Using simulation to determine reliability and availability of telecommunication networks

The design of reliable networks is a fundamental task for system managers and telecommunication engineers, since reliability and availability are strongly related to other important concepts, such as quality and security. We have developed some simulation-based algorithms, implemented as C/C++ programs that can be used to obtain information about reliability and availability levels in a network. They can also be used to identify those critical components that should be improved or duplicated in order to increase overall reliability or availability. Furthermore, a procedure to obtain all minimal paths connecting a set of nodes in a network is introduced. Finally, two application examples, regarding Wide Area Networks (WANs), are discussed using these algorithms and procedure. [Received 22 July 2006; Revised 17 October; Accepted 26 October 2006].