A knowledge and collaboration-based CBR process to improve network performance-related support activities

In a context characterized by a growing demand for networked services, users of advanced applications sometimes face network performance troubles that may actually prevent them from completing their tasks. Therefore, providing assistance for user communities that have difficulties using the network has been identified as one of the major issues of performance-related support activities. Despite the advances network management has made over the last years, there is a lack of guidance services to provide users with information that goes beyond merely presenting network properties. In this light, the research community has been highlighting the importance of User-Perceived Quality (UPQ) scores during the evaluation of network services for network applications, such as Quality of Experience (QoE) and Mean Opinion Score (MOS). However, despite their potential to assist end-users to deal with network performance troubles, only few types of network applications have well established UPQ scores. Besides that, they are defined through experiments essentially conducted in laboratory, rather than actual usage. This paper thus presents a knowledge and Collaboration-based Network Users’ Support (CNUS) Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) Process that predicts UPQ scores to assist users by focusing on the collaboration among them through the sharing of their experiences in using network applications. It builds (i) a knowledge base that includes not only information about network performance problems, but also applications’ characteristics, (ii) a case base that contains users’ opinions, and (iii) a user database that stores users’ profiles. By processing them, CNUS benefits users through the indication of the degree of satisfaction they may achieve based on the general opinion from members of their communities in similar contexts. In order to evaluate the suitability of CNUS, a CBR system was built and validated through an experimental study conducted in laboratory with a multi-agent system that simulated scenarios where users request for assistance. The simulation was supported by an ontology of network services and applications and reputation scheme implemented through the PageRank algorithm. The results of the study pointed to the effectiveness of CNUS, and its resilience to users’ collusive and incoherent behaviors. Besides that, they showed the influence of the knowledge about network characteristics, users’ profiles and application features on computer-based support activities.