Patent ID: 7774440

Claim:
A method for enhancing performance of a physical network under real-time control using simulation of a reference model representing the physical network under control, the method comprising the steps of: (a) receiving data indicating a recent network state and recent network traffic of the physical network under real-time control; (b) generating a proposed network configuration and a proposed network traffic distribution for the proposed network configuration based at least in part on the recent network state and recent network traffic of the physical network under real-time control; (c) executing one or more simulations, using a conservative parallel discrete event simulation technique, for the proposed network configuration based upon the proposed network traffic distribution, using a simulation reference model employing a layered architecture thereby allowing simulation of activity at a plurality of different protocol layers in the proposed network configuration, wherein said one or more simulations are executed such that the network nodes are constrained to communicate only via the lowest layer of the architecture within the reference model even where simulated events occur at higher level layers; (d) determining a desired network configuration for the physical network under real-time control by evaluating the results of said one or more executed simulations to determine reconfiguration instructions based upon application of an objective function for enhancing an aspect of network performance to the simulated network configuration; (e) conveying said reconfiguration instructions for the desired network configuration to the physical network under real-time control and reconfiguring the physical network under real-time control in accordance with the desired network configuration; and (f) repeating steps (a) through (e) to effectuate ongoing, real-time enhancement of the physical network under real-time control.