Topological design of local-area networks using genetic algorithms

In this paper, we describe an algorithm for designing local-area networks (LANs) with the objective of minimizing the average network delay. The topology design includes issues such as determination of the number of segments in the network, allocating the users to the different segments, and determining the interconnections and routing among the segments. The determination of the optimal LAN topology is a very complicated combinatorial optimization problem. Therefore, a heuristic algorithm that is based on genetic ideas is used. Numerical examples are provided and the quality of the designs obtained by using the algorithm is compared with lower bounds on the average network delay that are developed.