Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Modeling radio networks

  • Published:
Distributed Computing Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We describe a modeling framework and collection of foundational composition results for the study of probabilistic packet-level distributed algorithms in synchronous radio networks. Existing results in this setting rely on informal descriptions of the channel behavior and therefore lack easy comparability and are prone to error caused by definition subtleties. Our framework rectifies these issues by providing: (1) a method to precisely describe a radio channel as a probabilistic automaton; (2) a mathematical notion of implementing one channel using another channel, allowing for direct comparisons of channel strengths and a natural decomposition of problems into implementing a more powerful channel and solving the problem on the powerful channel; (3) a mathematical definition of a problem and solving a problem; (4) a pair of composition results that simplify the tasks of proving properties about channel implementation algorithms and combining problems with channel implementations. Our goal is to produce a model streamlined for the needs of the radio network algorithms community.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Abramson N.: The Aloha system—another approach for computer communications. Proc. Fall Joint Comput.Conf. 37, 281–285 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Bar-Yehuda R., Goldreich O., Itai A.: Efficient emulation of single-hop radio network with collision detection on multi-hop radio network with no collision detection. Distrib. Comput. 5, 67–71 (1991)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  3. Bar-Yehuda R., Goldreich O., Itai A.: On the time-complexity of broadcast in multi-hop radio networks: An exponential gap between determinism and randomization. J. Comput. Syst. Sci. 45(1), 104–126 (1992)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  4. Cheung, L.: Reconciling nondeterministic and probabilistic choices. Ph.D. thesis, Radboud University Nijmege (2006)

  5. Chlamtac I., Weinstein O.: The wave expansion approach to broakodcasting in multihop radio networks. IEEE Trans. Commun. 39, 426–433 (1991)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Chlebus B., Kowalski D.: A better wake-up in radio networks. In: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Principles of Distributed Computing, pp. 266–274 (2004)

  7. Chockler G., Demirbas M., Gilbert S., Lynch N., Newport C., Nolte T.: Consensus and collision detectors in radio networks. Distrib. Comput. 21, 55–84 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Chockler, G., Demirbas, M., Gilbert, S., Newport, C., Nolte, T.: Consensus and collision detectors in wireless ad hoc networks. In: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Principles of Distributed Computing, pp. 197–206. ACM Press, New York, NY, USA (2005)

  9. Chrobak, M., Gasieniec, L., Kowalski, D.: The wake-up problem in multi-hop radio networks. In: Proceedings of the Symposium on Discrete Algorithms (SODA) (2004)

  10. Chrobak M., Gasieniec L., Rytter W.: Broadcasting and gossiping in radio networks. J. Algorithms 43, 177–189 (2002)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  11. Clementi A., Monti A., Silvestri R.: Round robin is optimal for fault-tolerant broadcasting on wireless networks. J. Parallel Distrib. Comput. 64(1), 89–96 (2004)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  12. Dolev, S., Gilbert, S., Guerraoui, R., Newport, C.: Gossiping in a multi-channel radio network: an oblivious approach to coping with malicious interference. In: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Distributed Computing (2007)

  13. Dolev, S., Gilbert, S., Guerraoui, R., Newport, C.: Secure communication over radio channels. In: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Principles of Distributed Computing (2008)

  14. Gasieniec L., Pelc A., Peleg D.: Wakeup problem in synchronous broadcast systems. SIAM J. Discret. Math. 14, 207–222 (2001)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  15. Gasieniec, L., Radzik, T., Xin, Q.: Faster deterministic gossiping in directed ad-hoc radio networks. In: Proceedings of the 9th Scandinavian Workshop on Algorithm Theory (2004)

  16. Gilbert, S., Guerraoui, R., Kowalski, D., Newport, C.: Interference-resilient information exchange. In: Proceedings of the Conference on Computer Communication (2009)

  17. Hajek B., van Loon T.: Decentralized dynamic control of a multiaccess broadcast channel. IEEE Trans. Autom. Control AC-27, 559–569 (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Kleinrock L., Tobagi F.A.: Packet switching in radio channels. IEEE Trans. Commun. COM-23, 1400–1416 (1975)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Kowalski D., Pelc A.: Broadcasting in undirected ad hoc radio networks. In: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Principles of Distributed Computing, pp. 73–82 (2003)

  20. Kowalski D., Pelc A.: Time of deterministic broadcasting in radio networks with local knowledge. SIAM J. Comput. 33(4), 870–891 (2004)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  21. Nakano, K., Olariu, S.: A survey on leader election protocols for radio networks. In: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Parallel Architectures, Algorithms, and Networks, p. 71. IEEE Computer Society, Silver Spring (2002)

  22. Newport, C.: Consensus and collision detectors in wireless ad hoc networks. Master’s thesis, MIT (2006)

  23. Newport, C.: Distributed computation on unreliable radio channels. Ph.D. thesis, MIT (2009)

  24. Newport, C., Lynch, N.: Modeling radio networks. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Concurrency Theory (2009)

  25. Roberts, L.G.: Aloha packet system with and without slots and capture. In: ASS Note 8. Advanced Research Projects Agency, Network Information Center, Stanford Research Institute (1972)

  26. Segala, R.: Modeling and verification of randomized distributed real-time systems. Ph.D. thesis, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, June 1995

  27. Wu, S.H., Smolka, S.A., Stark, E.W.: Composition and behaviors of probabilistic I/O automata. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Concurrency Theory (1994)

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 32-G918, The Stata Center, 32 Vassar St., Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Calvin Newport & Nancy Lynch

Authors
  1. Calvin Newport
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nancy Lynch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Calvin Newport.

Additional information

This work has been support in part by Cisco-Lehman CUNY A New MAC-Layer Paradigm for Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks, AFOSR Award Number FA9550-08-1-0159, NSF Award Number CCF-0726514, and NSF Award Number CNS-0715397.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Newport, C., Lynch, N. Modeling radio networks. Distrib. Comput. 24, 101–118 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00446-011-0135-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00446-011-0135-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation