On the Use of Source Coding as a Tool for Network Protocols Design and Evaluation

Alhussein Abouzeid

Associate Professor
Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Abstract

For dynamic networks - almost every modern network is dynamic - significant overhead may be needed in order to maintain state in the network, and such an overhead has yet to be fully understood. But the real effective throughput achievable (per node) in a network depends not only on how much a node can send, but also how much of the sent information is actual user data vis-a-vis control packets. This talk will present a new framework to study network protocol information. In essence, the approach posits that state changes provide an alphabet for efficient source coding. Time permitting, the speaker will also present a brief overview of his recent networks research projects at RPI applying stochastic decision theory and queuing theory to protocol design of ad hoc and mobile sensor networks.

Speaker Bio

Alhussein Abouzeid received the B.S. degree with honors from Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt in 1993, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from University of Washington, Seattle, WA in 1999 and 2001, respectively, all in electrical engineering. From 1994 until 1997, he served as a Project Manager in the Middle East Regional Office of Alcatel telecom. In 2001 he joined Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, where he is currently an associate professor in the Electrical, Computer and Systems Engineering Department, and Deputy Director of the Center for Pervasive Computing and Networking. He received the NSF Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) in 2006. He serves on various conferences organization committees and is an area editor for Elsevier Computer Networks journal. He is an active member of IEEE and ACM. Web Page: http://www.ecse.rpi.edu/homepages/abouzeid/