Problem of SCHEDULING

using Graph Theory

By :
Suman Lata
3 rd CSE
121/05
 Graphs
 • A graph G = (V, E) is a finite nonempty
set of vertices and a set of edges
1
V={(1,2,3)}
2 3 E={(1,2)}

1
V={(1,2,3,4)}
E={(1,2) (2,3) (1,3) (1,4)}
2 4

3
 Examples of Graphs
Wash DC
SFO
SFO

DALLAS

Airline Schedules
BOS
LA

Graph AirlineRoutes is represented as the pair (V,E)

 V= {Bos, SFO, LA, Dallas, Wash DC}

 E= {(SFO,Bos),(SFO,LA),(LA,Dallas),(Dallas,Wash

DC)...}
 Applications of Graph Theory
(1) Connection problem
(2) Scheduling problem
(3) Transportation problem
(4) Network analysis problem
(5) In Games and Puzzles
 Scheduling
 A schedule is said to be feasible if it fulfills all
application constraints for a given set of tasks.
 A set of task is said to be schedulable if there

exist at least one scheduling algorithm that can

generate a feasible schedule.
 A scheduling algorithm is said to be optimal

with respect to schedulablity if it can always fine a

feasible schedule whenever any other schedule
algorithm can do so.
 Scheduling Algorithm
When are schedules generated?

 Static Scheduling
- schedule generated “off-line” before the tasks become ready ,sometimes even
before the system is in mission.

- schedule consist of a “time-table”, containing a explicit start and completion time for
each task instance, that controls the order of execution at run time.

 Dynamic Scheduling
- schedule generated “on-line”, as a side-effect of tasks being executed , that is, when
the system is in mission.

- ready tasks are sorted in a queue and receive access to the processor at run time based
on priorities and/ or time quanta.
 Static Scheduling
General Properties :
 Automatic techniques for schedule generation

- simulate a run time system with dynamic scheduling and record the
executions (start and finish time) or,
- search for feasible schedule using an intelligent heuristic such as branch-
and-bound or simulated annealing.

 Schedulability test for “free”

- generated schedule can be easily checked for feasibility.
 Static scheduling
 Advantages:
 • Predictable execution
 – Monitoring, debugging and schedulability
analysis are simplified
 • Effective inter-task communication
 – Time for data availability is well known
 – Well suited for interfacing to TDMA
networks
 Static scheduling
 Disadvantages:
 • Low flexibility
 – Schedule cannot adapt itself to changes in the
system

 • Inefficient for tasks with ”bad” periods

 – Tasks with mutually inappropriate periods gives
rise to
 large time tables, which consumes memory
 Dynamic scheduling
 General properties:
 • Mutual exclusion and precedence must be handled on-line
 – Support for run-time synchronization or task offsets needed

 • Large variety of static and dynamic priority schemes

 – Rate-monotonic scheduling [static priority]
 – Deadline-monotonic scheduling [static priority]
 – Weight-monotonic scheduling [static priority]
 – Slack-monotonic scheduling [static priority]
 – Earliest-deadline-first scheduling [dynamic priority]

 – Least-laxity-first scheduling [dynamic priority

 Dynamic scheduling
 Advantages:
 • High flexibility
 – Schedule can easily adapt to changes in the
system
 • Effective for different types of tasks
 – Sporadic tasks easily supported (via suitable
priority assignment)
 – Implementation is not affected by task
characteristics
 Dynamic scheduling
 Disadvantages:
 • Less predictable execution
 – Temporary variations (jitter) in periodicity
can occur
 • Complicated inter-task communication
 – Task must synchronize to exchange data
 – Difficult to adapt to TDMA networks
Some Problems Based On
Scheduling
1. Crew Scheduling
2. Hospital Scheduling
 CREW Scheduling Problem
Definition
 Assignment of well-defined tasks (pairing &
shift construction) to a group of people while
respecting a set of complicated legality rules
and resource constraints.
 Most of the legality rules are non-linear and
evolving through time
Crew Pairing Solution Methodology
 Crew Pairing and Crew assignment are too big
to be solved together
 A good solution for Crew Pairing is a must for
the efficient and productive use of the airline
crews
 Airline Crew Scheduling
 Entities of the problem
 Flight Leg: A non-stop flight with its crew
complement and fleet requirements
 Duty: A legal sequence of legs for one day
 Pairing (Trip): A legal sequence of duties
 Pairings start and end at the same crew base
 Roster: A set of pairings and other activities
assigned to a specific crew member
 Airline Scheduling
 The Problem
 Designing the Algorithm
 Analyzing the Algorithm
 The Problem
Suppose u are in charge of managing a fleet of airplanes and u would like to create a
flight schedule for them.
Here is a very simple model for this. Your market research has
identified a set of m particular flight segments that would be very lucrative if u
could serve them; flight segment j is specified by four parameters: its origin
airport, its destination airport, its departure time and its arrival time. e.g.
There is a list consist of six flight segments you would like to serve with your
planes over the course of a single day:
(1) Bostan (depart 6 A.M.) – Washington DC (arrive 7 A.M.)
(2) Philadelphia (depart 7A.M.) – Pittsburg (arrive 8 A.M.)
(3) Washington DC (depart 8 A.M.) – Los Angles (arrive 11 A.M.)
(4) Philadelphia (depart 11 A.M.) – San Francisco (arrive 2 P.M.)
(5) San Francisco (depart 2:15 P.M.) – Seattle ( arrive 3:15 P.M.)
(6) Las Vegas (depart 5 P.M.) – Seattle (arrive 6 P.M.)
It is possible to use a single plane for a flight segment i , and then later for the
flight segment j, provided that

(a) the destination of the i is the same as the origin of j , and there is enough
time to perform maintenance on the plane in between; or
(b) you can add a flight segment in between that gets the plane from the
destination of i to the origin of j with adequate time in between.
For example ,an hour for intermediate time, you could use a single plane for
flights (1), (3) and (6) by having the plane sit in Washington , DC , between
flights (1) and (3) , and then inserting the flight in between flight (3), and (6).
 Formulating the Problem
 We will simply say that flight j is reachable from flight I if it is possible to
use the same plane for flight I, and then later for flight j, as well. so under
above rules (1) and (2) , we can easily determine for each pair i, j, whether
flight j is reachable from flight i.
 The input to the problem will include not just the flight segments, but also a
specification of the pairs (i , j ) for which a later flight j is reachable from an
earlier flight i.
 The goal in this problem is to determine whether it is possible to serve all m
flights on your original list, using at most k planes total. In order to do this
there is need to find a way of efficiently reusing planes for multiple flights.
 For ex. k= 2 planes. If we use one of the planes for flights (1) , (3), and (6),
we would not be able to serve all the flights (2) , ( 4), 950 with the
other.However ther is a solution to serve all the six planes flights using two
planes, via a different solution: one for the flight (1) , (3), (5), and other
plane for the flight (2), (4), and (6).
 Designing the Algorithm
 The solution is based on the following idea. Units of flow will correspond
to airplanes. We will have an edge for each flight, and upper and lower
capacity bounds of 1 on these edges to require that exactly one unit of flow
crosses this edge. In other words, each flight must be served by one unit of
the planes.
 If ( ui and vi ) is the edge representing flight i , and ( u j , v j ) is the edge
representing flight j, and flight j is reachable from flight I, then we will
have an edge from vi to uj with capacity 1; in this way, a unit of flow can
traverse ( u i, vi) and then move directly to ( uj , vj).
 The node set of the underlying graph G is defined as follows.
- for each flight I, the graph G will have the two nodes ui and vi.
- G will also have a distinct source node s and sink node t.
 (cont………)
T he edge set of G is defined as follows.
(2) For each i, there is an edge (u i , v i) with a lower bound of 1 and a
capacity of 1.
(3) For each i and j so that flight j is reachable from flight i , there is an
edge (v i, u j ) with a lower bound of 0 and capacity of 1.
(4) For each i, there is an edge (s, u i) with a lower bound of 0 and capacity
of 1.
(5) For each j, there is an edge (v j, t) with a lower bound of 0 and capacity
of 1.
(6) There is an edge (s, t) with lower bound 0 and capacity k. (If we have
the extra planes , we don’t need to use them foe any of the flights.)
Finally , the node s will have a demand of –k , and the node t will have
a demand of k.All other nodes have a demand of 0.
 Solution Approaches for the Crew
Pairing Problem
 Generate and Optimize
 Select sub-problems (Heuristic filtering)
 Phase 1. Generate a large set of legal pairings
(Generate)
 Phase 2. Select the best pairings (Optimize)
 Iterate
 Column Generation
 Analyzing the Algorithm
 There is a way to perform all flights using at most k planes if and only if there is a
feasible circulation in the network graph G.
Proof:
Suppose , there is a way to perform all flights using k’ < k planes .The set of flights
performed by each individual plane defines a path P in the G, and we send one unit
of flow each such path P. To satisfy full the demand at s and t , we send k - k’ units
of flow on the edge (s, t). The resulting circulation satisfies all demand, capacity
and lower bound conditions. We know that there is a feasible circulation with
integer flow values. Suppose that k’ unit of flow are sent on edges other (s, t). Since
all other edges have a capacity bound of 1, and the circulation is integer valued ,
each such edges that carries flow has exactly one unit of flow on it.
Now we take the situation is easier here since the graph has no cycles. Consider an
edge (s, u i) that carries one unit of flow. It follows by the conservation that ( u i, v
i) carries one unit of flow and there is a unique edge of v i, that carries one unit of
flow. If we continue in this way , we construct a path P from s tot, so that each
edge on this path carries one unit of flow. Now , for each path P we create in this
way, we can assign a single plane to perform all the flights connected in this graph.
Proved
 Airline scheduling problem
BOS 6 DCA 7 PHL 7 PIT 8

 DCA 8 LAX 11 PHL 11 SFO

SFO 2:15 SEA 3:15 LAS 5 SEA 6

 The scheduling problem solution

BOS 6 DCA 7 DCA 8 LAX 11 LAS 5 SEA 6

PHL 7 PIT 8 PHL 11 SFO 2 SFO 2:15 SEA3:15

 Modeling Approach
 A binary variable (column) represents a legal
schedule of a person that covers a set of tasks
 Each variable (column) embeds all non-linear
legality rules
 Legality rules are external to the model
 Constraints ensure the covering of all tasks
THANK YOU