The Load-Balanced Router architecture has received a lot of attention because it does not require centralized scheduling at the internal switch fabrics. In this paper we reexamine the architecture, motivated by its potential to turn off multiple comp
onents and thereby conserve energy in the presence of low traffic. We perform a detailed analysis of the queue and delay performance of a Load-Balanced Router under a simple random routing algorithm. We calculate probabilistic bounds for queue size and delay, and show that the probabilities drop exponentially with increasing queue size or delay. We also demonstrate a tradeoff in energy consumption against the queue and delay performance.
We study algorithms for carrier and rate allocation in cellular systems with distributed components such as a heterogeneous LTE system with macrocells and femtocells. Existing work on LTE systems often involves centralized techniques or requires sign
ificant signaling, and is therefore not always applicable in the presence of femtocells. More distributed CSMA-based algorithms (carrier-sense multiple access) were developed in the context of 802.11 systems and have been proven to be utility optimal. However, the proof typically assumes a single transmission rate on each carrier. Further, it relies on the CSMA collision detection mechanisms to know whether a transmission is feasible. In this paper we present a framework for LTE scheduling that is based on CSMA techniques. In particular we first prove that CSMA-based algorithms can be generalized to handle multiple transmission rates in a multi-carrier setting while maintaining utility optimality. We then show how such an algorithm can be implemented in a heterogeneous LTE system where the existing Channel Quality Indication (CQI) mechanism is used to decide transmission feasibility.
