An advanced ensemble load balancing approach for fog computing applications

Abstract

Fog computing has emerged as a viable concept for expanding the capabilities of cloud computing to the periphery of the network allowing for efficient data processing and analysis from internet of things (IoT) devices. Load balancing is essential in fog computing because it ensures optimal resource utilization and performance among distributed fog nodes. This paper proposed an ensemble-based load-balancing approach for fog computing environments. An advanced ensemble load balancing approach (AELBA) uses real-time monitoring and analysis of fog node metrics, such as resource utilization, network congestion, and service response times, to facilitate effective load distribution. Based on the ensemble's collective decision-making, these metrics are fed into a centralized load-balancing controller, which dynamically adjusts the load distribution across fog nodes. Performance of the proposed ensemble load-balancing approach is evaluated and compared it to traditional load-balancing techniques in fog using extensive simulation experiments. The results demonstrate that our ensemble-based approach outperforms individual load-balancing algorithms regarding response time, resource utilization, and scalability. It adapts to dynamic fog environments, providing efficient load balancing even under varying workload conditions.