Optimal Linear-Time Algorithm for Uplink Scheduling of Packets with Hard or Soft Deadlines in WiMAX

We present, for the first time, a formal model for the general problem of uplink scheduling of a set of packets with various QoS classes and soft or hard deadlines. Our goal is to maximize the number of packets to be sent in uplink such that the expectations from the system are guaranteed. We use our general model and the properties of the application to derive an algorithm which has two highly favorable features: it finds the optimal solution in linear time. Finally, we present a method to fine-tune our general model in order to make sure that the model represents the actual system. This approach guarantees that the optimal algorithm for the model is indeed the optimal scheduler for the system.