28 research outputs found
Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based Channel Allocation for Wireless LANs with Graph Convolutional Networks
Last year, IEEE 802.11 Extremely High Throughput Study Group (EHT Study
Group) was established to initiate discussions on new IEEE 802.11 features.
Coordinated control methods of the access points (APs) in the wireless local
area networks (WLANs) are discussed in EHT Study Group. The present study
proposes a deep reinforcement learning-based channel allocation scheme using
graph convolutional networks (GCNs). As a deep reinforcement learning method,
we use a well-known method double deep Q-network. In densely deployed WLANs,
the number of the available topologies of APs is extremely high, and thus we
extract the features of the topological structures based on GCNs. We apply GCNs
to a contention graph where APs within their carrier sensing ranges are
connected to extract the features of carrier sensing relationships.
Additionally, to improve the learning speed especially in an early stage of
learning, we employ a game theory-based method to collect the training data
independently of the neural network model. The simulation results indicate that
the proposed method can appropriately control the channels when compared to
extant methods
Delay Performance and Mixing Times in Random-Access Networks
We explore the achievable delay performance in wireless random-access
networks. While relatively simple and inherently distributed in nature,
suitably designed queue-based random-access schemes provide the striking
capability to match the optimal throughput performance of centralized
scheduling mechanisms in a wide range of scenarios. The specific type of
activation rules for which throughput optimality has been established, may
however yield excessive queues and delays.
Motivated by that issue, we examine whether the poor delay performance is
inherent to the basic operation of these schemes, or caused by the specific
kind of activation rules. We derive delay lower bounds for queue-based
activation rules, which offer fundamental insight in the cause of the excessive
delays. For fixed activation rates we obtain lower bounds indicating that
delays and mixing times can grow dramatically with the load in certain
topologies as well
Fast Mixing of Parallel Glauber Dynamics and Low-Delay CSMA Scheduling
Glauber dynamics is a powerful tool to generate randomized, approximate
solutions to combinatorially difficult problems. It has been used to analyze
and design distributed CSMA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access) scheduling
algorithms for multi-hop wireless networks. In this paper we derive bounds on
the mixing time of a generalization of Glauber dynamics where multiple links
are allowed to update their states in parallel and the fugacity of each link
can be different. The results can be used to prove that the average queue
length (and hence, the delay) under the parallel Glauber dynamics based CSMA
grows polynomially in the number of links for wireless networks with
bounded-degree interference graphs when the arrival rate lies in a fraction of
the capacity region. We also show that in specific network topologies, the
low-delay capacity region can be further improved.Comment: 12 page
Delay performance in random-access grid networks
We examine the impact of torpid mixing and meta-stability issues on the delay
performance in wireless random-access networks. Focusing on regular meshes as
prototypical scenarios, we show that the mean delays in an toric
grid with normalized load are of the order . This
superlinear delay scaling is to be contrasted with the usual linear growth of
the order in conventional queueing networks. The intuitive
explanation for the poor delay characteristics is that (i) high load requires a
high activity factor, (ii) a high activity factor implies extremely slow
transitions between dominant activity states, and (iii) slow transitions cause
starvation and hence excessively long queues and delays. Our proof method
combines both renewal and conductance arguments. A critical ingredient in
quantifying the long transition times is the derivation of the communication
height of the uniformized Markov chain associated with the activity process. We
also discuss connections with Glauber dynamics, conductance and mixing times.
Our proof framework can be applied to other topologies as well, and is also
relevant for the hard-core model in statistical physics and the sampling from
independent sets using single-site update Markov chains
Q-CSMA: Queue-Length Based CSMA/CA Algorithms for Achieving Maximum Throughput and Low Delay in Wireless Networks
Recently, it has been shown that CSMA-type random access algorithms can
achieve the maximum possible throughput in ad hoc wireless networks. However,
these algorithms assume an idealized continuous-time CSMA protocol where
collisions can never occur. In addition, simulation results indicate that the
delay performance of these algorithms can be quite bad. On the other hand,
although some simple heuristics (such as distributed approximations of greedy
maximal scheduling) can yield much better delay performance for a large set of
arrival rates, they may only achieve a fraction of the capacity region in
general. In this paper, we propose a discrete-time version of the CSMA
algorithm. Central to our results is a discrete-time distributed randomized
algorithm which is based on a generalization of the so-called Glauber dynamics
from statistical physics, where multiple links are allowed to update their
states in a single time slot. The algorithm generates collision-free
transmission schedules while explicitly taking collisions into account during
the control phase of the protocol, thus relaxing the perfect CSMA assumption.
More importantly, the algorithm allows us to incorporate mechanisms which lead
to very good delay performance while retaining the throughput-optimality
property. It also resolves the hidden and exposed terminal problems associated
with wireless networks.Comment: 12 page