Applications of expert systems to network control

Applications of expert systems within the design, testing, and operation of communication networks are discussed. The amenability of expert systems to support network monitoring, fault isolation, and system adaptation in degraded modes of operation is evaluated. Specific problems encountered in making network-wide control decisions, with only local or sector system status information that may be corrupted (including knowledge distorted by the presence of ambiguity, uncertainty, and incorrect or conflicting situation data) are presented. Examples of the design and operation of communication networks that use expert systems to support the network control function are discussed in case studies of three expert system projects under development and testing: EXACT (expert-system autonomous-control testbed), COMDAT (communications decision-aid tests), and FIESTA (fault-isolation expert system for TDRSS applications).<>