Analysis of a distributed switching overload control using a semi-Markov decision process

Future switching architectures lead to the distribution of call processing and fabric control in separate processing entities. Message exchange among fabric controllers and call processors occurs in order to establish a communication path in the network. As new switching fabrics and network applications are introduced, volume and type of call requests at a distributed switch are also expected to increase. Even more so than in the past, overload control is becoming critical and requires special attention. In this paper, after describing a distributed switching architecture we consider the problem of multivariate overload control by formulating it as a Semi-Markov Decision Process. The model consists of observation of the system states at each state change. At each system state, an action appropriate for overload control in the switch entity is selected. The objective is to maximize the average system throughput.