Root Cause Analysis of Failures in Interdependent Power-Communication Networks

Studies on communication network robustness, though extensive, have primarily focused on standalone networks. However, real world communication networks do not operate in isolation, but instead are part of complex interdependent ecosystems that function together as a comprehensive symbiotic unit. For instance, communication networks of today are highly dependent on the power infrastructure and hence, any efforts to improve the robustness of communication networks must necessarily take into account the vulnerabilities of the power infrastructure and their shared interdependencies. For example, event-induced failures (failures caused by natural disasters or terrorist attacks), on any of these two infrastructures can trigger further failures (triggered failures) into the system through a cascading process due to the interdependencies between the networks. In such an interdependent system where an event induced failure can cascade and result in a much larger combined (event-induced plus triggered) failure, it may be imperative to identify the original event-induced failure for the purpose of post fault diagnostics, or for pre-cascade network strengthening. This ascertainment of event-induced original failure, or the Root Cause of Failure, from combined failures in interdependent Power-Communication networks is the main focus of this paper. We model interdependencies between the two infrastructures using the recently proposed Implicative Interdependency Model. We introduce the Root Cause of Failure problem, and prove it to be NP-Complete. We also provide optimal solutions using ILP, and provide an O(ln(n)) approximation algorithm. Finally, we validate our analytical results through experiments in the power communication network of Maricopa County, Arizona.