A Fast-CSMA Algorithm for Deadline-Constrained Scheduling over Wireless Fading Channels

Recently, low-complexity and distributed Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA)-based scheduling algorithms have attracted extensive interest due to their throughput-optimal characteristics in general network topologies. However, these algorithms are not well-suited for serving real-time traffic under time-varying channel conditions for two reasons: (1) the mixing time of the underlying CSMA Markov Chain grows with the size of the network, which, for large networks, generates unacceptable delay for deadline-constrained traffic; (2) since the dynamic CSMA parameters are influenced by the arrival and channel state processes, the underlying CSMA Markov Chain may not converge to a steady-state under strict deadline constraints and fading channel conditions. In this paper, we attack the problem of distributed scheduling for serving real-time traffic over time-varying channels. Specifically, we consider fully-connected topologies with independently fading channels (which can model cellular networks) in which flows with short-term deadline constraints and long-term drop rate requirements are served. To that end, we first characterize the maximal set of satisfiable arrival processes for this system and, then, propose a Fast-CSMA (FCSMA) policy that is shown to be optimal in supporting any real-time traffic that is within the maximal satisfiable set. These theoretical results are further validated through simulations to demonstrate the relative efficiency of the FCSMA policy compared to some of the existing CSMA-based algorithms.Comment: This work appears in workshop on Resource Allocation and Cooperation in Wireless Networks (RAWNET), Princeton, NJ, May, 201

Cross-layer Congestion Control, Routing and Scheduling Design in Ad Hoc Wireless Networks

This paper considers jointly optimal design of crosslayer congestion control, routing and scheduling for ad hoc wireless networks. We first formulate the rate constraint and scheduling constraint using multicommodity flow variables, and formulate resource allocation in networks with fixed wireless channels (or single-rate wireless devices that can mask channel variations) as a utility maximization problem with these constraints. By dual decomposition, the resource allocation problem naturally decomposes into three subproblems: congestion control, routing and scheduling that interact through congestion price. The global convergence property of this algorithm is proved. We next extend the dual algorithm to handle networks with timevarying channels and adaptive multi-rate devices. The stability of the resulting system is established, and its performance is characterized with respect to an ideal reference system which has the best feasible rate region at link layer. We then generalize the aforementioned results to a general model of queueing network served by a set of interdependent parallel servers with time-varying service capabilities, which models many design problems in communication networks. We show that for a general convex optimization problem where a subset of variables lie in a polytope and the rest in a convex set, the dual-based algorithm remains stable and optimal when the constraint set is modulated by an irreducible finite-state Markov chain. This paper thus presents a step toward a systematic way to carry out cross-layer design in the framework of “layering as optimization decomposition” for time-varying channel models

Time4: Time for SDN

With the rise of Software Defined Networks (SDN), there is growing interest in dynamic and centralized traffic engineering, where decisions about forwarding paths are taken dynamically from a network-wide perspective. Frequent path reconfiguration can significantly improve the network performance, but should be handled with care, so as to minimize disruptions that may occur during network updates. In this paper we introduce Time4, an approach that uses accurate time to coordinate network updates. Time4 is a powerful tool in softwarized environments, that can be used for various network update scenarios. Specifically, we characterize a set of update scenarios called flow swaps, for which Time4 is the optimal update approach, yielding less packet loss than existing update approaches. We define the lossless flow allocation problem, and formally show that in environments with frequent path allocation, scenarios that require simultaneous changes at multiple network devices are inevitable. We present the design, implementation, and evaluation of a Time4-enabled OpenFlow prototype. The prototype is publicly available as open source. Our work includes an extension to the OpenFlow protocol that has been adopted by the Open Networking Foundation (ONF), and is now included in OpenFlow 1.5. Our experimental results show the significant advantages of Time4 compared to other network update approaches, and demonstrate an SDN use case that is infeasible without Time4.Comment: This report is an extended version of "Software Defined Networks: It's About Time", which was accepted to IEEE INFOCOM 2016. A preliminary version of this report was published in arXiv in May, 201