August 14-16, 2006
Centre de recherches mathématiques
Organizers: Shie Mannor (McGill) and Adrian Vetta (McGill)
Mathematical modelling plays a vital role in the understanding of computer and communication networks. It provides insights into the following questions : allocation of network resources, analysis and effects of competitive and/or cooperative agents, Internet protocols, wireless network protocols, network dynamics, queuing systems performance optimization, and network traffic and topology. These models shed light onto fundamental performance limits and trade-offs, and aid in algorithmic and mechanism design. In particular, the problems arising within that context involve game theoretic analyses that rely on traditional combinatorial and linear programming techniques. As the network infrastructure keeps changing and new applications are emerging, the mathematical models themselves must be adapted constantly. The workshop will explore recent developments in the field and especially the relationship between combinatorial optimization and the models used in distributed network design.