Spectrum and Network Management Convergence for Wireless Communications

The main objective of this work is to study the spectrum-network management convergence that enables spectrum efficiency while providing adequate quality of service (QoS) required for mission critical applications running on a wireless communication network. We combine well known QoS frameworks with the different dynamic frequency (channel) allocation approaches for spectrum management to devise mechanisms that can enable efficient spectrum-network management in wireless networks with Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS)-like nodes. Specifically, we present two schemes: the first is `Greedy-DiffServ´ scheme which is based on DiffServ and the opportunistic (greedy) approach for dynamic frequency allocation. The second scheme is `Shared Information-IntServ´ which is based on IntServ and the shared information approach for dynamic frequency allocation. These two mechanisms are implemented in the QualNet network simulator on a hierarchical wireless mobile ad hoc network using `JTRS-like´ devices and are evaluated against an extensive set of notional scenarios. We present simulation results that highlight the advantages of deploying a spectrum-network management scheme in a wireless network and compare the performance of the two mechanisms