Summary and conclusions

Abstract

Watching how ubiquitous communication networks have become in recent years, there is no question about their importance for social life and modern economy. They provide means of information sharing and data exchange basically anywhere, anytime. However, the numerous advantages of being able to quickly communicate thoughts and ideas over large distances, and gain access to remote resources, can only be achieved if the communication system is administered in a proper way. A major impact on the condition of a network is attributed to the mechanisms of control. They should allow efficient resource sharing according to the set of constraints specified for a given network (such as the channel capacity). More importantly, however, the implemented control methods should provide appropriate reaction to the dynamically changing networking conditions. In this way, one may avoid bottlenecks, loss of data, and guarantee adequate service level.