Distributed dynamic control of multi-hop wireless networks: From theory to practice

In recent years, significant advances have been made in the theory of optimal dynamic control of networks. In particular, it has been shown how different control elements, such as packet scheduling, routing and congestion control, can be brought together within a single "network utility maximization" (NUM) framework. This mathematical formulation also makes it possible to do cross-layer design of networking protocols in a coherent and optimized way. In this paper, we review these recent advances and highlight the challenge of practical implementation of this theory. As an example, we describe the current effort on the design of distributed protocols for wireless ad hoc networks.