A Particle Swarm Optimization and Variable Neighborhood Search based multipopulation algorithm for Inter-Domain Path Computation problem

It is a common occurrence nowadays for a network to be gigantic in size and complex in architecture. Network navigation thus faces many new problems in terms of routing and resource utilization, one of which arises in multi-domain networks. This paper focuses on the Inter-Domain Path Computation under Node-defined Domain Uniqueness Constraint (IDPC-NDU) problem, whose purpose is to find the shortest path between two nodes in a network under a constraint that such a path is only allowed to traverse each domain at most once. Considering that this is an NP-Hard problem, an approximate approach is more practical than an exact one. Meanwhile, Particles Swarm Optimization Algorithm (PSO) has been long known for its powerful ability to discover near-optimal solutions in a reasonable time; however, its application in discrete search space is limited. Therefore, we decide to use the multi-population framework, a sub-branch of multitasking optimization which allows information exchange not only between problems but also between different optimization heuristics, to improve upon the basic PSO method. Specifically, this paper introduces a hybridization between PSO and Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS). The encoding and decoding method are created specifically for the IDPC-NDU problem and for the PSO algorithm, and VNS serves to enhance further the algorithm's ability to escape local optima. Experiments are carried out to prove the new algorithm's efficacy, especially in the context of similar multitasking methods. (c) 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.