Grid branch-and-bound for permutation flowshop

Abstract

Flowshop is an example of a classic hard combinatorial problem. Branch-and-bound is a technique commonly used for solving such hard problems. Together, the two can be used as a benchmark of maturity of parallel processing environment. Grid systems pose a number of hurdles which must be overcome in practical applications. We give a report on applying parallel branch-and-bound for flowshop in grid environment. Methods dealing with the complexities of the environment and the application are proposed, and evaluated. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.