Layering as optimization decomposition: Current status and open issues

Mung Chiang, Steven H. Low, A. Robert Calderbank, John C. Doyle

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

Network protocols in layered architectures have historically been obtained on an ad-hoc basis, and much of the recent cross-layer designs are conducted through piecemeal approaches. Network protocols may instead be holistically analyzed and systematically designed as distributed solutions to some global optimization problems in the form of generalized Network Utility Maximization (NUM), providing insight on what they optimize and structures of the network protocol stack. This paper presents a short survey of the recent efforts towards a systematic understanding of "layering" as "optimization decomposition", where the overall communication network is modeled by a generalized NUM problem, each layer corresponds to a decomposed subproblem, and the interfaces among layers are quantified as functions of the optimization variables coordinating the subproblems. Furthermore, there are many alternative decompositions, each leading to a different layering architecture. Industry adoption of this unifying framework has also started. Here we summarize the current status of horizontal decomposition into distributed computation and vertical decomposition into functional modules such as congestion control, routing, scheduling, random access, power control, and coding. Key messages and methodologies arising out of many recent work are listed. Then we present a list of challenging open issues in this area and the initial progress made on some of them.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication2006 IEEE Conference on Information Sciences and Systems, CISS 2006 - Proceedings
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages355-362
Number of pages8
ISBN (Print)1424403502, 9781424403509
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2006
Event2006 40th Annual Conference on Information Sciences and Systems, CISS 2006 - Princeton, NJ, United States
Duration: Mar 22 2006Mar 24 2006

Publication series

Name2006 IEEE Conference on Information Sciences and Systems, CISS 2006 - Proceedings

Other

Other2006 40th Annual Conference on Information Sciences and Systems, CISS 2006
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityPrinceton, NJ
Period3/22/063/24/06

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Computer Science

Keywords

  • Adaptive coding
  • Congestion control
  • Cross-layer design
  • Distributed algorithm
  • Lagrange duality
  • MAC
  • Network utility maximization
  • Optimization
  • Power control
  • Reverse engineering
  • Routing
  • Scheduling
  • Stochastic control
  • TCP/IP
  • Wireless ad hoc networks

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