A Network Calculus Approach for the Analysis of Multi-Hop Fading Channels

A fundamental problem in the delay and backlog analysis across multi-hop paths in wireless networks is how to account for the random properties of the wireless channel. Since the usual statistical models for radio signals in a propagation environment do not lend themselves easily to a description of the available service rate on a wireless link, the performance analysis of wireless networks has resorted to higher-layer abstractions, e.g., using Markov chain models. In this work, we propose a network calculus that can incorporate common statistical models of fading channels and obtain statistical bounds on delay and backlog across multiple nodes. We conduct the analysis in a transfer domain, which we refer to as the `SNR domain', where the service process at a link is characterized by the instantaneous signal-to-noise ratio at the receiver. We discover that, in the transfer domain, the network model is governed by a dioid algebra, which we refer to as (min,x)-algebra. Using this algebra we derive the desired delay and backlog bounds. An application of the analysis is demonstrated for a simple multi-hop network with Rayleigh fading channels and for a network with cross traffic.Comment: 26 page

Queueing analysis of opportunistic scheduling with spatially correlated channels

International audienc

Contention techniques for opportunistic communication in wireless mesh networks

Auf dem Gebiet der drahtlosen Kommunikation und insbesondere auf den tieferen Netzwerkschichten sind gewaltige Fortschritte zu verzeichnen. Innovative Konzepte und Technologien auf der physikalischen Schicht (PHY) gehen dabei zeitnah in zelluläre Netze ein. Drahtlose Maschennetzwerke (WMNs) können mit diesem Innovationstempo nicht mithalten. Die Mehrnutzer-Kommunikation ist ein Grundpfeiler vieler angewandter PHY Technologien, die sich in WMNs nur ungenügend auf die etablierte Schichtenarchitektur abbilden lässt. Insbesondere ist das Problem des Scheduling in WMNs inhärent komplex. Erstaunlicherweise ist der Mehrfachzugriff mit Trägerprüfung (CSMA) in WMNs asymptotisch optimal obwohl das Verfahren eine geringe Durchführungskomplexität aufweist. Daher stellt sich die Frage, in welcher Weise das dem CSMA zugrunde liegende Konzept des konkurrierenden Wettbewerbs (engl. Contention) für die Integration innovativer PHY Technologien verwendet werden kann. Opportunistische Kommunikation ist eine Technik, die die inhärenten Besonderheiten des drahtlosen Kanals ausnutzt. In der vorliegenden Dissertation werden CSMA-basierte Protokolle für die opportunistische Kommunikation in WMNs entwickelt und evaluiert. Es werden dabei opportunistisches Routing (OR) im zustandslosen Kanal und opportunistisches Scheduling (OS) im zustandsbehafteten Kanal betrachtet. Ziel ist es, den Durchsatz von elastischen Paketflüssen gerecht zu maximieren. Es werden Modelle für Überlastkontrolle, Routing und konkurrenzbasierte opportunistische Kommunikation vorgestellt. Am Beispiel von IEEE 802.11 wird illustriert, wie der schichtübergreifende Entwurf in einem Netzwerksimulator prototypisch implementiert werden kann. Auf Grundlage der Evaluationsresultate kann der Schluss gezogen werden, dass die opportunistische Kommunikation konkurrenzbasiert realisierbar ist. Darüber hinaus steigern die vorgestellten Protokolle den Durchsatz im Vergleich zu etablierten Lösungen wie etwa DCF, DSR, ExOR, RBAR und ETT.In the field of wireless communication, a tremendous progress can be observed especially at the lower layers. Innovative physical layer (PHY) concepts and technologies can be rapidly assimilated in cellular networks. Wireless mesh networks (WMNs), on the other hand, cannot keep up with the speed of innovation at the PHY due to their flat and decentralized architecture. Many innovative PHY technologies rely on multi-user communication, so that the established abstraction of the network stack does not work well for WMNs. The scheduling problem in WMNs is inherent complex. Surprisingly, carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) in WMNs is asymptotically utility-optimal even though it has a low computational complexity and does not involve message exchange. Hence, the question arises whether CSMA and the underlying concept of contention allows for the assimilation of advanced PHY technologies into WMNs. In this thesis, we design and evaluate contention protocols based on CSMA for opportunistic communication in WMNs. Opportunistic communication is a technique that relies on multi-user diversity in order to exploit the inherent characteristics of the wireless channel. In particular, we consider opportunistic routing (OR) and opportunistic scheduling (OS) in memoryless and slow fading channels, respectively. We present models for congestion control, routing and contention-based opportunistic communication in WMNs in order to maximize both throughput and fairness of elastic unicast traffic flows. At the instance of IEEE 802.11, we illustrate how the cross-layer algorithms can be implemented within a network simulator prototype. Our evaluation results lead to the conclusion that contention-based opportunistic communication is feasible. Furthermore, the proposed protocols increase both throughput and fairness in comparison to state-of-the-art approaches like DCF, DSR, ExOR, RBAR and ETT

Wireless multiuser communication systems: diversity receiver performance analysis, GSMuD design, and fading channel simulator

Multipath fading phenomenon is central to the design and analysis of wireless communication systems including multiuser systems. If untreated, the fading will corrupt the transmitted signal and often cause performance degradations such as increased communication error and decreased data rate, as compared to wireline channels with little or no multipath fading. On the other hand, this multipath fading phenomenon, if fully utilized, can actually lead to system designs that provide additional gains in system performance as compared to systems that experience non-fading channels.;The central question this thesis tries to answer is how to design and analyze a wireless multiuser system that takes advantage of the benefits the diversity multipath fading channel provides. Two particular techniques are discussed and analyzed in the first part of the thesis: quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and diversity receivers, including maximal ratio combining (MRC) and generalized selection combining (GSC). We consider the practical case of imperfect channel estimation (ICE) and develop a new decision variable (DV) of MRC receiver output for M-QAM. By deriving its moment generating function (MGF), we obtain the exact bit error rate (BER) performance under arbitrary correlated Rayleigh and Rician channels, with ICE. GSC provides a tradeoff between receiver complexity and performance. We study the effect of ICE on the GSC output effective SNR under generalized fading channels and obtain the exact BER results for M-QAM systems. The significance of this part lies in that these results provide system designers means to evaluate how different practical channel estimators and their parameters can affect the system\u27s performance and help them distribute system resources that can most effectively improve performance.;In the second part of the thesis, we look at a new diversity technique unique to multiuser systems under multipath fading channels: the multiuser diversity. We devise a generalized selection multiuser diversity (GSMuD) scheme for the practical CDMA downlink systems, where users are selected for transmission based on their respective channel qualities. We include the effect of ICE in the design and analysis of GSMuD. Based on the marginal distribution of the ranked user signal-noise ratios (SNRs), we develop a practical adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) scheme and equal power allocation scheme and statistical optimal 1-D and 2-D power allocation schemes, to fully exploit the available multiuser diversity. We use the convex optimization procedures to obtain the 1-D and 2-D power allocation algorithms, which distribute the total system power in the waterfilling fashion alone the user (1-D) or both user and time (2-D) for the power-limited and energy-limited system respectively. We also propose a normalized SNR based GSMuD scheme where user access fairness issues are explicitly addressed. We address various fairness-related performance metrics such as the user\u27s average access probability (AAP), average access time (AAT), and average wait time (AWT) in the absolute- and normalized-SNR based GSMuD. These metrics are useful for system designers to determine parameters such as optimal packet size and delay constraints.;We observe that Nakakagami-m fading channel model is widely applied to model the real world multipath fading channels of different severity. In the last part of the thesis, we propose a Nakagami-m channel simulator that can generate accurate channel coefficients that follow the Nakagami-m model, with independent quadrature parts, accurate phase distribution and arbitrary auto-correlation property. We demonstrate that the proposed simulator can be extremely useful in simulations involving Nakagami-m fading channel models, evident from the numerous simulation results obtained in earlier parts of the thesis where the fading channel coefficients are generated using this proposed simulator

Interference mitigation using group decoding in multiantenna systems

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Network Coding Strategies for Satellite Communications

Network coding (NC) is an important technology that allows the network services to be optimal. The main advantage of NC is to reduce the necessity for re-transmissions of packets. Satellite Communications (SatComs) are one of the potential applications that can leverage on the benefits of NC due to their challenging fading environments and high round trip times. The motivation is to take the physical layer-awareness into consideration for adapting and hence extend the NC gains. Different rate and energy efficient adaptive NC schemes for time variant channels are proposed. We compare our proposed physical layer adaptive schemes to physical layer non-adaptive NC schemes for time variant channels. The adaptation of packet transmissions is on the basis of the corresponding time-dependent erasures, and allows proposed schemes to achieve significant gains in terms of throughput, delay and energy efficiency. The proposed schemes are robust for large and small size of packets. Although, the energy per bit is affected, a similar rate and energy gains can be arise. However, the performance gains are not motivated by the packet size, but through duty cycle silence of transfer packets. In this thesis, virtual schemes are also proposed to solve an open literature problem in the NC. The objective is to find a quasi-optimal number of coded packets to multicast to a group of independent wireless receivers suffer from a different channel conditions. In particular, we propose two virtual network that allows for the representation of a group of receivers as a multicast group to be visible as one receiver and single channel. Most of the schemes are applied to LEO/MEO/GEO satellite scenarios. They demonstrate remarkable gains compared to that strategy in which the adaptation depends only on one receiver point-to-point