Abstract In this paper we introduce a capacity allocation game which models the problem of maximizing network utility from the perspective of distributed noncooperative agents. Motivated by the idea of self-managed networks, in the developed framework the decision-making entities are associated with individual transmission links, deciding on the way they split capacity among concurrent flows. An efficient decentralized algorithm is given for computing a strongly Pareto-optimal strategies, constituting a pure Nash equilibrium. Subsequently, we discuss the properties of the introduced game related to the Price of Anarchy and Price of Stability. The paper is concluded with an experimental study.
@cite_64: The high cost of operating large computing installations has motivated a broad interest in reducing the need for human intervention by making systems self-managing. This paper explores the extent to which control theory can provide an architectural and analytic foundation for building self-managing systems, either from new components or layering on top of existing components. Further, we propose a deployable testbed for autonomic computing (DTAC) that we believe will reduce the barriers to addressing key research problems in autonomic computing. The initial DTAC architecture is described along with several problems that it can be used to investigate.
@cite_26: Game theory provides a wealth of tools that can be applied to the design and operation of communications systems. In this article, we provide a brief introduction to game theory. We then present applications of game theory to problems in random access and power control. In the case of random access, we examine the behavior of selfish users in a simplified Aloha system; surprisingly, rational selfish users do not implement the "always transmit" strategy that one might expect. In the case of power control, we show that game theoretic techniques can yield an optimal operating point without the intervention of an external controller.
@cite_39: Autonomic communications seek to improve the ability of network and services to cope with unpredicted change, including changes in topology, load, task, the physical and logical characteristics of the networks that can be accessed, and so forth. Broad-ranging autonomic solutions require designers to account for a range of end-to-end issues affecting programming models, network and contextual modeling and reasoning, decentralised algorithms, trust acquisition and maintenance---issues whose solutions may draw on approaches and results from a surprisingly broad range of disciplines. We survey the current state of autonomic communications research and identify significant emerging trends and techniques.
@cite_43: The current complexity of network management has helped drive the need for autonomic capabilities. The vision of autonomic network management provides the ability for network devices to cooperatively self-organise and self-govern in the support of high level business goals. These principles are inspired by biological systems. In this paper, we propose key self-organisation and self-governance techniques that are drawn from principles of molecular biology including (i) blood glucose homeostasis, (ii) reaction diffusion like principles, (iii) microorganism mobility using chemotaxis techniques, and (iv) hormone signaling. Preliminary simulation results have also been presented to validate our model.
@cite_25: 
A survey of the most important approaches in autonomic network management may be found in @cite_39 and @cite_25 . However, it is worth noting that the most common concepts towards self-management are related to control theoretic approach @cite_64 , biological inspired mechanisms @cite_43 and game theory @cite_26 .