Fast Structuring of Radio Networks for Multi-Message Communications

We introduce collision free layerings as a powerful way to structure radio networks. These layerings can replace hard-to-compute BFS-trees in many contexts while having an efficient randomized distributed construction. We demonstrate their versatility by using them to provide near optimal distributed algorithms for several multi-message communication primitives. Designing efficient communication primitives for radio networks has a rich history that began 25 years ago when Bar-Yehuda et al. introduced fast randomized algorithms for broadcasting and for constructing BFS-trees. Their BFS-tree construction time was $O(D \log^2 n)$ rounds, where $D$ is the network diameter and $n$ is the number of nodes. Since then, the complexity of a broadcast has been resolved to be $T_{BC} = \Theta(D \log \frac{n}{D} + \log^2 n)$ rounds. On the other hand, BFS-trees have been used as a crucial building block for many communication primitives and their construction time remained a bottleneck for these primitives. We introduce collision free layerings that can be used in place of BFS-trees and we give a randomized construction of these layerings that runs in nearly broadcast time, that is, w.h.p. in $T_{Lay} = O(D \log \frac{n}{D} + \log^{2+\epsilon} n)$ rounds for any constant $\epsilon>0$. We then use these layerings to obtain: (1) A randomized algorithm for gathering $k$ messages running w.h.p. in $O(T_{Lay} + k)$ rounds. (2) A randomized $k$-message broadcast algorithm running w.h.p. in $O(T_{Lay} + k \log n)$ rounds. These algorithms are optimal up to the small difference in the additive poly-logarithmic term between $T_{BC}$ and $T_{Lay}$. Moreover, they imply the first optimal $O(n \log n)$ round randomized gossip algorithm

Gossiping with interference in radio chain networks (upper bound algorithms)

International audienceIn this paper, we study the problem of gossiping with interference constraint in radio chain networks. Gossiping (or total exchange information) is a protocol where each node in the network has a message and wants to distribute its own message to every other node in the network. The gossiping problem consists in finding the minimum running time (makespan) of a gossiping protocol and efficient algorithms that attain this makespan

Gossiping with interference in radio chain networks

International audienceIn this paper, we study the problem of gossiping with interference constraint in radio chain networks. Gossiping (or total exchange information) is a protocol where each node in the network has a message and wants to distribute its own message to every other node in the network. The gossiping problem consists in finding the minimum running time (makespan) of a gossiping protocol and efficient algorithms that attain this makespan

Information Gathering in Ad-Hoc Radio Networks with Tree Topology

We study the problem of information gathering in ad-hoc radio networks without collision detection, focussing on the case when the network forms a tree, with edges directed towards the root. Initially, each node has a piece of information that we refer to as a rumor. Our goal is to design protocols that deliver all rumors to the root of the tree as quickly as possible. The protocol must complete this task within its allotted time even though the actual tree topology is unknown when the computation starts. In the deterministic case, assuming that the nodes are labeled with small integers, we give an O(n)-time protocol that uses unbounded messages, and an O(n log n)-time protocol using bounded messages, where any message can include only one rumor. We also consider fire-and-forward protocols, in which a node can only transmit its own rumor or the rumor received in the previous step. We give a deterministic fire-and- forward protocol with running time O(n^1.5), and we show that it is asymptotically optimal. We then study randomized algorithms where the nodes are not labelled. In this model, we give an O(n log n)-time protocol and we prove that this bound is asymptotically optimal

The Cost of Global Broadcast Using Abstract MAC Layers

We analyze greedy algorithms for broadcasting messages throughout a multi-hop wireless network, using a slot-based model that includes message collisions without collision detection. Our algorithms are split formally into two pieces: a high-level piece for broadcast and a low-level piece for contention management. We accomplish the split using abstract versions of the MAC layer to encapsulate the contention management. We use two different abstract MAC layers: a basic non-probabilistic one, which our contention management algorithm implements with high probability, and a probabilistic one, which our contention management algorithm implements precisely. Using this approach, we obtain the following complexity bounds: Single-message broadcast, using the basic abstract MAC layer, takes time O(D log(n/epsilon) log(Delta)) to deliver the message everywhere with probability 1 - epsilon, where D is the network diameter, n is the number of nodes, and Delta is the maximum node degree. Single-message broadcast, using the probabilistic abstract MAC layer, takes time only O((D + log(n/epsilon)) log(Delta)). For multi-message broadcast, the bounds are O((D + k' Delta) log(n/epsilon) log(Delta)) using the basic layer and O((D + k' Delta log(n/epsilon)) log(Delta)) using the probabilistic layer,for the time to deliver a single message everywhere in the presence of at most k' concurrent messages

Gossiping with interference in radio chain networks

IIn this paper, we study the problem of gossiping with neighboring interference con- straint in radio chain networks. Gossiping (or total exchange information) is a protocol where each node in the network has a message and is expected to distribute its own mes- sage to every other node in the network. The gossiping problem consists in finding the minimum running time (makespan) of a gossiping protocol and efficient algorithms that attain this makespan.We focus on the case where the transmission network is a chain (directed path or line) network. We consider synchronous protocols where it takes one unit of time (step) to transmit a unit-length message. During one step, a node receives at most one message only through one of its two neighbors. We suppose that during one step, a node cannot be both a sender and a receiver (half duplex model). Moreover we have neighboring interference constraints with which a node cannot receive a message if one of its neighbors is sending. A round consists of a set of non-interfering (or compatible) calls and uses one step. We solve completely the gossiping problem for Pn, the chain network on n nodes, and give an algorithm that completes the gossiping in 3n − 5 rounds (for n > 3), which is exactly the makespan

Decomposing Broadcast Algorithms Using Abstract MAC Layers

In much of the theoretical literature on global broadcast algorithms for wireless networks, issues of message dissemination are considered together with issues of contention management. This combination leads to complicated algorithms and analysis, and makes it difficult to extend the work to more difficult communication problems. In this paper, we present results aimed at simplifying such algorithms and analysis by decomposing the treatment into two levels, using abstract "MAC layer" specifications to encapsulate contention management. We use two different abstract MAC layers: the basic layer of Kuhn, Lynch, and Newport, and a new probabilistic layer. We first present a typical randomized contention-management algorithm for a standard graph-based radio network model and show that it implements both abstract MAC layers. Then we combine this algorithm with greedy algorithms for single-message and multi-message global broadcast and analyze the combinations, using both abstract MAC layers as intermediate layers. Using the basic MAC layer, we prove a bound of O(D log(n / epsilon) log(Delta)) for the time to deliver a single message everywhere with probability 1 - epsilon, where D is the network diameter, n is the number of nodes, and Delta is the maximum node degree. Using the probabilistic layer, we prove a bound of O((D + log(n/epsilon)) log(Delta)), which matches the best previously-known bound for single-message broadcast over the physical network model. For multi-message broadcast, we obtain bounds of O((D + k Delta) log(n/epsilon) log(Delta)) using the basic layer and O((D + k Delta log(n/epsilon)) log(Delta)) using the probabilistic layer, for the time to deliver a message everywhere in the presence of at most k concurrent messages.Author Lynch's research is supported by AFOSR contract FA9550-08-1-0159 and NSF grants CCF-0726514, CNS-0715397, CCF-0937274, and NSF-PURDUE-STC Award 0939370-CCF. Author Kowalski's research is supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council [grant numbers EP/G023018/1, EP/H018816/1]