Value-based message multiplexing: an analytical model

It has been proposed that messages be explicitly tagged with a value function that indicates the message´s value to the system as a function of its delay. Also proposed, for use in a message multiplexer, was the MUST (maximum utility scheduling for transmission) protocol, which explicitly considers the value functions of messages waiting for transmission and determines a transmission schedule that maximizes the delivered value, under the assumption that no further messages arrive. The performance of the MUST protocol in a stressed environment is studied and compared to that of other protocols. Because analysis of the MUST protocol is very complex, a discrete-time, nonpreemptive version is formulated. The results indicate that the MUST protocol performs well under a wide range of conditions