Connection-level scheduling in wireless networks using only MAC-layer information

The paper studies throughput-optimal scheduling in wireless networks when there are file arrivals and departures. In the case of single-hop traffic, the well-studied Max Weight algorithm provides soft priorities to links with larger queue lengths. If packets arrive in bursts during file arrival instants, then large variances in file sizes would imply that some links will have very large queue lengths while others will have small queue lengths. Thus, links with small queue lengths may be starved for long periods of time. An alternative is to use only MAC-layer queue lengths in making scheduling decisions; in fact, typically only this information is available since scheduling is performed at the MAC layer. Therefore the questions we ask in this paper are the following: (i) is scheduling using only MAC-layer queue length information throughput-optimal? and (ii) does it improve delay performance compared to the case where scheduling is performed using the total number of packets waiting at a link? We affirmatively answer both questions in the paper (the first theoretically and the second using simulations), making minimal assumptions on the transport-layer window control mechanism.