10 research outputs found
ActiveSTB: an efficient wireless resource manager in home networks
The rapid growth of new wireless and mobile devices accessing the internet has
led to an increase in the demand for multimedia streaming services. These home-based
wireless connections require efficient distribution of shared network resources which is a
major concern for the transport of stored video. In our study, a set-top box is the access
point between the internet and a home network. Our main goal is to design a set-top box
capable of performing network flow control in a home network and capable of quality
adaptation of the delivered stream quality to the available bandwidth. To achieve our
main goal, estimating the available bandwidth quickly and precisely is the first task in
the decision of streaming rates of layered and scalable multimedia services. We present
a novel bandwidth estimation method called IdleGap that uses the NAV (Network
Allocation Vector) information in the wireless LAN. We will design a new set-top box
that will implement IdleGap and perform buffering and quality adaptation to a wireless
network based on the IdleGap’s bandwidth estimate. We use a network simulation tool
called NS-2 to evaluate IdleGap and our ActiveSTB compared to traditional STBs. We
performed several tests simulating network conditions over various ranges of cross
traffic with different error rates and observation times. Our simulation results reveal
how IdleGap accurately estimates the available bandwidth for all ranges of cross traffic
(100Kbps ~ 1Mbps) with a very short observation time (10 seconds). Test results also
reveal how our novel ActiveSTB outperforms traditional STBs and provides good QoS
to the end-user by reducing latency and excess bandwidth consumption
WE TCP-AP: Wireless Enhanced TCP-AP
Congestion control in wireless networks is strongly dependent on the dynamics and instability of wireless links. It is known that TCP experiences serious performance degradation problems in wireless networks. New approaches based on TCP try to overcome these problems but, although their performance is increased, they incur in congestion control errors, since they do not evaluate accurately the capacity and available link bandwidth in wireless networks. This is also the case of TCP-AP (Adaptive Pacing) that, although presenting clear advantages in wireless networks when compared to other TCP-based approaches, its performance is still lower than rate-based approaches. In this paper we propose a new congestion control protocol based in TCP-AP, the Wireless Enhanced TCP-AP (WE TCPAP).This protocol relies on the MAC layer information gathere by a new method to accurately estimate the available bandwidth and the path capacity over a wireless network path. The new congestion control mechanism is evaluated in different scenarios in wireless mesh and ad-hoc networks, and compared against several approaches for wireless congestion control. It is shown that the new WE TCP-AP outperforms the base TCP-AP, with a more stable behavior and better channel utilization, and its performance gets close to the one of ratebased protocols. This is a very important result, as we show that TCP-based approaches are still able to have good performance in wireless mesh and ad-hoc networks
A measurement-based approach to service modeling and bandwidth estimation in IEEE 802.11 wireless networks
[no abstract
A Remote Capacity Utilization Estimator for WLANs
In WLANs, the capacity of a node is not fixed and can vary dramatically due to the shared nature of the medium under the IEEE 802.11 MAC mechanism. There are two main methods of capacity estimation in WLANs: Active methods based upon probing packets that consume the bandwidth of the channel and do not scale well. Passive methods based upon analyzing the transmitted packets that avoid the overhead of transmitting probe packets and perform with greater accuracy. Furthermore, passive methods can be implemented locally or remotely. Local passive methods require an additional dissemination mechanism in order to communicate the capacity information to other network nodes which adds complexity and can be unreliable under adverse network conditions. On the other hand, remote passive methods do not require a dissemination mechanism and so can be simpler to implement and also do not suffer from communication reliability issues. Many applications (e.g. ANDSF etc) can benefit from utilizing this capacity information. Therefore, in this thesis we propose a new remote passive Capacity Utilization estimator performed by neighbour nodes. However, there will be an error associated with the measurements owing to the differences in the wireless medium as observed by the different nodes’ location. The main undertaking of this thesis is to address this issue. An error model is developed to analyse the main sources of error and to determine their impact on the accuracy of the estimator. Arising from this model, a number of modifications are implemented to improve the accuracy of the estimator. The network simulator ns2 is used to investigate the performance of the estimator and the results from a range of different test scenarios indicate its feasibility and accuracy as a passive remote method. Finally, the estimator is deployed in a node saturation detection scheme where it is shown to outperform two other similar schemes based upon queue observation and probing with ping packets
JTP, an energy-aware transport protocol for mobile ad hoc networks (PhD thesis)
Wireless ad-hoc networks are based on a cooperative communication model, where all nodes not only generate traffic but also help to route traffic from other nodes to its final destination. In such an environment where there is no infrastructure support the lifetime of the network is tightly coupled with the lifetime of individual nodes. Most of the devices that form such networks are battery-operated, and thus it becomes important to conserve energy so as to maximize the lifetime of a node. In this thesis, we present JTP, a new energy-aware transport protocol, whose goal is to reduce power consumption without compromising delivery requirements of applications. JTP has been implemented within the JAVeLEN system. JAVeLEN [RKM+08], is a new system architecture for ad hoc networks that has been developed to elevate energy efficiency as a first-class optimization metric at all protocol layers, from physical to transport. Thus, energy gains obtained in one layer would not be offset by incompatibilities and/or inefficiencies in other layers. To meet its goal of energy efficiency, JTP (1) contains mechanisms to balance end-toend vs. local retransmissions; (2) minimizes acknowledgment traffic using receiver regulated rate-based flow control combined with selected acknowledgments and in-network caching of packets; and (3) aggressively seeks to avoid any congestion-based packet loss. Within this ultra low-power multi-hop wireless network system, simulations and experimental results demonstrate that our transport protocol meets its goal of preserving the energy efficiency of the underlying network. JTP has been implemented on the actual JAVeLEN nodes and its benefits have been demonstrated on a real system
Mobility Management and Congestion Control in Wireless Mesh Networks
Today, wireless mesh networks are increasingly popular. In order to be better adapted to the increasing number of offered services in telecommunications, many Quality of Service (QoS) problems are being considered. Some of the important issues are: admission control, congestion control, and handoff management of the network. Our research focuses on those issues individually and combining them together in order to find solutions to enhance the quality of service provided to each user as demanded in their SLA.
A novel Markov Decision-based Admission Control and Routing (MDACR) algorithm is proposed. The MDACR algorithm finds a sub-optimal solution using the value iteration method. Admission rate increases for both types of user associations (handoff and new user association request), which is addressed by a proposed multi-homing admission and routing algorithm. This algorithm associates the user with two different access points. This is beneficial in a highly congested network, which permits a new routing metric to assure seamless handoff in the network. When a user is moving, MDACR algorithm finds a maximally jointed route with the old route, which decreases the handoff delay.
Another aspect is considered in order to improve the QoS in WMN, which is the congestion control, a novel proactive approach is proposed. Where a Variable Order Markov (VOM) prediction model is introduced to predict the congestion status in each link in the network, a new route is established for the traffic based on the output of the VOM model, and the transmission rate is adjusted based on the link congestion status to increase the overall user satisfaction. Sub-optimal model is introduced and solved using Lagrange method. Based on the predicted link congestion, rerouting algorithm is implemented in order to insure load balancing and to mitigate congestion over WMN network.
Our ultimate goal is to improve the QoS in WMN by dealing individually with the issues stated above and try to combine them together and provide QoS framework which deals with many types of services
Controlo de congestionamento em redes sem fios
Doutoramento em Engenharia ElectrotécnicaCongestion control in wireless networks is an important and open issue.
Previous research has proven the poor performance of the Transport
Control Protocol (TCP) in such networks. The factors that contribute
to the poor performance of TCP in wireless environments concern its
unsuitability to identify/detect and react properly to network events,
its TCP window based
ow control algorithm that is not suitable for
the wireless channel, and the congestion collapse due to mobility. New
rate based mechanisms have been proposed to mitigate TCP performance
in wired and wireless networks. However, these mechanisms
also present poor performance, as they lack of suitable bandwidth estimation
techniques for multi-hop wireless networks.
It is thus important to improve congestion control performance in wireless
networks, incorporating components that are suitable for wireless
environments. A congestion control scheme which provides an e -
cient and fair sharing of the underlying network capacity and available
bandwidth among multiple competing applications is crucial to the definition
of new e cient and fair congestion control schemes on wireless
multi-hop networks.
The Thesis is divided in three parts. First, we present a performance
evaluation study of several congestion control protocols against TCP,
in wireless mesh and ad-hoc networks. The obtained results show that
rate based congestion control protocols need an eficient and accurate
underlying available bandwidth estimation technique. The second part
of the Thesis presents a new link capacity and available bandwidth estimation
mechanism denoted as rt-Winf (real time wireless inference).
The estimation is performed in real-time and without the need to intrusively
inject packets in the network. Simulation results show that
rt-Winf obtains the available bandwidth and capacity estimation with
accuracy and without introducing overhead trafic in the network.
The third part of the Thesis proposes the development of new congestion
control mechanisms to address the congestion control problems
of wireless networks. These congestion control mechanisms use cross
layer information, obtained by rt-Winf, to accurately and eficiently estimate
the available bandwidth and the path capacity over a wireless
network path. Evaluation of these new proposed mechanisms, through
ns-2 simulations, shows that the cooperation between rt-Winf and the
congestion control algorithms is able to significantly increase congestion
control eficiency and network performance.O controlo de congestionamento continua a ser extremamente importante
quando se investiga o desempenho das redes sem fios. Trabalhos
anteriores mostram o mau desempenho do Transport Control Proto-
col (TCP) em redes sem fios. Os fatores que contribuem para um
pior desempenho do TCP nesse tipo de redes s~ao: a sua falta de capacidade
para identificar/detetar e reagir adequadamente a eventos da
rede; a utilização de um algoritmo de controlo de
uxo que não é adequado
para o canal sem fios; e o colapso de congestionamento devido
á mobilidade. Para colmatar este problemas foram propostos novos
mecanismos de controlo de congestionamento baseados na taxa de
transmissão. No entanto, estes mecanismos também apresentam um
pior desempenho em redes sem fios, já que não utilizam mecanismos
adequados para a avaliação da largura de banda disponível. Assim, é
importante para melhorar o desempenho do controlo de congestionamento
em redes sem fios, incluir componentes que são adequados para
esse tipo de ambientes. Um esquema de controlo de congestionamento
que permita uma partilha eficiente e justa da capacidade da rede e da
largura de banda disponível entre múltiplas aplicações concorrentes é
crucial para a definição de novos, eficientes e justos mecanismos de
controlo congestionamento para as redes sem fios.
A Tese está dividida em três partes. Primeiro, apresentamos um estudo
sobre a avaliação de desempenho de vários protocolos de controlo de
congestionamento relativamente ao TCP, em redes sem fios em malha
e ad-hoc. Os resultados obtidos mostram que os protocolos baseados
na taxa de transmissão precisam de uma técnica de avaliação da largura
de banda disponível que seja eficiente e precisa . A segunda parte da
Tese apresenta um novo mecanismo de avaliação da capacidade da
ligação e da largura de banda disponível, designada por rt-Winf (real
time wireless inference). A avaliação é realizada em tempo real e sem
a necessidade de inserir tráfego na rede. Os resultados obtidos através
de simulação e emulação mostram que o rt-Winf obtém com precisão
a largura de banda disponível e a capacidade da ligação sem sobrecarregar
a rede. A terceira parte da Tese propõe novos mecanismos de
controlo de congestionamento em redes sem fios. Estes mecanismos
de controlo de congestionamento apresentam um conjunto de caracter
ísticas novas para melhorar o seu desempenho, de entre as quais
se destaca a utilização da informação de largura de banda disponível
obtida pelo rt-Winf. Os resultados da avaliação destes mecanismos,
utilizando o simulador ns-2, permitem concluir que a cooperação entre
o rt-Winf e os algoritmos de controlo de congestionamento aumenta
significativamente o desempenho da rede
Quality of service differentiation for multimedia delivery in wireless LANs
Delivering multimedia content to heterogeneous devices over a variable networking environment while maintaining high quality levels involves many technical challenges. The research reported in this thesis presents a solution for Quality of Service (QoS)-based service differentiation when delivering multimedia content over the wireless LANs. This thesis has three major contributions outlined below:
1. A Model-based Bandwidth Estimation algorithm (MBE), which estimates the available bandwidth based on novel TCP and UDP throughput models over IEEE 802.11 WLANs. MBE has been modelled, implemented, and tested through simulations and real life testing. In comparison with other bandwidth estimation techniques, MBE shows better performance in terms of error rate, overhead, and loss.
2. An intelligent Prioritized Adaptive Scheme (iPAS), which provides QoS service differentiation for multimedia delivery in wireless networks. iPAS assigns dynamic priorities to various streams and determines their bandwidth share by employing a probabilistic approach-which makes use of stereotypes. The total bandwidth to be allocated is estimated using MBE. The priority level of individual stream is variable and dependent on stream-related characteristics and delivery QoS parameters. iPAS can be deployed seamlessly over the original IEEE 802.11 protocols and can be included in the IEEE 802.21 framework in order to optimize the control signal communication. iPAS has been modelled, implemented, and evaluated via simulations. The results demonstrate that iPAS achieves better performance than the equal channel access mechanism over IEEE 802.11 DCF and a service differentiation scheme on top of IEEE 802.11e EDCA, in terms of fairness, throughput, delay, loss, and estimated PSNR. Additionally, both objective and subjective video quality assessment have been performed using a prototype system.
3. A QoS-based Downlink/Uplink Fairness Scheme, which uses the stereotypes-based structure to balance the QoS parameters (i.e. throughput, delay, and loss) between downlink and uplink VoIP traffic. The proposed scheme has been modelled and tested through simulations. The results show that, in comparison with other downlink/uplink fairness-oriented solutions, the proposed scheme performs better in terms of VoIP capacity and fairness level between downlink and uplink traffic