synthesis

The Impact of Jitter on Traffic Flow

Optimization in Communication
Networks

An analytical model for jitter in IP

networks

Group:
Arajdal Hasna
Faiq Dikra
Iebouben Halima
Khalil Fatima
Oukheda Nouhayla
 THE IMPACT OF JITTER ON TRAFFIC FLOW OPTIMIZATION IN
COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
The network model:
The passage discusses the goal of understanding how jitter affects network design. Using an extension of
previous work, the authors analyze a network of queues to find optimal path flows that minimize
performance measures like end-to-end delay or jitter. They consider constraints on these measures to ensure
a minimum level of Quality of Service (QoS). The authors use a Poisson model due to its computational
efficiency, even though it may not accurately represent real IP traffic. They believe that the observed
differences in routing under delay and jitter constraints will exist with other traffic models as well. The
Poisson model can also be useful for hierarchical traffic modeling and approximating certain types of access
network traffic with exponential distributions.

Related work:
1. Previous research focused on estimating ATM jitter in queuing systems for periodic and renewal traffic
streams, using various techniques such as Markovian structures and generating functions.
2. Our previous work introduced a formula for jitter evaluation in a single queue with Poisson traffic, providing
an analytical expression based on traffic load, bandwidth, and latency.
3. Routing and traffic engineering research has primarily targeted traditional networks like ATM and MPLS,
with optimization based on network delay and throughput metrics.
4. Our contributions include insights such as the behavior of jitter in single queues and tandem queueing
networks, as well as the trade-off between jitter and delay in routing and traffic engineering models.
5. An optimization algorithm is proposed for IP networks, considering end-to-end jitter constraints, to
determine the number of paths and their load for meeting traffic demand and QoS requirements.

Analytical jitter model

In accordance with the definition provided by the (IETF) jitter is determined by measuring the time difference
between the successive packet transfers from one designated point to another. so to know the impact of jitter
on traffic flow we did two studies about single queue and on path jitter.
For single queue:
We can model the jitter in this case by J = E [|Tj+1 − Tj|] = 1/η with η = μ−λ
If λ=0 then J= 1/ μ due to the infrequent arrival of packets, the queue will be empty during most arrival
times.
If λ= λk then J = E [|Tj+1 – Tj |] = 1/μ
≈
If the arrival rate of the tagged flow falls between the two extreme points then Jk 1/η*f(τk, η)
For path jitter:
In this case we take in consideration that tagged flow goes through N tandem nodes so we can model the jitter
∑
by Jk(N) = E [| (Tj+1 (n) - Tj(n))|]
To gain understanding of path jitter behavior, we conducted simulations on a linear network consisting of
5 links, the results give that:
As the load on the network increases, we observe a decrease in the end-to-end jitter.
An increase in the number of nodes in the network, we noticed an increase in the jitter of the end-to-end .
With low load, we observe that the path jitter closely approximates to the sum of the jitter at each
individual node along the path, but in high load we observe that the path jitter tends to be similar to
the jitter experienced at a single node along the path.
∑
From these results we can model our jitter by: Jk(n) = (1/η(i) K(i) f(τk(i) , η(i))

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 Routing optimisation model
In the context of network design and optimization, the effect of jitter is examined through a classical
routing optimization problem, our objective is to compare the solutions obtained from optimization
models that focus on either delay and jitter, to explore the trade-off between jitter and delay in optimizing
routing it is examined through both the objective function and the impact of jitter and delay constraints,
so we propose a general routing problem aimed at finding the optimal set of path flows (Xo,dp) that
minimize a convex linear combination of total delay and jitter subject to commodity constraints.
by Figure 4 It is evident that the delay exhibits the expected convex shape, while the jitter appears to be
concave, so given the non-convex nature of the problem, finding an optimal solution using global
optimization methods is expected to be infeasible for realistic-sized networks that's why we employed
two techniques to obtain good solutions:
standard nonlinear solver such as Minos to find local optima and obtaining solutions for non-convex
problems by generating multiple initial solutions and computing local solutions for each.
Meta-heuristic algorithm to provide good approximations to the global optimum in first time we
devide the space into several disjoint subsets and by using a Tabu search we can find a great solution
in taht subset, secondly we use TS to amplify the search for the global optimum
we can say that TS algorithm gives solutions close to the optimal for optimisation problem with or
without jitter better than Minos.
soft QOS requirements
This section explores the impact of jitter on routing with soft QoS requirements. The study analyzes optimal
routing solutions in different network architectures and scenarios with varying jitter weights. It evaluates the
influence of jitter on routing performance using Minos or the tabu algorithm. The findings reveal conflicting
effects of delay and jitter in regular networks, trade-offs between delay and jitter optimization at different
traffic loads, and challenges in achieving simultaneous reduction of jitter and delay. The section also discusses
routing strategies for 2 flows and background traffic, as well as the influence of network priorities and trade-
offs in optimizing for jitter or delay. In the case of converging flows, it explores trade-offs between jitter and
delay optimization and suggests additional measures for improving both simultaneously.
Hard QOS requirements:
Although optimizing flows can enhance QoS, certain scenarios require hard constraints on delay and jitter.
These constraints can arise from SLA obligations or applications intolerant to excessive delays.
A: Examining a regular network with one flow, we analyze the impact of delay and jitter constraints on the
optimal solution. Three cases are considered: delay constraint only, jitter constraint only, and both constraints
together. Varying the jitter weight α, different non-dominated solutions are obtained based on the imposed
constraints.
B: In the ARPA network with 2 flows, routing behaviors are influenced by constraints and objectives. Jitter and
delay constraints often cause deviations from the optimization objective. Imposing constraints narrows down
the range of solutions, but the objective remains consistent within that range.

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The impact of Jitter on traffic flow optimization in communication Networks

The main focus of this work is to develop a fast and accurate model for estimating end-to-end delay
jitter in IP networks that defined by the delay between the entry and exit nodes of a network. The
model is intended to be used as a component of network design algorithms, such as routing or
dimensioning, to improve network performance and meet QoS constraints.
The authors note that while the Poisson-based model may not accurately represent real Internet
traffic, it can still provide valuable insights when comparing network parameters. For example, it can
be used to compare transmission systems with different costs and estimate the difference in jitter. In
cases where the Poisson model underestimates the jitter, the difference in the error may still be smaller
than the actual difference in cost between the solutions.

The model's usefulness extends to the modeling of network traffic by hierarchical Markov Modulated
Poisson Processes (MMPP). The proposed model can be used within a decomposition technique of
hierarchical MMPP to compute the jitter. Additionally, the authors mention that their model has been
applied directly to calculate end-to-end jitter and design networks in access networks where the
Poisson assumption is realistic.
This article describes also the analysis of jitter in a single queue with infinite buffer and a First-Come-
First-Serve (FCFS) discipline. The queue receives packets from K streams, each with its own inter-
arrival time and packet length distributions. The focus is on the jitter of a particular stream, referred to
as the tagged stream. The analysis provides exact formulas for jitter in two extreme cases: when the
arrival rate of the tagged stream is much larger or much lower than the others. Additionally, an
approximate formula is presented for the intermediate case.

1. Small arrival rate:When the arrival rate of the tagged stream is small compared to the other
streams, the jitter is given by:
J=1/η
where η = μ - λ, and μ is the service rate and λ is the total arrival rate.
2. Large arrival rate: When the arrival rate of the tagged stream is comparable to the total arrival
rate, the jitter is given by:
J=1/μ
3. Intermediate arrival rate: In this case, where the arrival rate of the tagged flow lies between the
extreme values, an approximation is provided. The jitter of the tagged flow can be approximated as:
≈
Jk 1 / η * f(τk, η)
where τk is the average time between consecutive packets of the tagged flow and f(τk, η) is a function
that quantifies the correlation between successive packets. The function f(τk, η) is derived based on
exponential distributions of the transit time, service time, and inter-arrival time.

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Packet delays in a queue exhibit strong correlation with each other, but if we are interested in the delay
of a specific traffic flow, this impact can be reduced through multiplexing of multiple flows. However, it
is still necessary to consider that there is strong correlation between consecutive queues due to the
correlation between the service time of a given packet and the time it arrives at the subsequent router.
These effects have a significant impact on end-to-end jitter, and the standard queuing theory
techniques are too complex to compute the exact value of jitter.

The authors of the article propose an analysis model aimed at estimating and predicting the amount of jitter
experienced by packets in IP networks. The model considers several factors that contribute to jitter, includin
network congestion, queuing delay, and traffic flow characteristics.
The model takes into account various parameters that influence network behavior and contribute to jitter.
These parameters include the packet arrival rate, which reflects the rate at which packets enter the network
the mean service time, which represents the time taken to process a packet; and the buffer size, which
determines the capacity of the network to handle incoming packets.
By manipulating these parameters, we can simulate different network scenarios and predict the resulting
jitter. Thus, the analysis and optimization of network configurations and parameters can be performed to
minimize jitter and improve the quality of service for real-time applications. Based on the results of
simulations, it can be concluded that the analysis model provides a good approximation of end-to-end jitter
over a wide range of traffic loads. However, it should be noted that the planning and design of data
communications are often formulated as large-scale nonlinear optimization problems that require evaluatin
a large number of QoS constraints when addressing a given network.

Therefore, current network planning and design techniques mostly rely on average delay or loss constraints
as they can usually be easily computed. As a result, when traffic load increases, jitter tends to decrease, whic
is opposite to delay. Jitter tends to create sparse networks, while delay generates networks with higher
connectivity. Hence, the choice of QoS, delay, or jitter has implications for network routing and structure.
It is also concluded that when jitter occurs at access nodes, it may have more significant impact. This is
because access links have limited capacity, so congestion is more likely to occur on these links compared to
core links. Additionally, jitter occurring at the first node on a path has a greater impact than jitter occurring
elsewhere on the path. This is another important influence that network design algorithms must take into
account.