In order to maintain consistent quality of service, computer network engineers face the task of monitoring the traffic fluctuations on the individual links making up the network. However, due to resource constraints and limited access, it is not poss
ible to directly measure all the links. Starting with a physically interpretable probabilistic model of network-wide traffic, we demonstrate how an expensively obtained set of measurements may be used to develop a network-specific model of the traffic across the network. This model may then be used in conjunction with easily obtainable measurements to provide more accurate prediction than is possible with only the inexpensive measurements. We show that the model, once learned may be used for the same network for many different periods of traffic. Finally, we show an application of the prediction technique to create relevant control charts for detection and isolation of shifts in network traffic.
We develop a probabilistic framework for global modeling of the traffic over a computer network. This model integrates existing single-link (-flow) traffic models with the routing over the network to capture the global traffic behavior. It arises fro
m a limit approximation of the traffic fluctuations as the time--scale and the number of users sharing the network grow. The resulting probability model is comprised of a Gaussian and/or a stable, infinite variance components. They can be succinctly described and handled by certain space-time random fields. The model is validated against simulated and real data. It is then applied to predict traffic fluctuations over unobserved links from a limited set of observed links. Further, applications to anomaly detection and network management are briefly discussed.
