Estimation of multifractal parameters in traffic measurement: an accuracy-based real-time approach

We address the problem of real-time estimation of multifractal parameters of network traffic. The algorithm accuracy is the major concern in the proposed algorithm. From a statistical point of view, the higher the number of samples used in the estimation, the more accurate the results. However, the network traffic in long intervals of time may have a heterogeneous scaling behavior, which would make the estimation results meaningless. We then propose an adaptive strategy that adjusts the length of the estimation interval on the basis of the local traffic features so as to extend the number of samples as much as the traffic behavior is deemed to be stationary. The development of this strategy relies on an analysis of the variability of multifractality over time in real traffic traces. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm is characterized by a higher accuracy with respect to a fixed approach.