High-performance scheduling algorithms for wireless networks

Abstract

The problem of designing scheduling algorithm for multi-channel (e.g., OFDM-based) wireless downlink networks is considered, where the system has a large bandwidth and proportionally large number of users to serve. For this system, while the classical MaxWeight algorithm is known to be throughput-optimal, its buffer-overflow performance is very poor (formally, it is shown that it has zero rate function in our setting). To address this, a class of algorithms called iHLQF (iterated Heaviest matching with Longest Queues First) is proposed. The algorithms in this class are shown to be throughput-optimal for a general class of arrival/channel processes, and also rate-function optimal (i.e., exponentially small buffer overflow probability) for certain arrival/channel processes, where the channel-rates are 0 or 1 packets per timeslot. iHLQF however has higher computational complexity than MaxWeight (n⁴ vs. n² computations per timeslot respectively). To overcome this issue, a new algorithm called SSG (Server-Side Greedy) is proposed. It is shown that SSG is throughput-optimal, results in a much better per-user buffer overflow performance than the MaxWeight algorithm (positive rate function for certain arrival/channel processes), and has a computational complexity (n²) that is comparable to the MaxWeight algorithm. Thus, it provides a nice trade-off between buffer-overflow performance and computational complexity. For multi-rate channel processes, where the channels can serve multiple packets per timeslot, new Markov chain-based coupling arguments are used to derive rate-function positivity results for the SSG algorithm. Finally, an algorithm called DMEQ is proposed and shown to be rate-function optimal for certain multi-rate channel scenarios, whose definition characterizes the sufficient conditions for rate-function optimality in this regime. These results are validated by both analysis and simulations.