@misc{EisenblaetterGroetschelKoster, author = {Eisenbl{\"a}tter, Andreas and Gr{\"o}tschel, Martin and Koster, Arie M.C.A.}, title = {Frequency Planning and Ramifications of Coloring}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-6152}, number = {00-47}, abstract = {This paper surveys frequency assignment problems coming up in planning wireless communication services. It particularly focuses on cellular mobile phone systems such as GSM, a technology that revolutionizes communication. Traditional vertex coloring provides a conceptual framework for the mathematical modeling of many frequency planning problems. This basic form, however, needs various extensions to cover technical and organizational side constraints. Among these ramifications are \$T\$-coloring and list coloring. To model all the subtleties, the techniques of integer programming have proven to be very useful. The ability to produce good frequency plans in practice is essential for the quality of mobile phone networks. The present algorithmic solution methods employ variants of some of the traditional coloring heuristics as well as more sophisticated machinery from mathematical programming. This paper will also address this issue. Finally, this paper discusses several practical frequency assignment problems in detail, states the associated mathematical models, and also points to public electronic libraries of frequency assignment problems from practice. The associated graphs have up to several thousand nodes and range from rather sparse to almost complete.}, language = {en} } @misc{EisenblaetterGroetschelKoster, author = {Eisenbl{\"a}tter, Andreas and Gr{\"o}tschel, Martin and Koster, Arie M.C.A.}, title = {Frequenzplanung im Mobilfunk}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-6762}, number = {02-09}, abstract = {Telekommunikation ist seit Jahren \glqq in\grqq. Zun{\"a}chst gab es einen enormen Aufschwung; neue Technologien und Dienste haben eine {\"u}berw{\"a}ltigende, nicht vorhersehbare Akzeptanz gefunden. Derzeit ist -- ausgel{\"o}st durch die UMTS-Lizenzversteigerungen, Rezessions- und S{\"a}ttigungstendenzen -- eine Krise zu verzeichnen. Viele (auch wir) sind davon {\"u}berzeugt, dass technischer Fortschritt und n{\"u}tzliche Dienste demn{\"a}chst die Stimmung wieder {\"a}ndern werden. Wenigen ist allerdings bewusst, welche Rolle Mathematik bei der Entwicklung und dem effizienten Einsatz vieler der neuen Kommunikationstechnologien spielt. In diesem Artikel soll kein {\"U}berblick {\"u}ber diesen umfangreichen Themenkreis gegeben werden. Wir zeigen lediglich an einem konkreten Beispiel aus dem Mobilfunk, der Frequenzplanung in GSM-Funknetzen, was man durch geeignete Modellierung der praktischen Fragestellung und den Einsatz problemad{\"a}quater Algorithmen erreichen kann.}, language = {de} } @misc{ZymolkaKosterWessaely, author = {Zymolka, Adrian and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Wess{\"a}ly, Roland}, title = {Transparent optical network design with sparse wavelength conversion}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-7017}, number = {02-34}, abstract = {We consider the design of transparent optical networks from a practical perspective. Network operators aim at satisfying the communication demands at minimum cost. Such an optimization involves three interdependent planning issues: the dimensioning of the physical topology, the routing of lightpaths, and the wavelength assignment. Further topics include the reliability of the configuration and sparse wavelength conversion for efficient use of the capacities. In this paper, we investigate this extensive optical network design task. Using a flexible device-based model, we present an integer programming formulation that supports greenfield planning as well as expansion planning on top of an existing network. As solution method, we propose a suitable decomposition approach that separates the wavelength assignment from the dimensioning and routing. Our method in particular provides a lower bound on the total cost which allows to rate the solution quality. Computational experiments on realistic networks approve the solution approach to be appropriate.}, language = {en} } @misc{EisenblaetterFuegenschuhKochetal., author = {Eisenbl{\"a}tter, Andreas and F{\"u}genschuh, Armin and Koch, Thorsten and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Martin, Alexander and Pfender, Tobias and Wegel, Oliver and Wess{\"a}ly, Roland}, title = {Modelling Feasible Network Configurations for UMTS}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-6837}, number = {02-16}, abstract = {A model for the optimisation of the location and configuration of base stations in a UMTS network is described. The focus is primarily on modelling the configuration problem sufficiently accurate using mixed-integer variables and (essentially) linear constraints. These constraints reflect the limited downlink code capacity in each cell, the interference limitations for successful up- and downlink transmissions, the need for sufficiently strong (cell) pilot signals, and the potential gain for mobiles from being in soft(er) hand-over. It is also explained how to use the model as a basis for rating network configurations.}, language = {en} } @misc{Koster, 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}, 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} } @misc{BodlaenderKosterWolle, author = {Bodlaender, Hans L. and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Wolle, Thomas}, title = {Contraction and Treewidth Lower Bounds}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-8042}, number = {04-29}, abstract = {Edge contraction is shown to be a useful mechanism to improve lower bound heuristics for treewidth. A successful lower bound for treewidth is the degeneracy: the maximum over all subgraphs of the minimum degree. The degeneracy is polynomial time computable. We introduce the notion of contraction degeneracy: the maximum over all minors of the minimum degree. We show that the contraction degeneracy problem is NP-complete, even for bipartite graphs, but for fixed \$k\$, it is polynomial time decidable if a given graph \$G\$ has contraction degeneracy at least \$k\$. Heuristics for computing the contraction degeneracy are proposed and evaluated. It is shown that these can lead in practice to considerable improvements of the lower bound for treewidth, but can perform arbitrarily bad on some examples. A study is also made for the combination of contraction with Lucena's lower bound based on Maximum Cardinality Search (Lucena, 2003). Finally, heuristics for the treewidth are proposed and! evaluated that combine contraction with a treewidth lower bound technique by Clautiaux et al (2003).}, language = {en} } @misc{KosterZymolka, author = {Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Zymolka, Adrian}, title = {Provably Good Solutions for Wavelength Assignment in Optical Networks}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-8155}, number = {04-40}, abstract = {In this paper, we study the minimum converter wavelength assignment problem in optical networks. To benchmark the quality of solutions obtained by heuristics, we derive an integer programming formula tion by generalizing the formulation of Mehrotra and Trick (1996) for the vertex coloring problem. To handle the exponential number of variables, we propose a column generation approach. Computational experiments show that the value of the linear relaxation states a good lower bound and can often prove optimality of the best solution generated heuristically.}, language = {en} } @misc{KosterZymolka, author = {Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Zymolka, Adrian}, title = {Linear Programming Lower Bounds for Minimum Converter Wavelength Assignment in Optical Networks}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-8160}, number = {04-41}, abstract = {In this paper, we study the conflict-free assignment of wavelengths to lightpaths in an optical network with the opportunity to place wavelength converters. To benchmark heuristics for the problem, we develop integer programming formulations and study their properties. Moreover, we study the computational performance of the column generation algorithm for solving the linear relaxation of the most promising formulation. In many cases, a non-zero lower bound on the number of required converters is generated this way. For several instances, we in fact prove optimality since the lower bound equals the best known solution value.}, language = {en} } @misc{WolleKosterBodlaender, author = {Wolle, Thomas and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Bodlaender, Hans L.}, title = {A Note on Contraction Degeneracy}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-8180}, number = {04-43}, abstract = {The parameter contraction degeneracy -- the maximum minimum degree over all minors of a graph -- is a treewidth lower bound and was first defined in (Bodlaender, Koster, Wolle, 2004). In experiments it was shown that this lower bound improves upon other treewidth lower bounds. In this note, we examine some relationships between the contraction degeneracy and connected components of a graph, block s of a graph and the genus of a graph. We also look at chordal graphs, and we study an upper bound on the contraction degeneracy and another lower bound for treewidth. A data structure that can be used for algorithms computing the degeneracy and similar parameters, is also described.}, language = {en} } @misc{KosterWolleBodlaender, author = {Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Wolle, Thomas and Bodlaender, Hans L.}, title = {Degree-Based Treewidth Lower Bounds}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-8193}, number = {04-44}, abstract = {Every lower bound for treewidth can be extended by taking the maximum of the lower bound over all subgraphs or minors. This extension is shown to be a very vital idea for improving treewidth lower bounds. In this paper, we investigate a total of nine graph parameters, providing lower bounds for treewidth. The parameters have in common that they all are the vertex-degree of some vertex in a subgra ph or minor of the input graph. We show relations between these graph parameters and study their computational complexity. To allow a practical comparison of the bounds, we developed heuristic algorithms for those parameters that are NP-hard to compute. Computational experiments show that combining the treewidth lower bounds with minors can considerably improve the lower bounds.}, language = {en} } @misc{BodlaenderKoster, author = {Bodlaender, Hans L. and Koster, Arie M.C.A.}, title = {On the Maximum Cardinality Search Lower Bound for Treewidth}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-8201}, number = {04-45}, abstract = {The Maximum Cardinality Search algorithm visits the vertices of a graph in some order, such that at each step, an unvisited vertex that has the largest number of visited neighbors becomes visited. An MCS-ordering of a graph is an ordering of the vertices that can be generated by the Maximum Cardinality Search algorithm. The visited degree of a vertex \$v\$ in an MCS-ordering is the number of neighbors of \$v\$ that are before \$v\$ in the ordering. The visited degree of an MCS-ordering \$\psi\$ of \$G\$ is the maximum visited degree over all vertices \$v\$ in \$\psi\$. The maximum visited degree over all MCS-orderings of graph \$G\$ is called its {\em maximum visited degree}. Lucena (2003) showed that the treewidth of a graph \$G\$ is at least its maximum visited degree. We show that the maximum visited degree is of size \$O(\log n)\$ for planar graphs, and give examples of planar graphs \$G\$ with maximum visited degree \$k\$ with \$O(k!)\$ vertices, for all \$k\in \Bbb{N}\$. Given a graph \$G\$, it is NP-complete to determine if its maximum visited degree is at least \$k\$, for any fixed \$k\geq 7\$. Also, this problem does not have a polynomial time approximation algorithm with constant ratio, unless P=NP. Variants of the problem are also shown to be NP-complete. We also propose and experimentally analyses some heuristics for the problem. Several tiebreakers for the MCS algorithm are proposed and evaluated. We also give heuristics that give upper bounds on the value of the maximum visited degree of a graph, which appear to give results close to optimal on many graphs from real life applications.}, language = {en} } @misc{BleyKosterKroelleretal., author = {Bley, Andreas and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Kr{\"o}ller, Alexander and Wess{\"a}ly, Roland and Zymolka, Adrian}, title = {Kosten- und Qualit{\"a}tsoptimierung in Kommunikationsnetzen}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-7537}, number = {03-31}, abstract = {Der scharfe Wettbewerb innerhalb der Telekommunikationsbranche zwingt die Netzbetreiber dazu, ihre Investitionen genau zu planen und immer wieder Einsparungsmanahmen durchzuf{\"u}hren. Gleichzeitig ist es jedoch wichtig, die Qualit{\"a}t der angebotenen Dienste zu verbessern, um neue Kunden zu gewinnen und langfristig an sich zu binden. Die mathematische Optimierung bietet sich f{\"u}r viele solcher Aufgabenstellungen als hervorragend geeignetes Planungswerkzeug an. Ziel dieses Artikels ist es, ihre Methodik und ihre Anwendung speziell zur Kosten- und Qualit{\"a}tsoptimierung in Kommunikationsnetzen vorzustellen. Anhand von vier konkreten Planungsaufgaben aus dem Bereich der Festnetzplanung wird aufgezeigt, wie sich komplexe Zusammenh{\"a}nge in flexiblen mathematischen Modellen abbilden lassen und welche Verfahren zur automatisierten Bearbeitung der Probleme eingesetzt werden k{\"o}nnen. Die hier vorgestellten Methoden zeichnen sich insbesondere dadurch aus, dass sie neben hochwertigen L{\"o}sungen auch eine Qualittsgarantie liefern, mit der sich die Lsungen fundiert bewerten lassen. Die dokumentierten Ergebnisse aus verschiedenen Industrieprojekten belegen die Eignung und G{\"u}te der mathematischen Optimierung f{\"u}r die Praxis.}, language = {de} } @misc{BodlaenderKoster, author = {Bodlaender, Hans L. and Koster, Arie M.C.A.}, title = {Safe separators for treewidth}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-7544}, number = {03-32}, abstract = {A set of vertices \$S\subseteq V\$ is called a safe separator for treewidth, if \$S\$ is a separator of \$G\$, and the treewidth of \$G\$ equals the maximum of the treewidth over all connected components \$W\$ of \$G-S\$ of the graph, obtained by making \$S\$ a clique in the subgraph of \$G\$, induced by \$W\cup S\$. We show that such safe separators are a very powerful tool for preprocessing graphs when we want to compute their treewidth. We give several sufficient conditions for separators to be safe, allowing such separators, if existing, to be found in polynomial time. In particular, every minimal separator of size one or two is safe, every minimal separator of size three that does not split off a component with only one vertex is safe, and every minimal separator that is an almost clique is safe; an almost clique is a set of vertices \$W\$ such that there is a \$v\in W\$ with \$W-\{v\}\$ a clique. We report on experiments that show significant reductions of instance sizes for graphs from proba! bilistic networks and frequency assignment.}, language = {en} } @misc{KosterBodlaenderHoesel, author = {Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Bodlaender, Hans L. and Hoesel, Stan P.M. van}, title = {Treewidth: Computational Experiments}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-6644}, number = {01-38}, abstract = {Many {\cal NP}-hard graph problems can be solved in polynomial time for graphs with bounded treewidth. Equivalent results are known for pathwidth and branchwidth. In recent years, several studies have shown that this result is not only of theoretical interest but can successfully be applied to find (almost) optimal solutions or lower bounds for diverse optimization problems. To apply a tree decomposition approach, the treewidth of the graph has to be determined, independently of the application at hand. Although for fixed \$k\$, linear time algorithms exist to solve the decision problem ``treewidth \$\leq k\$'', their practical use is very limited. The computational tractability of treewidth has been rarely studied so far. In this paper, we compare four heuristics and two lower bounds for instances from applications such as the frequency assignment problem and the vertex coloring problem. Three of the heuristics are based on well-known algorithms to recognize triangulated graphs. The fourth heuristic recursively improves a tree decomposition by the computation of minimal separating vertex sets in subgraphs. Lower bounds can be computed from maximal cliques and the minimum degree of induced subgraphs. A computational analysis shows that the treewidth of several graphs can be identified by these methods. For other graphs, however, more sophisticated techniques are necessary.}, language = {en} } @misc{BodlaenderKosterEijkhofetal., author = {Bodlaender, Hans L. and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Eijkhof, Frank van den and Gaag, Linda C. van der}, title = {Pre-processing for Triangulation of Probabilistic Networks}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-6655}, number = {01-39}, abstract = {The currently most efficient algorithm for inference with a probabilistic network builds upon a triangulation of a network's graph. In this paper, we show that pre-processing can help in finding good triangulations for probabilistic networks, that is, triangulations with a minimal maximum clique size. We provide a set of rules for stepwise reducing a graph, without losing optimality. This reduction allows us to solve the triangulation problem on a smaller graph. From the smaller graph's triangulation, a triangulation of the original graph is obtained by reversing the reduction steps. Our experimental results show that the graphs of some well-known real-life probabilistic networks can be triangulated optimally just by preprocessing; for other networks, huge reductions in their graph's size are obtained.}, language = {en} } @misc{AardalHoeselKosteretal., author = {Aardal, Karen I. and Hoesel, Stan P.M. van and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Mannino, Carlo and Sassano, Antonio}, title = {Models and Solution Techniques for Frequency Assignment Problems}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-6667}, number = {01-40}, abstract = {{\begin{rawhtml} Revised Version unter http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10479-007-0178-0 \end{rawhtml}} Wireless communication is used in many different situations such as mobile telephony, radio and TV broadcasting, satellite communication, and military operations. In each of these situations a frequency assignment problem arises with application specific characteristics. Researchers have developed different modelling ideas for each of the features of the problem, such as the handling of interference among radio signals, the availability of frequencies, and the optimization criterion. This survey gives an overview of the models and methods that the literature provides on the topic. We present a broad description of the practical settings in which frequency assignment is applied. We also present a classification of the different models and formulations described in the literature, such that the common features of the models are emphasized. The solution methods are divided in two parts. Optimization and lower bounding techniques on the one hand, and heuristic search techniques on the other hand. The literature is classified according to the used methods. Again, we emphasize the common features, used in the different papers. The quality of the solution methods is compared, whenever possible, on publicly available benchmark instances.}, language = {en} } @misc{EijkhofBodlaenderKoster, author = {Eijkhof, Frank van den and Bodlaender, Hans L. and Koster, Arie M.C.A.}, title = {Safe reduction rules for weighted treewidth}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-7164}, number = {02-49}, abstract = {Several sets of reductions rules are known for preprocessing a graph when computing its treewidth. In this paper, we give reduction rules for a weighted variant of treewidth, motivated by the analysis of algorithms for probabilistic networks. We present two general reduction rules that are safe for weighted treewidth. They generalise many of the existing reduction rules for treewidth. Experimental results show that these reduction rules can significantly reduce the problem size for several instances of real-life probabilistic networks.}, language = {en} } @misc{EisenblaetterKosterWallbaumetal., author = {Eisenbl{\"a}tter, Andreas and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Wallbaum, Randolf and Wess{\"a}ly, Roland}, title = {Load Balancing in Signaling Transfer Points}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-7179}, number = {02-50}, abstract = {Signaling is crucial to the operation of modern telecommunication networks. A breakdown in the signaling infrastructure typically causes customer service failures, incurs revenue losses, and hampers the company image. Therefore, the signaling network has to be highest reliability and survivability. This in particular holds for the routers in such a network, called \textit{signaling transfer points\/} (STPs). The robustness of an STP can be improved by equally distributing the load over the internal processing units. Several constraints have to be taken into account. The load of the links connected to a processing unit changes over time introducing an imbalance of the load. In this paper, we show how integer linear programming can be applied to reduce the imbalance within an STP, while keeping the number of changes small. Two alternative models are presented. Computational experiments validate the integer programming approach in practice. The GSM network operator E-Plus saves substantial amounts of time and money by employing the proposed approach.}, language = {en} } @misc{KosterZymolka, author = {Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Zymolka, Adrian}, title = {Polyhedral Investigations on Stable Multi-Sets}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-7324}, number = {03-10}, abstract = {Stable multi-sets are an evident generalization of the well-known stable sets. As integer programs, they constitute a general structure which allows for a wide applicability of the results. Moreover, the study of stable multi-sets provides new insights to well-known properties of stable sets. In this paper, we continue our investigations started in [{\sl Koster and Zymolka 2002}] and present results of three types: on the relation to other combinatorial problems, on the polyhedral structure of the stable multi-set polytope, and on the computational impact of the polyhedral results. First of all, we embed stable multi-sets in a framework of generalized set packing problems and point out several relations. The second part discusses properties of the stable multi-set polytope. We show that the vertices of the linear relaxation are half integer and have a special structure. Moreover, we strengthen the conditions for cycle inequalities to be facet defining, show that the separation problem for these inequalities is polynomial time solvable, and discuss the impact of chords in cycles. The last result allows to interpret cliques as cycles with many chords. The paper is completed with a computational study to the practical importance of the cycle inequalities. The computations show that the performance of state-of-the-art integer programming solvers can be improved significantly by including these inequalities.}, language = {en} } @misc{KosterZymolkaJaegeretal., author = {Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Zymolka, Adrian and J{\"a}ger, Monika and H{\"u}lsermann, Ralf and Gerlach, Christoph}, title = {Demand-wise Shared Protection for Meshed Optical Networks}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-7461}, number = {03-24}, abstract = {In this paper, a new shared protection mechanism for meshed optical networks is presented. Significant network design cost reductions can be achieved in comparison to the well-known 1+1 protection scheme. Demand-wise Shared Protection (DSP) bases on the diversification of demand routings and exploits the network connectivity to restrict the number of backup lightpaths needed to provide the desired level of prorection. Computational experiments approve the benefits of the concept DSP for cost efficient optical network designs.}, language = {en} } @misc{KosterZymolka, author = {Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Zymolka, Adrian}, title = {Minimum Converter Wavelength Assignment in All-Optical Networks}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-7673}, number = {03-45}, abstract = {Finding conflict-free wavelength assignments with a minimum number of required conversions for a routing of the lightpaths is one of the important tasks within the design of all-optical networks. We consider this problem in multi-fiber networks with different types of WDM systems. We give a detailed description of the problem and derive its theoretical complexity. For practical application, we propose several sequential algorithms to compute appropriate wavelength assignments. We also perform computational experiments to evaluate their performance. For the iterative algorithms, we identify characteristic patterns of progression. Two of these algorithms qualify for application in practice.}, language = {en} } @misc{KosterWagler, author = {Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Wagler, Annegret}, title = {The extreme points of QSTAB(G) and its implications}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-9249}, number = {06-30}, abstract = {Perfect graphs constitute a well-studied graph class with a rich structure, reflected by many characterizations w.r.t different concepts. Perfect graphs are, e.g., characterized as precisely those graphs \$G\$ where the stable set polytope STAB\$(G)\$ coincides with the clique constraint stable set polytope QSTAB\$(G)\$. For all imperfect graphs STAB\$(G) \subset\$ QSTAB\$(G)\$ holds and, therefore, it is natural to measure imperfection in terms of the difference between STAB\$(G)\$ and QSTAB\$(G)\$. Several concepts have been developed in this direction, for instance the dilation ratio of STAB\$(G)\$ and QSTAB\$(G)\$ which is equivalent to the imperfection ratio imp\$(G)\$ of \$G\$. To determine imp\$(G)\$, both knowledge on the facets of STAB\$(G)\$ and the extreme points of QSTAB\$(G)\$ is required. The anti-blocking theory of polyhedra yields all {\em dominating} extreme points of QSTAB\$(G)\$, provided a complete description of the facets of STAB\$(\overline G)\$ is known. As this is typically not the case, we extend the result on anti-blocking polyhedra to a {\em complete} characterization of the extreme points of QSTAB\$(G)\$ by establishing a 1-1 correspondence to the facet-defining subgraphs of \$\overline G\$. We discuss several consequences, in particular, we give alternative proofs of several famous results.}, language = {en} } @misc{BodlaenderFominKosteretal., author = {Bodlaender, Hans L. and Fomin, Fedor V. and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Kratsch, Dieter and Thilikos, Dimitrios M.}, title = {On exact algorithms for treewidth}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-9265}, number = {06-32}, abstract = {We give experimental and theoretical results on the problem of computing the treewidth of a graph by exact exponential time algorithms using exponential space or using only polynomial space. We first report on an implementation of a dynamic programming algorithm for computing the treewidth of a graph with running time \$O^\ast(2^n)\$. This algorithm is based on the old dynamic programming method introduced by Held and Karp for the {\sc Tra veling Salesman} problem. We use some optimizations that do not affect the worst case running time but improve on the running time on actual instances and can be seen to be practical for small instances. However, our experiments show that the space use d by the algorithm is an important factor to what input sizes the algorithm is effective. For this purpose, we settle the problem of computing treewidth under the restriction that the space used is only polynomial. In this direction we give a simple \$O^\ast(4^n)\$ al gorithm that requires {\em polynomial} space. We also show that with a more complicated algorithm, using balanced separators, {\sc Treewidth} can be computed in \$O^\ast(2.9512^n)\$ time and polynomial space.}, language = {en} } @misc{RaackKosterWessaely, author = {Raack, Christian and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Wess{\"a}ly, Roland}, title = {On the strength of cut-based inequalities for capacitated network design polyhedra}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-9512}, number = {07-08}, abstract = {In this paper we study capacitated network design problems, differentiating directed, bidirected and undirected link capacity models. We complement existing polyhedral results for the three variants by new classes of facet-defining valid inequalities and unified lifting results. For this, we study the restriction of the problems to a cut of the network. First, we show that facets of the resulting cutset polyhedra translate into facets of the original network design polyhedra if the two subgraphs defined by the network cut are (strongly) connected. Second, we provide an analysis of the facial structure of cutset polyhedra, elaborating the differences caused by the three different types of capacity constraints. We present flow-cutset inequalities for all three models and show under which conditions these are facet-defining. We also state a new class of facets for the bidirected and undirected case and it is shown how to handle multiple capacity modules by Mixed Integer Rounding (MIR).}, language = {en} } @misc{KosterZymolkaKutschka, author = {Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Zymolka, Adrian and Kutschka, Manuel}, title = {Algorithms to Separate {0,1/2}-Chvatal-Gomory Cuts}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-9531}, number = {07-10}, abstract = {Chvatal-Gomory cuts are among the most well-known classes of cutting planes for general integer linear programs (ILPs). In case the constraint multipliers are either 0 or \$\frac{1}{2}\$, such cuts are known as \$\{0,\frac{1}{2}\}\$-cuts. It has been proven by Caprara and Fischetti (1996) that separation of \$\{0,\frac{1}{2}\}\$-cuts is NP-hard. In this paper, we study ways to separate \$\{0,\frac{1}{2}\}\$-cuts effectively in practice. We propose a range of preprocessing rules to reduce the size of the separation problem. The core of the preprocessing builds a Gaussian elimination-like procedure. To separate the most violated \$\{0,\frac{1}{2}\}\$-cut, we formulate the (reduced) problem as integer linear program. Some simple heuristic separation routines complete the algorithmic framework. Computational experiments on benchmark instances show that the combination of preprocessing with exact and/or heuristic separation is a very vital idea to generate strong generic cutting planes for integer linear programs and to reduce the overall computation times of state-of-the-art ILP-solvers.}, language = {en} } @misc{RaackKosterOrlowskietal., author = {Raack, Christian and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Orlowski, Sebastian and Wess{\"a}ly, Roland}, title = {Capacitated network design using general flow-cutset inequalities}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-9576}, number = {07-14}, abstract = {This paper deals with directed, bidirected, and undirected capacitated network design problems. Using mixed integer rounding (MIR), we generalize flow-cutset inequalities to these three link types and to an arbitrary modular link capacity structure, and propose a generic separation algorithm. In an extensive computational study on 54 instances from the Survivable Network Design Library (SNDlib), we show that the performance of cplex can significantly be enhanced by this class of cutting planes. The computations reveal the particular importance of the subclass of cutset-inequalities.}, language = {en} } @misc{OrlowskiKosterRaacketal., author = {Orlowski, Sebastian and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Raack, Christian and Wess{\"a}ly, Roland}, title = {Two-layer Network Design by Branch-and-Cut featuring MIP-based Heuristics}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-9412}, number = {06-47}, abstract = {This paper deals with MIP-based primal heuristics to be used within a branch-and-cut approach for solving multi-layer telecommunication network design problems. Based on a mixed-integer programming formulation for two network layers, we present three heuristics for solving important subproblems, two of which solve a sub-MIP. On multi-layer planning instances with many parallel logical links, we show the effectiveness of our heuristics in finding good solutions early in the branch-and-cut search tree.}, language = {en} } @misc{HuelsermannJaegerKosteretal., author = {H{\"u}lsermann, Ralf and J{\"a}ger, Monika and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Orlowski, Sebastian and Wess{\"a}ly, Roland and Zymolka, Adrian}, title = {Availability and Cost Based Evaluation of Demand-wise Shared Protection}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-9080}, number = {06-15}, abstract = {In this paper, we investigate the connection availabilities for the new protection scheme Demand-wise Shared Protection (DSP) and describe an appropriate approach for their computation. The exemplary case study on two realistic network scenarios shows that in most cases the availabilities for DSP are comparable with that for 1+1 path protection and better than in case of shared path protection.}, language = {en} } @misc{KosterWagler, author = {Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Wagler, Annegret}, title = {Comparing Imperfection Ratio and Imperfection Index for Graph Classes}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-8836}, number = {05-50}, abstract = {Perfect graphs constitute a well-studied graph class with a rich structure, reflected by many characterizations with respect to different concepts. Perfect graphs are, for instance, precisely those graphs \$G\$ where the stable set polytope \$STAB(G)\$ coincides with the fractional stable set polytope \$QSTAB(G)\$. For all imperfect graphs \$G\$ it holds that \$STAB(G) \subset QSTAB(G)\$. It is, therefore, natural to use the difference between the two polytopes in order to decide how far an imperfect graph is away from being perfect; we discuss three different concepts, involving the facet set of \$STAB( G)\$, the disjunctive index of \$QSTAB(G)\$, and the dilation ratio of the two polytopes. Including only certain types of facets for \$STAB(G)\$, we obtain graphs that are in some sense close to perfect graphs, for example minimally immperfect graphs, and certain other classes of so-called rank-perfect graphs. The imperfection ratio has been introduced by (Gerke and McDiarmid, 2001) as the dilation ratio of \$STAB(G)\$ and \$QSTAB(G)\$, whereas (Aguilera et al., 2003) suggest to take the disjunctive index of \$Q STAB(G)\$ as the imperfection index of \$G\$. For both invariants there exist no general upper bounds, but there are bounds known for the imperfection ratio of several graph classes (Coulonges et al. 2005, Gerke and McDiarmid, 2001). Outgoing from a graph-theoretical interpretation of the imperfection index, we conclude that the imperfection index is NP-hard to compute and we prove that there exists no upper bound on the imperfect ion index for those graph classes with a known bounded imperfection ratio. Comparing the two invariants on those classes, it seems that the imperfection index measures imperfection much more roughly than the imperfection ratio; therefoe, discuss possible directions for refinements.}, language = {en} } @misc{BodlaenderGrigorievKoster, author = {Bodlaender, Hans L. and Grigoriev, Alexander and Koster, Arie M.C.A.}, title = {Treewidth Lower Bounds with Brambles}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-8878}, number = {05-54}, abstract = {In this paper we present a new technique for computing lower bounds for graph treewidth. Our technique is based on the fact that the treewidth of a graph \$G\$ is the maximum order of a bramble of \$G\$ minus one. We give two algorithms: one for general graphs, and one for planar graphs. The algorithm for planar graphs is shown to give a lower bound for both the treewidth and branchwidth that is at most a constant factor away from the optimum. For both algorithms, we report on extensive computational experiments that show that the algorithms give often excellent lower bounds, in particular when applied to (close to) planar graphs.}, language = {en} } @misc{GruberKosterOrlowskietal., author = {Gruber, Claus G. and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Orlowski, Sebastian and Wess{\"a}ly, Roland and Zymolka, Adrian}, title = {A new model and a computational study for Demand-wise Shared Protection}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-8880}, number = {05-55}, abstract = {This report combines the contributions to INOC 2005 (Wess{\"a}lly et al., 2005) and DRCN 2005 (Gruber et al., 2005). A new integer linear programming model for the end-to-end survivability concept deman d-wise shared protection (DSP) is presented. DSP is based on the idea that backup capacity is dedicated to a particular demand, but shared within a demand. It combines advantages of dedicated and shared protection: It is more cost-efficient than dedicated protection and operationally easier than shared protection. In a previous model for DSP, the number of working and backup paths to be configured for a particular demand has been an input parameter; in the more general model for DSP investigated in this paper, this value is part of the decisions to take. To use the new DSP model algorithmically, we suggest a branch-and-cut approach which employs a column generation procedure to deal with the exponential number of routing variables. A computational study to compare the new resilience mechanism DSP with dedicated and shared path protection is performed. The results for five realistic network planning scenarios reveal that the best solutions for DSP are on average 15\\% percent better than the corresponding 1+1 dedicated path protection solutions, and only 15\\% percent worse than shared path protection.}, language = {en} } @misc{KosterZymolka, author = {Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Zymolka, Adrian}, title = {Stable Multi-Sets}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-6047}, number = {00-36}, abstract = {In this paper we introduce a generalization of stable sets: stable multi-sets. A stable multi-set is an assignment of integers to the vertices of a graph, such that specified bounds on vertices and edges are not exceeded. In case all vertex and edge bounds equal one, stable multi-sets are equivalent to stable sets. For the stable multi-set problem, we derive reduction rules and study the associated polytope. We state necessary and sufficient conditions for the extreme points of the linear relaxation to be integer. These conditions generalize the conditions for the stable set polytope. Moreover, the classes of odd cycle and clique inequalities for stable sets are generalized to stable multi-sets and conditions for them to be facet defining are determined. The study of stable multi-sets is initiated by optimization problems in the field of telecommunication networks. Stable multi-sets emerge as an important substructure in the design of optical networks.}, language = {en} } @misc{Koster, author = {Koster, Arie M.C.A.}, title = {Re-Optimization of Signaling Transfer Points}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-5863}, number = {00-18}, abstract = {In this paper we describe the results of a computational study towards the (re)optimization of signaling transfer points (STPs) in telecommunication networks. The best performance of an STP is achieved whenever the traffic load is evenly distributed among the internal components. Due to the continuously changing traffic pattern, the load of the components has to be re-optimized on a regular basis. Besides the balancing objective also the number of rearrangements have to be taken into account. In this paper we present two alternative formulations to deal with both requirements. Computational results show that for both formulations (near) optimal solutions can be obtained within reasonable time limits.}, language = {en} } @misc{HoeselKosterLeenseletal., author = {Hoesel, Stan P.M. van and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Leensel, Robert L.M.J. van de and Savelsbergh, Martin W.P.}, title = {Polyhedral Results for the Edge Capacity Polytope}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-5907}, number = {00-22}, abstract = {Network loading problems occur in the design of telecommunication networks, in many different settings. The polyhedral structure of this problem is important in developing solution methods for the problem. In this paper we investigate the polytope of the problem restricted to one edge of the network (the edge capacity problem). We describe classes of strong valid inequalities for the edge capacity polytope, and we derive conditions under which these constraints define facets. As the edge capacity problem is a relaxation of the network loading problem, their polytopes are intimately related. We, therefore, also give conditions under which the inequalities of the edge capacity polytope define facets of the network loading polytope. Furthermore, some structural properties are derived, such as the relation of the edge capacity polytope to the knapsack polytope. We conclude the theoretical part of this paper with some lifting theorems, where we show that this problem is polynomially solvable for most of our classes of valid inequalities. In a computational study the quality of the constraints is investigated. Here, we show that the valid inequalities of the edge capacity polytope are not only important for solving the edge capacity problem, but also for the network loading problem, showing that the edge capacity problem is an important subproblem.}, language = {en} } @misc{KosterOrlowskiRaacketal., author = {Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Orlowski, Sebastian and Raack, Christian and Bayer, Georg and Engel, Thomas}, title = {Single-layer Cuts for Multi-layer Network Design Problems}, issn = {1438-0064}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-9641}, number = {07-21}, abstract = {We study a planning problem arising in SDH/WDM multi-layer telecommunication network design. The goal is to find a minimum cost installation of link and node hardware of both network layers such that traffic demands can be realized via grooming and a survivable routing. We present a mixed-integer programming formulation that takes many practical side constraints into account, including node hardware, several bitrates, and survivability against single physical node or link failures. This model is solved using a branch-and-cut approach with problem-specific preprocessing and cutting planes based on either of the two layers. On several realistic two-layer planning scenarios, we show that these cutting planes are still useful in the multi-layer context, helping to increase the dual bound and to reduce the optimality gaps.}, language = {en} } @article{EisenblaetterGroetschelKoster2002, author = {Eisenbl{\"a}tter, Andreas and Gr{\"o}tschel, Martin and Koster, Arie M.C.A.}, title = {Frequency Planning and Ramifications of Coloring}, series = {Discussiones Mathematicae, Graph Theory}, journal = {Discussiones Mathematicae, Graph Theory}, number = {22}, pages = {51 -- 88}, year = {2002}, language = {en} } @article{EisenblaetterGroetschelKoster2002, author = {Eisenbl{\"a}tter, Andreas and Gr{\"o}tschel, Martin and Koster, Arie M.C.A.}, title = {Frequenzplanung im Mobilfunk}, series = {DMV-Mitteilungen}, journal = {DMV-Mitteilungen}, number = {1}, pages = {18 -- 25}, year = {2002}, language = {en} } @misc{KosterKutschkaRaack, author = {Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Kutschka, Manuel and Raack, Christian}, title = {Robust Network Design: Formulations, Valid Inequalities, and Computations}, issn = {1438-0064}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-13890}, number = {11-34}, abstract = {Traffic in communication networks fluctuates heavily over time. Thus, to avoid capacity bottlenecks, operators highly overestimate the traffic volume during network planning. In this paper we consider telecommunication network design under traffic uncertainty, adapting the robust optimization approach of Bertsimas and Sim [2004]. We present three different mathematical formulations for this problem, provide valid inequalities, study the computational implications, and evaluate the realized robustness. To enhance the performance of the mixed-integer programming solver we derive robust cutset inequalities generalizing their deterministic counterparts. Instead of a single cutset inequality for every network cut, we derive multiple valid inequalities by exploiting the extra variables available in the robust formulations. We show that these inequalities define facets under certain conditions and that they completely describe a projection of the robust cutset polyhedron if the cutset consists of a single edge. For realistic networks and live traffic measurements we compare the formulations and report on the speed up by the valid inequalities. We study the "price of robustness" and evaluate the approach by analyzing the real network load. The results show that the robust optimization approach has the potential to support network planners better than present methods.}, language = {en} } @article{RaackKosterOrlowskietal.2011, author = {Raack, Christian and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Orlowski, Sebastian and Wess{\"a}ly, Roland}, title = {On cut-based inequalities for capacitated network design polyhedra}, series = {Networks}, volume = {57}, journal = {Networks}, number = {2}, pages = {141 -- 156}, year = {2011}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{KosterRaack2009, author = {Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Raack, C.}, title = {A packing integer program arising in two-layer network design}, series = {Proceedings of the INOC 2009, Pisa, Italy}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the INOC 2009, Pisa, Italy}, publisher = {International Network Optimization Conference}, address = {Pisa, Italy}, year = {2009}, language = {en} } @incollection{KosterOrlowskiRaacketal.2009, author = {Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Orlowski, Sebastian and Raack, Christian and Baier, Georg and Engel, Thomas and Belotti, Pietro}, title = {Branch-and-cut techniques for solving realistic two-layer network design problems}, series = {Graphs and Algorithms in Communication Networks}, booktitle = {Graphs and Algorithms in Communication Networks}, publisher = {Springer Berlin Heidelberg}, pages = {95 -- 118}, year = {2009}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{RaackKosterOrlowskietal.2007, author = {Raack, Christian and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Orlowski, Sebastian and Wess{\"a}ly, Roland}, title = {Capacitated network design using general flow-cutset inequalities}, series = {Proceedings of the INOC 2007, Spa, Belgium, also ZIB Report ZR-07-14}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the INOC 2007, Spa, Belgium, also ZIB Report ZR-07-14}, publisher = {International Network Optimization Conference}, address = {Spa, Belgium}, year = {2007}, language = {en} } @incollection{KosterOrlowskiRaacketal.2008, author = {Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Orlowski, Sebastian and Raack, Christian and Baier, Georg and Engel, Thomas}, title = {Single-layer Cuts for Multi-Layer Network Design Problems}, series = {Telecommunications Modeling Policy and Technology, also ZIB Report ZR-07-21}, booktitle = {Telecommunications Modeling Policy and Technology, also ZIB Report ZR-07-21}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {College Park, MD, U.S.A.}, pages = {1 -- 23}, year = {2008}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{OrlowskiKosterRaacketal.2007, author = {Orlowski, Sebastian and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Raack, Christian and Wess{\"a}ly, Roland}, title = {Two-layer Network Design by Branch-and-Cut featuring MIP-based Heuristics}, series = {Proceedings of the INOC 2007, Spa, Belgium, also ZIB Report ZR-06-47}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the INOC 2007, Spa, Belgium, also ZIB Report ZR-06-47}, publisher = {International Network Optimization Conference}, address = {Spa, Belgium}, year = {2007}, language = {en} } @misc{BauschertBuesingD'Andreagiovannietal., author = {Bauschert, Thomas and B{\"u}sing, Christina and D'Andreagiovanni, Fabio and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Kutschka, Manuel and Steglich, Uwe}, title = {Network Planning under Demand Uncertainty with Robust Optimization}, issn = {1438-0064}, doi = {10.1109/MCOM.2014.6736760}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-42557}, abstract = {The planning of a communication network is inevitably depending on the quality of both the planning tool and the demand forecast used. In this article, we show exemplarily how the emerging area of Robust Optimization can advance the network planning by a more accurate mathematical description of the demand uncertainty. After a general introduction of the concept and its application to a basic network design problem, we present two applications: multi-layer and mixed-line-rate network design. We conclude with a discussion of extensions of the robustness concept to increase the accuracy of handling uncertainties.}, language = {en} } @article{BauschertBuesingD'Andreagiovannietal., author = {Bauschert, Thomas and B{\"u}sing, Christina and D'Andreagiovanni, Fabio and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Kutschka, Manuel and Steglich, Uwe}, title = {Network planning under demand uncertainty with robust optimization}, series = {IEEE Communications Magazine}, volume = {52}, journal = {IEEE Communications Magazine}, number = {2}, doi = {10.1109/MCOM.2014.6736760}, pages = {178 -- 185}, language = {en} } @incollection{EisenblaetterFuegenschuhKochetal.2002, author = {Eisenbl{\"a}tter, Andreas and F{\"u}genschuh, Armin and Koch, Thorsten and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Martin, Alexander and Pfender, Tobias and Wegel, Oliver and Wess{\"a}ly, Roland}, title = {Mathematical Model of Feasible Network Configurations for UMTS}, series = {Telecommunications network design and management}, booktitle = {Telecommunications network design and management}, editor = {G. Anandalingam, S.}, publisher = {Kluwer}, pages = {1 -- 24}, year = {2002}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{EisenblaetterKochMartinetal.2003, author = {Eisenbl{\"a}tter, Andreas and Koch, Thorsten and Martin, Alexander and Achterberg, Tobias and F{\"u}genschuh, Armin and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Wegel, Oliver and Wess{\"a}ly, Roland}, title = {Modelling Feasible Network Configurations for UMTS}, series = {Telecommunications Network Design and Management}, booktitle = {Telecommunications Network Design and Management}, editor = {Anandalingam, G. and Raghavan, S.}, publisher = {Kluver}, year = {2003}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{KosterKutschkaRaack2010, author = {Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Kutschka, Manuel and Raack, Christian}, title = {Towards Robust Network Design using Integer Linear Programming Techniques}, series = {Proceedings of the NGI 2010, Paris, France}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the NGI 2010, Paris, France}, publisher = {Next Generation Internet}, address = {Paris, France}, year = {2010}, language = {en} } @misc{ConiglioGrimmKosteretal., author = {Coniglio, Stefano and Grimm, Boris and Koster, Arie M.C.A. and Tieves, Martin and Werner, Axel}, title = {Optimal offline virtual network embedding with rent-at-bulk aspects}, pages = {9}, abstract = {Network virtualization techniques allow for the coexistence of many virtual networks (VNs) jointly sharing the resources of an underlying substrate network. The Virtual Network Embedding problem (VNE) arises when looking for the most profitable set of VNs to embed onto the substrate. In this paper, we address the offline version of the problem. We propose a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming formulation to solve it to optimality which accounts for acceptance and rejection of virtual network requests, allowing for both splittable and unsplittable (single path) routing schemes. Our formulation also considers a Rent-at-Bulk (RaB) model for the rental of substrate capacities where economies of scale apply. To better emphasize the importance of RaB, we also compare our method to a baseline one which only takes RaB into account a posteriori, once a solution to VNE, oblivious to RaB, has been found. Computational experiments show the viability of our approach, stressing the relevance of addressing RaB directly with an exact formulation.}, language = {en} }