Cross‐layer optimization for fair end‐to‐end rate allocation in WMNs with MIMO links

Abstract

ABSTRACTMultiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) technology can bring substantial throughput improvement in wireless mesh networks (WMNs) via a combination of interference suppression and spatial multiplexing. In this paper, we investigate a cross‐layer design problem in MIMO‐based WMNs, which involves end‐to‐end rate allocation, routing, and stream control scheduling. Scheduling is addressed by using a set of transmission configurations (TCs), and a greedy heuristic algorithm is proposed to identify a good subset of all possible TCs. We define three optimization problems to find the maximum throughput, max–min fair and proportional fair rate allocation solutions. We propose a cross‐layer scheme to solve these problems. We also discuss how the proposed cross‐layer scheme can be implemented on the basis of the IEEE 802.16 mesh mode. Simulation results show that the performance of the proposed schemes with the heuristic algorithm is close to the optimal. The computational complexity of obtaining the solution using the proposed heuristic algorithm is substantially less than that of finding the optimal solution. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.