Bounded delay routing for real-time communication in tactical radio networks

To deal with the need for availability and real time response, military communication has employed protocols with deterministic service such as that found in SS/TDMA (spread-spectrum/time-division multiple-access) control of satellite links, or T1, T2, or T3 ground relay optic fibers. The author addresses the problem of providing network layer communication with deterministic service in multihop radio networks. First, he investigates the complexity of the problem of minimizing delay in routing algorithms, showing that its complexity is high. He then presents a simple, efficient, and fully distributed control policy for packet-switched networks that guarantees bounded time-delay packet switching for any static or mobile network topology and any loop-free routing protocol. The proposed control thus provides deterministic packet delivery service in multihop radio networks without the significant overhead associated with circuit switching