arXiv subjects

Hussein Al-Zubaidy

Publications and source records attributed to Hussein Al-Zubaidy.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2020

Statistical Guarantee Optimization for AoI in Single-Hop and Two-Hop Systems with Periodic Arrivals

Age of Information (AoI) has proven to be a useful metric in networked systems where timely information updates are of importance. In the literature, minimizing "average age" has received considerable attention. However, various applications pose stricter age requirements on the updates which demand knowledge of the AoI distribution. Furthermore, the analysis of AoI distribution in a multi-hop setting, which is important for the study of Wireless Networked Control Systems (WNCS), has not been addressed before. Toward this end, we study the distribution of AoI in a WNCS with two hops and devise a problem of minimizing the tail of the AoI distribution with respect to the frequency of generating information updates, i.e., the sampling rate of monitoring a process, under first-come-first-serve (FCFS) queuing discipline. We argue that computing an exact expression for the AoI distribution may not always be feasible; therefore, we opt for computing upper bounds on the tail of the AoI distribution. Using these upper bounds we formulate Upper Bound Minimization Problems (UBMP), namely, Chernoff-UBMP and alpha-relaxed Upper BoundMinimization Problem (alpha-UBMP), where alpha > 1 is an approximation factor, and solve them to obtain "good" heuristic rate solutions. We demonstrate the efficacy of our approach by solving the proposed UBMPs for three service distributions: geometric, exponential, and Erlang. Simulation results show that the rate solutions obtained are near-optimal for minimizing the tail of the AoI distribution for the considered distributions.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2019

On the Distribution of AoI for the GI/GI/1/1 and GI/GI/1/2* Systems: Exact Expressions and Bounds

Since Age of Information (AoI) has been proposed as a metric that quantifies the freshness of information updates in a communication system, there has been a constant effort in understanding and optimizing different statistics of the AoI process for classical queueing systems. In addition to classical queuing systems, more recently, systems with no queue or a unit capacity queue storing the latest packet have been gaining importance as storing and transmitting older packets do not reduce AoI at the receiver. Following this line of research, we study the distribution of AoI for the GI/GI/1/1 and GI/GI/1/2* systems, under non-preemptive scheduling. For any single-source-single-server queueing system, we derive, using sample path analysis, a fundamental result that characterizes the AoI violation probability, and use it to obtain closed-form expressions for D/GI/1/1, M/GI/1/1 as well as systems that use zero-wait policy. Further, when exact results are not tractable, we present a simple methodology for obtaining upper bounds for the violation probability for both GI/GI/1/1 and GI/GI/1/2* systems. An interesting feature of the proposed upper bounds is that, if the departure rate is given, they overestimate the violation probability by at most a value that decreases with the arrival rate. Thus, given the departure rate and for a fixed average service, the bounds are tighter at higher utilization.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2018

Physical Layer Authentication in Mission-Critical MTC Networks: A Security and Delay Performance Analysis

We study the detection and delay performance impacts of a feature-based physical layer authentication (PLA) protocol in mission-critical machine-type communication (MTC) networks. The PLA protocol uses generalized likelihood-ratio testing based on the line-of-sight (LOS), single-input multiple-output channel-state information in order to mitigate impersonation attempts from an adversary node. We study the detection performance, develop a queueing model that captures the delay impacts of erroneous decisions in the PLA (i.e., the false alarms and missed detections), and model three different adversary strategies: data injection, disassociation, and Sybil attacks. Our main contribution is the derivation of analytical delay performance bounds that allow us to quantify the delay introduced by PLA that potentially can degrade the performance in mission-critical MTC networks. For the delay analysis, we utilize tools from stochastic network calculus. Our results show that with a sufficient number of receive antennas (approx. 4-8) and sufficiently strong LOS components from legitimate devices, PLA is a viable option for securing mission-critical MTC systems, despite the low latency requirements associated to corresponding use cases. Furthermore, we find that PLA can be very effective in detecting the considered attacks, and in particular, it can significantly reduce the delay impacts of disassociation and Sybil attacks.

cs.CR↗

arXiv2018

Transient Delay Bounds for Multi-Hop Wireless Networks

In this article, we investigate the transient behavior of a sequence of packets/bits traversing a multi-hop wireless network. Our work is motivated by novel applications from the domain of process automation, Machine-Type Communication (MTC) and cyber-physical systems, where short messages are communicated and statistical guarantees need to be provided on a per-message level. In order to optimize such a network, apart from understanding the stationary system dynamics, an understanding of the short-term dynamics (i.e., transient behavior) is also required. To this end, we derive novel Wireless Transient Bounds (WTB) for end-to-end delay and backlog in a multi-hop wireless network using stochastic network calculus approach. WTB depends on the initial backlog at each node as well as the instantaneous channel states. We numerically compare WTB with State-Of-The-Art Transient bounds (SOTAT), that can be obtained by adapting existing stationary bounds, as well as simulation of the network. While SOTAT and stationary bounds are not able to capture the short-term system dynamics well, WTB provides relatively tight upper bound and has a decay rate that closely matches the simulation. This is achieved by WTB only with a slight increase in the computational complexity, by a factor of O(T + N), where T is the duration of the arriving sequence and N is the number of hops in the network. We believe that the presented analysis and the bounds can be used as base for future work on transient network optimization, e.g., in massive MTC, critical MTC, edge computing and autonomous vehicle.

cs.NI↗

arXiv2018

On the Reliability of LTE Random Access: Performance Bounds for Machine-to-Machine Burst Resolution Time

Random Access Channel (RACH) has been identified as one of the major bottlenecks for accommodating massive number of machine-to-machine (M2M) users in LTE networks, especially for the case of burst arrival of connection requests. As a consequence, the burst resolution problem has sparked a large number of works in the area, analyzing and optimizing the average performance of RACH. However, the understanding of what are the probabilistic performance limits of RACH is still missing. To address this limitation, in the paper, we investigate the reliability of RACH with access class barring (ACB). We model RACH as a queuing system, and apply stochastic network calculus to derive probabilistic performance bounds for burst resolution time, i.e., the worst case time it takes to connect a burst of M2M devices to the base station. We illustrate the accuracy of the proposed methodology and its potential applications in performance assessment and system dimensioning.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2017

Bound-Based Power Optimization for Multi-Hop Heterogeneous Wireless Industrial Networks Under Statistical Delay Constraints

The noticeably increased deployment of wireless networks for battery-limited industrial applications in recent years highlights the need for tractable performance analysis methodologies as well as efficient QoS-aware transmit power management schemes. In this work, we seek to combine several important aspects of such networks, i.e., multi-hop connectivity, channel heterogeneity and the queuing effect, in order to address these needs. We design delay-bound-based algorithms for transmit power minimization and network lifetime maximization of multi-hop heterogeneous wireless networks using our previously developed stochastic network calculus approach for performance analysis of a cascade of buffered wireless fading channels. Our analysis shows an overall transmit power saving of up to 95% compared to a fixed power allocation scheme when using a service model in terms of the Shannon capacity limit. For a more realistic set-up, we evaluate the performance of the suggested algorithm in a WirelessHART network, which is a widely used communication standard for process automation and other industrial applications. We find that link heterogeneity can significantly reduce network lifetime when no efficient power management is applied. Moreover, we show, using extensive simulation study, that the proposed bound-based power allocation performs reasonably well compared to the real optimum, especially in the case of WirelessHART networks.

cs.PF↗

arXiv2017

Delay Performance of Wireless Communications with Imperfect CSI and Finite Length Coding

With the rise of critical machine-to-machine applications, next generation wireless communication systems must be designed with strict constraints on the latency and reliability. A key question in this context relates to channel state estimation, which allows the transmitter to adapt the code rate to the channel. In this work, we characterize the trade-off between the estimation sequence length and data codeword length: shorter channel estimation leaves more time for the actual payload transmission but reduces the estimation accuracy and causes more decoding errors. Using lower coding rates can mitigate this effect, but may result in a higher backlog of data at the transmitter. We analyze this trade-off using queueing analysis on top of accurate models of the physical layer, which also account for the finite blocklength of the channel code. Based on a novel closed-form approximation for the error probability given the rate, we show that finding the optimal rate adaptation strategy becomes a convex problem. The optimal rate adaptation strategy and the optimal training sequence length, which both depend on the latency and reliability constraints of the application, can improve the delay performance by an order of magnitude, compared to suboptimal strategies that do not consider those constraints.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2017

Performance Analysis of Reliable Video Streaming with Strict Playout Deadline in Multi-Hop Wireless Networks

Motivated by emerging vision-based intelligent services, we consider the problem of rate adaptation for high quality and low delay visual information delivery over wireless networks using scalable video coding. Rate adaptation in this setting is inherently challenging due to the interplay between the variability of the wireless channels, the queuing at the network nodes and the frame-based decoding and playback of the video content at the receiver at very short time scales. To address the problem, we propose a low-complexity, model-based rate adaptation algorithm for scalable video streaming systems, building on a novel performance model based on stochastic network calculus. We validate the model using extensive simulations. We show that it allows fast, near optimal rate adaptation for fixed transmission paths, as well as cross-layer optimized routing and video rate adaptation in mesh networks, with less than $10$\% quality degradation compared to the best achievable performance.

cs.MM↗

arXiv2016

Effective Capacity of Retransmission Schemes - A Recurrence Relation Approach

We consider the effective capacity performance measure of persistent- and truncated-retransmission schemes that can involve any combination of multiple transmissions per packet, multiple communication modes, or multiple packet communication. We present a structured unified analytical approach, based on a random walk model and recurrence relation formulation, and give exact effective capacity expressions for persistent hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) and for truncated-retransmission schemes. For the latter, effective capacity expressions are given for systems with finite (infinite) time horizon on an algebraic (spectral radius-based) form of a special block companion matrix. In contrast to prior HARQ models, assuming infinite time horizon, the proposed method does not involve a non-trivial per case modeling step. We give effective capacity expressions for several important cases that have not been addressed before, e.g. persistent-HARQ, truncated-HARQ, network-coded ARQ (NC-ARQ), two-mode-ARQ, and multilayer-ARQ. We propose an alternative QoS parameter (instead of the commonly used moment generating function parameter) that represents explicitly the target delay and the delay violation probability. This also enables closed-form expressions for many of the studied systems. Moreover, we use the recently proposed matrix-exponential distributed (MED) modeling of wireless fading channels to provide the basis for numerous new effective capacity results for HARQ.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2016

Delay and Backlog Analysis for 60 GHz Wireless Networks

To meet the ever-increasing demands on higher throughput and better network delay performance, 60 GHZ networking is proposed as a promising solution for the next generation of wireless communications. To successfully deploy such networks, its important to understand their performance first. However, due to the unique fading characteristic of the 60 GHz channel, the characterization of the corresponding service process, offered by the channel, using the conventional methodologies may not be tractable. In this work, we provide an alternative approach to derive a closed-form expression that characterizes the cumulative service process of the 60 GHz channel in terms of the moment generating function (MGF) of its instantaneous channel capacity. We then use this expression to derive probabilistic upper bounds on the backlog and delay that are experienced by a flow traversing this network, using results from the MGF-based network calculus. The computed bounds are validated using simulation. We provide numerical results for different networking scenarios and for different traffic and channel parameters and we show that the 60 GHz wireless network is capable of satisfying stringent quality-of-Service (QoS) requirements, in terms of network delay and reliability. With this analysis approach at hand, a larger scale 60 GHz network design and optimization is possible.

cs.PF↗

arXiv2016

Analysis of Multi-Hop Outdoor 60 GHz Wireless Networks with Full-Duplex Buffered Relays

The abundance of unlicensed spectrum in the 60 GHz band makes it an attractive alternative for future wireless communication systems. Such systems are expected to provide data transmission rates in the order of multi-gigabits per second in order to satisfy the ever-increasing demand for high rate data communication. Unfortunately, 60 GHz radio is subject to severe path loss which limits its usability for long-range outdoor communication. In this work, we propose a multi-hop 60 GHz wireless network for outdoor communication where multiple full-duplex buffered relays are used to extend the communication range while providing end-to-end performance guarantees to the traffic traversing the network. We provide a cumulative service process characterization for the 60 GHz outdoor propagation channel with self-interference in terms of the moment generating function (MGF) of its channel capacity. We then use this characterization to compute probabilistic upper bounds on the overall network performance, i.e., total backlog and end-to-end delay. Furthermore, we study the effect of self-interference on the network performance and propose an optimal power allocation scheme to mitigate its impact in order to enhance network performance. Finally, we investigate the relation between relay density and network performance under a total power budget constraint. We show that increasing relay density may have adverse effects on network performance unless self-interference can be kept sufficiently small.

cs.NI↗

arXiv2016

Statistical Delay Bound for WirelessHART Networks

In this paper we provide a performance analysis framework for wireless industrial networks by deriving a service curve and a bound on the delay violation probability. For this purpose we use the (min,x) stochastic network calculus as well as a recently presented recursive formula for an end-to-end delay bound of wireless heterogeneous networks. The derived results are mapped to WirelessHART networks used in process automation and were validated via simulations. In addition to WirelessHART, our results can be applied to any wireless network whose physical layer conforms the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, while its MAC protocol incorporates TDMA and channel hopping, like e.g. ISA100.11a or TSCH-based networks. The provided delay analysis is especially useful during the network design phase, offering further research potential towards optimal routing and power management in QoS-constrained wireless industrial networks.

cs.PF↗

arXiv2016

On the Delay Performance of Interference Channels

A deep understanding of the queuing performance of wireless networks is essential for the advancement of future wireless communications. The stochastic nature of wireless channels in general gives rise to a time varying transmission rate. In such an environment, interference is increasingly becoming a key constraint. Obtaining an expressive model for offered service of such channels has major implications in the design and optimization of future networks. However, interference channels are not well-understood with respect to their higher layer performance. The particular difficulty for handling interference channels arises from the superposition of random fading processes for the signals of the transmitters involved (i.e., for the signal of interest and for the signals of the interferers). Starting from the distribution of the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), we derive a statistical characterization of the underlying service process in terms of its Mellin transform. Then, we adapt a recent stochastic network calculus approach for fading channels to derive measures of the queuing performance of single- and multi-hop wireless interference networks. Special cases of our solution include noise-limited and interference-limited systems. A key finding of our analysis is that for a given average signal and average sum interference power, the performance of interfered systems not only depends on the relative strength of the sum interference with respect to the signal-of-interest power, but also on the interference structure (i.e., the number of interferers) as well as the absolute levels.

cs.NI↗

arXiv2012

A Network Calculus Approach for the Analysis of Multi-Hop Fading Channels

A fundamental problem in the delay and backlog analysis across multi-hop paths in wireless networks is how to account for the random properties of the wireless channel. Since the usual statistical models for radio signals in a propagation environment do not lend themselves easily to a description of the available service rate on a wireless link, the performance analysis of wireless networks has resorted to higher-layer abstractions, e.g., using Markov chain models. In this work, we propose a network calculus that can incorporate common statistical models of fading channels and obtain statistical bounds on delay and backlog across multiple nodes. We conduct the analysis in a transfer domain, which we refer to as the `SNR domain', where the service process at a link is characterized by the instantaneous signal-to-noise ratio at the receiver. We discover that, in the transfer domain, the network model is governed by a dioid algebra, which we refer to as (min,x)-algebra. Using this algebra we derive the desired delay and backlog bounds. An application of the analysis is demonstrated for a simple multi-hop network with Rayleigh fading channels and for a network with cross traffic.

cs.NI↗

arXiv2011

Dynamic Packet Scheduler Optimization in Wireless Relay Networks

In this work, we investigate the optimal dynamic packet scheduling policy in a wireless relay network (WRN). We model this network by two sets of parallel queues, that represent the subscriber stations (SS) and the relay stations (RS), with random link connectivity. An optimal policy minimizes, in stochastic ordering sense, the process of cost function of the SS and RS queue sizes. We prove that, in a system with symmetrical connectivity and arrival distributions, a policy that tries to balance the lengths of all the system queues, at every time slot, is optimal. We use stochastic dominance and coupling arguments in our proof. We also provide a low-overhead algorithm for optimal policy implementation.

cs.NI↗

arXiv2011

Optimal Multi-Server Allocation to Parallel Queues With Independent Random Queue-Server Connectivity

We investigate an optimal scheduling problem in a discrete-time system of L parallel queues that are served by K identical, randomly connected servers. Each queue may be connected to a subset of the K servers during any given time slot. This model has been widely used in studies of emerging 3G/4G wireless systems. We introduce the class of Most Balancing (MB) policies and provide their mathematical characterization. We prove that MB policies are optimal; we define optimality as minimization, in stochastic ordering sense, of a range of cost functions of the queue lengths, including the process of total number of packets in the system. We use stochastic coupling arguments for our proof. We introduce the Least Connected Server First/Longest Connected Queue (LCSF/LCQ) policy as an easy-to-implement approximation of MB policies. We conduct a simulation study to compare the performance of several policies. The simulation results show that: (a) in all cases, LCSF/LCQ approximations to the MB policies outperform the other policies, (b) randomized policies perform fairly close to the optimal one, and, (c) the performance advantage of the optimal policy over the other simulated policies increases as the channel connectivity probability decreases and as the number of servers in the system increases.

cs.IT↗