Packet Scheduling in Wireless LANs — A Framework for a Noncooperative Paradigm
Jerzy Konorski · 2000
Contention-based packet scheduling policies incorporated into MAC protocols in wireless networks attempt to schedule one packet transmission per protocol cycle and are optimised to reduce the scheduling penalty while distributing the bandwidth fairly among the network stations. The paper points out the possibility of there being some noncooperative stations that, instead of adhering to a common-goal optimum policy, try to maximise their individual service rates to the detriment of the cooperative stations. A framework for noncooperative scheduling policies is postulated with analogies drawn from the auction paradigm; desirable features include verifiability at various levels, fairness and low performance cost. Upon discussing possible noncooperative station behaviour, four single-cycle noncooperative scheduling policies are proposed as modifications of the well-known EY-NPMA and Random Token policies. Results of a preliminary simulation study are presented to demonstrate that these modifications do prevent or at least discourage noncooperative stations from stealing bandwidth from cooperative ones.