Distributed and Energy-Aware MAC for Differentiated Services Wireless Packet Networks: A General Queuing Analytical Framework

We present a novel queuing analytical framework for the performance evaluation of a distributed and energy-aware medium access control (MAC) protocol for wireless packet data networks with service differentiation. Specifically, we consider a node (both buffer-limited and energy-limited) in the network with two different types of traffic, namely, high-priority and low-priority traffic, and model the node as a MAP (Markovian arrival process)/PH (phase-type)/1/K nonpreemptive priority queue. The MAC layer in the node is modeled as a server and a vacation queuing model is used to model the sleep and wakeup mechanism of the server. We study standard exhaustive and number-limited exhaustive vacation models both in multiple vacation case. A setup time for the head-of-line packet in the queue is considered, which abstracts the contention and the back-off mechanism of the MAC protocol in the node. A nonideal wireless channel model is also considered, which enables us to investigate the effects of packet transmission errors on the performance behavior of the system. After obtaining the stationary distribution of the system using the matrix-geometric method, we study the performance indices, such as packet dropping probability, access delay, and queue length distribution, for high-priority packets as well as the energy saving factor at the node. Taking into account the bursty traffic arrival (modeled as MAP) and, therefore, the nonsaturation case for the queuing analysis of the MAC protocol, using phase-type distribution for both the service and the vacation processes, and combining the priority queuing model with the vacation queuing model make the analysis very general and comprehensive. Typical numerical results obtained from the analytical model are presented and validated by extensive simulations. Also, we show how the optimal MAC parameters can be obtained by using numerical optimization