jph@arinc.UUCP (Jeff Huegel) (09/01/89)
Does anyone have any information on the use of Artificial Intelligence applications (Neural Networks, Expert Systems, etc.) in data communications networks. Specifically, we're looking to automate network management and alarm processing. We're, also, looking into other possibilities such as: applying AI to adaptive routing, database management, protocol processing, network modelling, etc. I'm looking for articles, books or existing products that address these areas. We are not necessarily constrained by hardware; although, our network is mainly comprised of Concurrent Computer Corporation 32xx-series. We (my project team) are new to AI and any help would be greatly appreciated.
david@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV (David E. Smyth) (09/05/89)
In article <128@arinc.UUCP> arinc!jph@opel.UUCP writes: >Does anyone have any information on the use of Artificial Intelligence >applications (Neural Networks, Expert Systems, etc.) in data communications >networks. Specifically, we're looking to automate network management and >alarm processing. We're, also, looking into other possibilities such as: >applying AI to adaptive routing, database management, protocol processing, >network modelling, etc. I'm looking for articles, books or existing products >that address these areas. Don't just assume that AI, NN, and/or ES are the correct way to do this type of thing. Network management is an easy problem using domain specific languages. It is a hard problem using Expert Systems. Reference: it took about a month to design a language, implement it using yacc, and deliver a commercially viable network management system using a domain specific language (aka little languages). Many people have and are writing doctoral dissertations on using ES for network management, but the systems I've seen don't really work. I do not think I am at liberty to broadcast on the net which companies are involved in using these two approaches to solve your problem with greatly different results. You can find many papers on the Expert System mis-approach. One company I know which uses the domain specific language approach has realized such huge gains in market position and software development productivity that they would be foolish to broadcast their strategy. I am not down on AI, NN, or ES. I just claim that one should always use the right tool for a given job. A job which can be explained completely and unambiguously by an expert in, say, 15 minutes is a perfect candidate for using a little lanugage. Network management, alarm processing, routing, protocol processing, and network modelling are all perfect candidates. Database management is too: SQL.