Toronto Networking Seminar



Design Objectives in Wired and Wireless Data Networks: A Flow-Level Perspective

Alexandre Proutiere
Microsoft Research, Cambridge

Date:  Friday, September 14,  Time 2pm
Location: BA 1220 (Bahen Center)


Abstract:

We investigate the fairness / efficiency trade-off of utility-based resource allocation in data networks, with the aim of identifying adequate design objectives depending on the structural properties of the underlying rate region. Unlike most analysis, we consider a dynamic setting where the population of active data flows varies as governed by the random behavior of users. In wired networks, where the rate region is fixed and convex, the flow-level performance is known to be almost insensitive to the chosen design objective, unless the corresponding allocation becomes very unfair. This is in sharp contrast with the case of wireless networks where the rate region may be time-varying or non-convex, and the design objective must be carefully tuned. For such networks, we analyze the flow-level stability and the mean flow response time depending on the fairness objective of the corresponding allocation. The results are illustrated in wireless cellular systems and in mesh or ad-hoc networks.