Parallel arc-allocation algorithms for optimizing generalized networks

Two parallel shared-memory algorithms are presented for the optimization of generalized networks. These algorithms are based on the allocation of arc-related operations in the (generalized) network simplex method. One method takes advantage of the multi-tree structure of basic solutions and performs pivot operations in parallel, utilizing locking to ensure correctness. The other algorithm utilizes only one processor for sequential pivoting, but parallelizes the pricing operation and overlaps this task with pivoting in a speculative manner (i.e. since pivoting and pricing involve data dependencies, a candidate for flow change generated by the pricing processors is not guaranteed to be acceptable, but in practice generally has this property). The relative performance of these two methods (on the Sequent Symmetry S81 multiprocessor) is compared and contrasted with that of a fast sequential algorithm on a set of large-scale test problems of up to 1,000,000 arcs.This research was supported in part by NSF grant CCR-8709952 and AFOSR grant AFOSR-86-0194.     

New labeling procedures for the basis graph in generalized networks

Labeling procedures for the basis graph of a generalized network are introduced which build on procedures designed for pure networks. Computational results are presented which show that a primal simplex code which uses these procedures is about 60 times faster than a general purpose linear programming code.     

Auction algorithms for network flow problems: A tutorial introduction

This paper surveys a new and comprehensive class of algorithms for solving the classical linear network flow problem and its various special cases such as shortest path, max-flow, assignment, transportation, and transhipment problems. The prototype method, from which the other algorithms can be derived, is the auction algorithm for the assignment problem. This is an intuitive method that operates like a rel auction where persons compete for objects by raising their prices through competitive bidding; the prices can be viewed as dual variables. Conceptually, auction algorithms represent a significant departure from the cost improvement idea that underlies primal simplex and dual ascent methods; at any one iteration, they may deteriorate both the primal and the dual cost. Auction algorithms perform very well for several important types of problems, both in theory and in practice, and they are also well suited for parallel computation.     

PRIMAL PERTURBATION SIMPLEX ALGORITHMS FOR LINEAR PROGRAMMING

1. IntroductionExtensive research in linear programming, such as [1,2,9,10,if, 12,13,14,19], hasbeen to improve pivot rules to reduce the number of iterations required. Relatively lesseffort was made on perturbing problem data with pivot rules unaltered (for instance, theself--dual parametric method [7] and perturbation--based methods [3,5]). And, becauseof the papametrization, the latter do not proceed as simply as the conventional simplexalgorithm itself.Recently, Pan [17] proposes new pert…     

Steepest-edge simplex algorithms for linear programming

We present several new steepest-edge simplex algorithms for solving linear programming problems, including variants of both the primal and the dual simplex method. These algorithms differ depending upon the space in which the problem is viewed as residing, and include variants in which this space varies dynamically. We present computational results comparing steepest-edge simplex algorithms and approximate versions of them against simplex algorithms that use standard pivoting rules on truly large-scale realworld linear programs with as many as tens of thousands of rows and columns. These results demonstrate unambiguously the superiority of steepest-edge pivot selection criteria to other pivot selection criteria in the simplex method.The research of this author was supported in part by NSF Grants DMS 85-12277, DMS 91-0619 and CDR 84-21402.     

A comparison of pivot selection rules for primal simplex based network codes

This note reports a comparative study of several approaches for selecting the incoming arc in primal simplex specializations for network problems. Our tests establish that a recent method improves on two established choice rules found effective in earlier studies.     

A practical anti-degeneracy row selection technique in network linear programming

A characteristic feature of the primal network simplex algorithm (NSA) is that it usually makes a large number of degenerate iterations. Though cycling and even stalling can be avoided by recently introduced pivot rules for NSA, the practical efficiency of these rules is not known yet. For the case when the simplex algorithm is used to solve the continuous linear programming (LP) problem there exists a practical anti-cycling procedure that proved to be efficient. It is based on an expanding relaxation of the individual bound on the variables. In this paper we discuss the adaptation of this method to NSA, taking advantage of the special integer nature of network problems. We also give an account of our experience with these ideas as they are experimentally implemented in the MINET network LP solver. Reductions of CPU time have been achieved on a smaller set of specially structured real-life problems.This research was supported in part by Hungarian Research Fund OTKA 2587, and by DAAD 314 108 060 0 while the author was at Universität Heidelberg, Germany, October, 1990.     

A comprehensive simplex-like algorithm for network optimization and perturbation analysis

The family of network optimization problems includes the following prototype models: assignment, critical path, max flow, shortest path, and transportation. Although it is long known that these problems can be modeled as linear programs (LP), this is generally not done. Due to the relative inefficiency and complexity of the simplex methods (primal, dual, and other variations) for network models, these problems are usually treated by one of over 100 specialized algorithms. This leads to several difficulties. The solution algorithms are not unified and each algorithm uses a different strategy to exploit the special structure of a specific problem. Furthermore, small variations in the problem, such as the introduction of side constraints, destroys the special structure and requires modifying andjor restarting the algorithm. Also, these algorithms obtain solution efficiency at the expense of managerial insight, as the final solutions from these algorithms do not have sufficient information to perform postoptimality analysis.

Another approach is to adapt the simplex to network optimization problems through network simplex. This provides unification of the various problems but maintains all the inefficiencies of simplex, as well as, most of the network inflexibility to handle changes such as side constraints. Even ordinary sensitivity analysis (OSA), long available in the tabular simplex, has been only recently transferred to network simplex.

This paper provides a single unified algorithm for all five network models. The proposed solution algorithm is a variant of the self-dual simplex with a warm start. This algorithm makes available the full power of LP perturbation analysis (PA) extended to handle optimal degeneracy. In contrast to OSA, the proposed PA provides ranges for which the current optimal strategy remains optimal, for simultaneous dependent or independent changes from the nominal values in costs, arc capacities, or suppliesJdemands. The proposed solution algorithm also facilitates incorporation of network structural changes and side constraints. It has the advantage of being computationally practical, easy for managers to understand and use, and provides useful PA information in all cases. Computer implementation issues are discussed and illustrative numerical examples are provided in the Appendix     

The relax codes for linear minimum cost network flow problems

We describe a relaxation algorithm [1,2] for solving the classical minimum cost network flow problem. Our implementation is compared with mature state-of-the-art primal simplex and primal-dual codes and is found to be several times faster on all types of randomly generated network flow problems. Furthermore, the speed-up factor increases with problem dimension. The codes, called RELAX-II and RELAXT-II, have a facility for efficient reoptimization and sensitivity analysis, and are in the public domain.This work has been supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant NSF-ECS-8217668.     

An ε-sensitivity analysis in the primal–dual interior point method

This paper presents a method of sensitivity analysis on the cost coefficients and the right-hand sides for most variants of the primal–dual interior point method. We first define an ε-optimal solution to describe the characteristics of the final solution obtained by the primal–dual interior point method. Then an ε-sensitivity analysis is defined to determine the characteristic region where the final solution remains the ε-optimal solution as a cost coefficient or a right-hand side changes. To develop the method of ε-sensitivity analysis, we first derive the expressions for the final solution from data which are commonly maintained in most variants of the primal–dual interior point method. Then we extract the characteristic regions on the cost coefficients and the right-hand sides by manipulating the mathematical expressions for the final solution. Finally, we show that in the nondegenerate case, the characteristic regions obtained by ε-sensitivity analysis are convergent to those obtained by sensitivity analysis in the simplex algorithm.     

第一阶段原有单纯形和对偶单纯形算法的计算比较

线性最优化广泛应用于经济与管理的各个领域.在线性规划问题的求解中,如果一个初始基本可行解没有直接给出,则常采用经典的两阶段法求解.对含有"≥"不等式约束的线性规划问题,讨论了第一阶段原有单纯形法和对偶单纯形法两种算法形式,并根据第一阶段问题的特点提出了改进的对偶单纯形枢轴准则.最后,通过大规模数值试验对两种算法进行计算比较,结果表明,改进后的对偶单纯形算法在计算效率上明显优于原有单纯形算法.     

Network simplex algorithm for the general equal flow problem

In this paper the general equal flow problem is considered. This is a minimum cost network flow problem with additional side constraints requiring the flow of arcs in some given sets of arcs to take on the same value. This model can be applied to approach water resource system management problems or multiperiod logistic problems in general involving policy restrictions which require some arcs to carry the same amount of flow through the given study period. Although the bases of the general equal flow problem are no longer spanning trees, it is possible to recognize a similar structure that allows us to take advantage of the practical computational capabilities of network models. After characterizing the bases of the problem as good (r+1)-forests, a simplex primal algorithm is developed that exploits the network structure of the problem and requires only slight modifications of the well-known network simplex algorithm.     

A unified framework for primal-dual methods in minimum cost network flow problems

We introduce a broad class of algorithms for finding a minimum cost flow in a capacitated network. The algorithms are of the primal-dual type. They maintain primal feasibility with respect to capacity constraints, while trying to satisfy the conservation of flow equation at each node by means of a wide variety of procedures based on flow augmentation, price adjustment, and ascent of a dual functional. The manner in which these procedures are combined is flexible thereby allowing the construction of algorithms that can be tailored to the problem at hand for maximum effectiveness. Particular attention is given to methods that incorporate features from classical relaxation procedures. Experimental codes based on these methods outperform by a substantial margin the fastest available primal-dual and primal simplex codes on standard benchmark problems.This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under Contract NSF/ECS 8217668.     

A network simplex method

Simple combinatorial modifications are given which ensure finiteness in the primal simplex method for the transshipment problem and the upper-bounded primal simplex method for the minimum cost flow problem. The modifications involve keeping strongly feasible bases. An efficient algorithm is given for converting any feasible basis into a strongly feasible basis. Strong feasibility is preserved by a rule for choosing the leaving basic variable at each simplex iteration. The method presented is closely related to a new perturbation technique and to previously known degeneracy modifications for shortest path problems and maximum flow problems.The author holds a National Research Council of Canada Post-Doctorate Fellowship.     

变量有广义界线性规划的叠累单纯形法

本文建立变量有广义界线性规划一个新的转轴算法,称之为叠累单纯形算法,新算法其有三个主要特征：１对于检验数为“坏”的非基变量 ｘｓ,进行一轮子转轴运算,使得ｘｓ进基,转轴中具有“好”的检验数的变量始终保持“好”的检验数;２ｘ．进基的子转轴所产生的基既不是原始可行基,也不是对偶可行基,但子转轴结束时产生的基是原始可行的;３目标函数值在整个转抽运算中是单调下降,从而算法可有限步终止．     

线性规划的单纯形法及其发展

本文给出了一种新的原对偶单纯形法,并通过它分析了隐藏在经典单纯形法中的对偶信息．我们重新评价经典单纯形法并详细讨论了它与现代单纯形法之间的联系．两个修改版本一并给出．新算法具有计算量小和实施简单等特点,计算效果也不错．初步数值实验表明现代单纯形法比经典方法具有明显的优越性．     

An Algorithm for Non-Linear Network Programming: Implementation,Results and Comparisons

This paper evaluates an algorithm for solving network flow optimization problems with quadratic cost functions. Strategies for fast implementation are discussed and the results of extensive numerical tests are given. The performance of the algorithm measured by CPU time is compared with that of the convex simplex method specialized for quadratic network programming. Performance of the two methods is analysed with respect to network size and density, and other parameters of interest. The algorithm is shown to perform significantly better on the majority of problems. We also show how the algorithm may be used to solve non-linear convex network optimization problems by the use of sequential quadratic programming.     

Testing of a large-scale network optimization program

This paper describes the experimental results of testing a large-scale program for solving minimum-cost network flow problems. With this program, general structure transshipment problems with over ten thousand nodes and thirty thousand arcs have been easily solved without resorting to auxiliary storage. The algorithm is a variant of the primal revised simplex method; the computer code is called LPNET illustrating the close connection between linear programming and network graphs. This approach substantially improves computer processing timeand core storage, especially for relatively large network problems. The results of these experiments are provided. It is emphasized that an organized experimental design and a detailed series of empirical tests are crucial for an efficient implementation.Research supported in part by TRW Systems Group and Harvard Business School.     

线性规划的最钝角CRISS-CROSS算法

1 引言 考虑如下标准线性规划问题 minimize c~Tx (1) subject to Ax=b, x≥0 其中A∈R~(m×n) (m相似文献