On the design of scheduling algorithms for end-to-end backlog minimization in multi-hop wireless networks

In this paper, we study the problem of link scheduling for multi-hop wireless networks with per-flow delay constraints. Specifically, we are interested in algorithms that maximize the asymptotic decay-rate of the probability with which the maximum end-to-end backlog among all flows exceeds a threshold, as the threshold becomes large. We provide both positive and negative results in this direction. By minimizing the drift of the maximum end-to-end backlog in the converge-cast on a tree, we design an algorithm, Largest-Weight-First(LWF), that achieves the optimal asymptotic decay-rate for the overflow probability of the maximum end-to-end backlog as the threshold becomes large. However, such a drift minimization algorithm may not exist for general networks. We provide an example in which no algorithm can minimize the drift of the maximum end-to-end backlog. Finally, we simulate the LWF algorithm together with a well known algorithm (the back-pressure algorithm) and a large-deviations optimal algorithm in terms of the sum-queue (the P-TREE algorithm) in converge-cast networks. Our simulation shows that our algorithm significantly performs better not only in terms of asymptotic decay-rate, but also in terms of the actual overflow probability.