robust network design as two-stage robust optimization with recourse. First stage capacity decisions are fixed for all scenarios while the second stage flow depends on the realized demands. In order to reroute the traffic as a function of the demand dynamics, we consider three alternative recourse actions, namely, static, affine, and dynamic routing. We analyze properties of the new affine routing and show that it combines advantages of the well-known static and dynamic models. Using the concept of robust cut-set polyhedra and the corresponding lifting theorems, we develop several classes of facet-defining inequalities based on network cuts that can be used to further accelerate solution strategies for robust network design. Among them are the well-known (flow) cut-set inequalities, which we generalize to general demand polytopes, but also new classes of potential cutting planes, so-called envelope inequalities. The practical importance of the developed cutting planes is revealed by a series of computational tests. Similar to the results for the MCF-separator we achieve speed-ups of two and more using the generalized classes of strong inequalities. To evaluate the robustness of solutions that are computed with our framework we use real-life measurements of traffic dynamics from different existing telecommunication networks, among them data from the German and the European research network. Our results indicate that traffic peaks do not necessarily occur all simultaneously with respect to different source-destination pairs, which is of practical importance for the design of uncertainty sets. It is, in particular, not necessary to dimension networks for a scenario that assumes all source-destination traffic is at its peak simultaneously. With our solutions we save up to 20 \% of the corresponding solution cost compared to this artificial scenario and achieve comparable levels of robustness.}, language = {en} } @misc{BorndoerferHoppmannKarbstein2013, author = {Bornd{\"o}rfer, Ralf and Hoppmann, Heide and Karbstein, Marika}, title = {A Configuration Model for the Line Planning Problem}, issn = {1438-0064}, doi = {10.4230/OASIcs.ATMOS.2013.68}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-41903}, year = {2013}, abstract = {We propose a novel extended formulation for the line planning problem in public transport. It is based on a new concept of frequency configurations that account for all possible options to provide a required transportation capacity on an infrastructure edge. We show that this model yields a strong LP relaxation. It implies, in particular, general classes of facet defining inequalities for the standard model.}, language = {en} } @misc{BorndoerferKarbstein2012, author = {Bornd{\"o}rfer, Ralf and Karbstein, Marika}, title = {A Direct Connection Approach to Integrated Line Planning and Passenger Routing}, volume = {25}, journal = {ATMOS 2012 - 12th Workshop on Algorithmic Approaches for Transportation Modeling, Optimization, and Systems}, editor = {Delling, Daniel and Liberti, Leo}, publisher = {Schloss Dagstuhl - Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik}, issn = {1438-0064}, doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.4230/OASIcs.ATMOS.2012.47}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-15812}, pages = {47 -- 57}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The treatment of transfers is a major challenge in line planning. Existing models either route passengers and lines sequentially, and hence disregard essential degrees of freedom, or they are of extremely large scale, and seem to be computationally intractable. We propose a novel direct connection approach that allows an integrated optimization of line and passenger routing, including accurate estimates of the number of direct travelers, for large-scale real-world instances.}, language = {en} } @misc{BorndoerferGroetschelLoebel2010, author = {Bornd{\"o}rfer, Ralf and Gr{\"o}tschel, Martin and L{\"o}bel, Andreas}, title = {The Quickest Path to the Goal}, issn = {1438-0064}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-11840}, number = {10-21}, year = {2010}, abstract = {We provide an introduction into the mathematics of and with paths. Not on the shortest, but hopefully on an entertaining path!}, language = {en} } @misc{BorndoerferNeumann2010, author = {Bornd{\"o}rfer, Ralf and Neumann, Marika}, title = {Models for Line Planning with Transfers}, issn = {1438-0064}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-11742}, number = {10-11}, year = {2010}, abstract = {We propose a novel integer programming approach to transfer minimization for line planning problems in public transit. The idea is to incorporate penalties for transfers that are induced by "connection capacities" into the construction of the passenger paths. We show that such penalties can be dealt with by a combination of shortest and constrained shortest path algorithms such that the pricing problem for passenger paths can be solved efficiently. Connection capacity penalties (under)estimate the true transfer times. This error is, however, not a problem in practice. We show in a computational comparison with two standard models on a real-world scenario that our approach can be used to minimize passenger travel and transfer times for large-scale line planning problems with accurate results.}, language = {en} } @misc{Bley2007, author = {Bley, Andreas}, title = {Routing and Capacity Optimization for IP networks}, issn = {1438-0064}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-10323}, number = {07-33}, year = {2007}, abstract = {This article describes the main concepts and techniques that have been developed during the last year at ZIB to solve dimensioning and routing optimization problems for IP networks. We discuss the problem of deciding if a given path set corresponds to an unsplittable shortest path routing, the fundamental properties of such path sets, and the computational complexity of some basic network planning problems for this routing type. Then we describe an integer-linear programming approach to solve such problems in practice. This approach has been used successfully in the planning of the German national education and research network for several years.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Bley2007, author = {Bley, Andreas}, title = {Routing and Capacity Optimization for IP Networks}, isbn = {978-3-86727-281-0}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus-15530}, year = {2007}, abstract = {This thesis is concerned with dimensioning and routing optimization problems for communication networks that employ a shortest path routing protocol such as OSPF, IS-IS, or RIP. These protocols are widely used in the Internet. With these routing protocols, all end-to-end data streams are routed along shortest paths with respect to a metric of link lengths. The network administrator can configure the routing only by modifying this metric. In this thesis we consider the unsplittable shortest path routing variant, where each communication demand must be sent unsplit through the network. This requires that all shortest paths are uniquely determined. The major difficulties in planning such networks are that the routing can be controlled only indirectly via the routing metric and that all routing paths depend on the same routing metric. This leads to rather complicated and subtle interdependencies among the paths that comprise a valid routing. In contrast to most other routing schemes, the paths for different communication demands cannot be configured independent of each other. Part I of the thesis is dedicated to the relation between path sets and routing metrics and to the combinatorial properties of those path sets that comprise a valid unsplittable shortest path routing. Besides reviewing known approaches to find a compatible metric for a given path set (or to prove that none exists) and discussing some properties of valid path sets, we show that the problem of finding a compatible metric with integer lengths as small as possible and the problem of finding a smallest possible conflict in the given path set are both NP-hard to approximate within a constant factor. In Part II of the thesis we discuss the relation between unsplittable shortest path routing and several other routing schemes and we analyze the computational complexity of three basic unsplittable shortest path routing problems. We show that the lowest congestion that can be obtained with unsplittable shortest path routing may significantly exceed that achievable with other routing paradigms and we prove several non-approximability results for unsplittable shortest path routing problems that are stronger than those for the corresponding unsplittable flow problems. In addition, we derive various polynomial time approximation algorithms for general and special cases of these problems. In Part III of the thesis we finally develop an integer linear programming approach to solve these and more realistic unsplittable shortest path routing problems to optimality. We present alternative formulations for these problems, discuss their strength and computational complexity, and show how to derive strong valid inequalities. Eventually, we describe our implementation of this solution approach and report on the numerical results obtained for real-world problems that came up in the planning the German National Research and Education Networks G-WiN and X-WiN and for several benchmark instances.}, language = {en} } @misc{Koster2005, author = {Koster, Arie M.C.A.}, title = {Wavelength Assignment in Multi-Fiber WDM Networks by Generalized Edge Coloring}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-8478}, number = {05-13}, year = {2005}, abstract = {In this paper, we study wavelength assignment problems in multi-fiber WDM networks. We focus on the special case that all lightpaths have at most two links. This in particular holds in case the network topology is a star. As the links incident to a specific node in a meshed topology form a star subnetwork, results for stars are also of interest for general meshed topologies. We show that wavelength assignment with at most two links per lightpath can be modeled as a generalized edge coloring problem. By this relation, we show that for a network with an even number of fibers at all links and at most two links per lightpath, all lightpaths can be assigned a wavelength without conversion. Moreover, we derive a lower bound on the number of lightpaths to be converted for networks with arbitrary numbers of fibers at the links. A comparison with linear programming lower bounds reveals that the bounds coincide for problems with at most two links per lightpath. For meshed topologies, the cumulative lower bound over all star subnetworks equals the best known solution value for all realistic wavelength assignment instances available, by this proving optimality.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Helmberg2000, author = {Helmberg, Christoph}, title = {Semidefinite Programming for Combinatorial Optimization}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-6022}, number = {00-34}, year = {2000}, abstract = {This book offers a self-contained introduction to the field of semidefinite programming, its applications in combinatorial optimization, and its computational methods. We equip the reader with the basic results from linear algebra on positive semidefinite matrices and the cone spanned by them. Starting from linear programming, we introduce semidefinite programs and discuss the associated duality theory. We then turn to semidefinite relaxations of combinatorial optimization and illustrate their interrelation. In the second half we deal with computational methods for solving semidefinite programs. First, the interior point approach, its iteration complexity, and implementational issues are discussed. Next, we explain in great detail the spectral bundle method, which is particularly suited for large scale semidefinite programming. One of the most successful techniques in integer linear programming is the cutting plane approach which improves an initial relaxation by adding violated inequalities. We explore possibilities to combine the two solution methods with the cutting plane approach in order to strengthen semidefinite relaxations of combinatorial optimization problems.}, language = {en} } @misc{AscheuerGroetschelKrumkeetal.1998, author = {Ascheuer, Norbert and Gr{\"o}tschel, Martin and Krumke, Sven and Rambau, J{\"o}rg}, title = {Combinatorial Online Optimization}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-3674}, number = {SC-98-24}, year = {1998}, abstract = {In ``classical'' optimization, all data of a problem instance are considered given. The standard theory and the usual algorithmic techniques apply to such cases only. Online optimization is different. Many decisions have to be made before all data are available. In addition, decisions once made cannot be changed. How should one act ``best'' in such an environment? In this paper we survey online problems coming up in combinatorial optimization. We first outline theoretical concepts, such as competitiveness against various adversaries, to analyze online problems and algorithms. The focus, however, lies on real-world applications. We report, in particular, on theoretical investigations and our practical experience with problems arising in transportation and the automatic handling of material.}, language = {en} } @misc{AscheuerGroetschelKaminetal.1998, author = {Ascheuer, Norbert and Gr{\"o}tschel, Martin and Kamin, Nicola and Rambau, J{\"o}rg}, title = {Combinatorial Online Optimization in Practice}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-3508}, number = {SC-98-07}, year = {1998}, abstract = {This paper gives a short introduction into combinatorial online optimization. It explains a few evaluation concepts of online algorithms, such as competitiveness, and discusses limitations in their application to real--world problems. The main focus, however, is a survey of combinatorial online problems coming up in practice, in particular, in large scale material flow and flexible manufacturing systems.}, language = {en} } @misc{Groetschel1992, author = {Gr{\"o}tschel, Martin}, title = {Discrete Mathematics in Manufacturing.}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-738}, number = {SC-92-03}, year = {1992}, abstract = {Manufacturing is a topic that provides rich opportunities for important mathematical contributions to real-world problems. The purpose of this paper is to show, by means of several examples, where and how mathematical problems of a discrete nature arise in manufacturing and to demonstrate the savings and improvements that can be achieved by employing the techniques of combinatorial optimization. The topics covered range from the design phase of a product (e. g.,routing, placement and via minimization in VLSI design), the control of CNC machines (e. g., drilling and plotting), to the management of assembly lines, storage systems and whole factories. We also point out difficulties in the modelling of complex situations and outline the algorithmic methods that are used for the solution of the mathematical problems arising in manufacturing. {\bf Key words:} discrete mathematics , combinatorial optimization, applications to manufacturing.}, language = {en} }