A priority based resource allocation with max-min fairness in active sensor networks

Active networks provide a programmable user-network interface that supports dynamic modification of the network’s behavior. Network nodes, in addition to forwarding packets, perform customized computation on the messages flowing through them. Individual packets carry executable code, or references to executable code. Resources in an active network mainly comprise of CPU and bandwidth. The inherent unpredictability of processing times of active packet poses a significant challenge in CPU scheduling. An efficient allocation is required for the optimal utilization of the resources. This paper describes and evaluates an approach to CPU allocation in active sensor networks. An algorithm is also designed for the fair allocation of resources using max-min fairness. The effectiveness of the algorithm is measured through simulation. The results show that the fair rate is maintained close to the admission threshold.