System and method for end- or service-node placement optimization

1. A method for producing a set of optimized node placement solutions for plural nodes of a computer network, the method comprising:

a) temporarily relocating, in a computer process, movable ones of the nodes in the network;

b) for each temporarily relocated movable node, determining in a computer process, a thermal energy of the network resulting from its temporary relocation in the network, the thermal energy being inversely correlated with greediness of the network;

c) for each temporarily relocated movable node, determining, in a computer process, a potential energy reduction in the network resulting from its temporary relocation in the network, the potential energy being a function of pair-wise traffic stress;

d) for each temporarily relocated movable node, determining, in a computer process, whether to accept or reject its temporary relocation in the network;

e) accepting the temporary relocation in a computer process, if an acceptance probability is greater than a randomly generated number, the acceptance probability being a function of the potential energy reduction in the network; and

f) repeating steps a) to e) to generate a set of optimized node placement solutions.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

for each temporarily relocated movable node, allowing the thermal energy resulting from its temporary relocation in the network, to dissipate.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

rejecting the temporary relocation in a computer process, if the acceptance probability is less than the randomly generated number, prior to step f).

4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising:

applying a penalty to each of the rejected nodes.

5. The method according to claim 4 , further comprising:

for each rejected node, temporarily relocating it to a different location in the network, in a computer process and repeating steps b) to d);

accepting the temporary relocation in a computer process, if the acceptance probability is greater than a randomly generated number; and

removing the penalty.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

determining, in a computer process, which ones of the nodes of the network can be relocated prior to step a), wherein the nodes that are capable of being relocated are the movable nodes.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

selecting, in a computer process, a first one of the movable nodes to temporarily relocate in the network prior to step a).

8. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising:

selecting, in a computer process, a second one of the movable nodes to temporarily relocate in the network prior to step a) and after the temporary relocation of the first one of the movable nodes has been accepted.