Distributed fair scheduling in a wireless LAN

TLDR

Fairness is crucial for shared wireless channels, and fair scheduling can allocate bandwidth proportionally to flow weights. This work proposes a fully distributed algorithm for fair scheduling in a wireless LAN. The algorithm, based on the IEEE 802.11 Distributed Coordination Function, operates without a centralized coordinator. Simulations demonstrate that the algorithm achieves proportional bandwidth allocation among flows and can be implemented with minimal changes to the standard.

Abstract

Fairness is an important issue when accessing a shared wireless channel. With fair scheduling, it is possible to allocate bandwidth in proportion to weightsof the packet flows sharing the channel. This paper presents a fully distributed algorithm for fair scheduling in a wireless LAN. The algorithm can be implemented without using a centralized coordinator to arbitrate medium access. The proposed protocol is derived from the Distributed Coordination Function in the IEEE 802.11 standard. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm is able to schedule transmission such that the bandwidth allocated to different flows is proportional to their weights. An attractive feature of the proposed approach is that it can be implemented with simple modifications to the IEEE 802.11 standard.