This paper presents a new protocol for statistical multiplexing of bursty data traffic in the forward (base-to-mobile) link of a wireless wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA) system using orthogonal variable spreading factor (OVSF) codes. At the heart of the protocol is an efficient scheduling algorithm that dynamically assigns an OVSF code to a mobile user on a timeslot-by-timeslot basis and allows many users with bursty traffic to share a limited set of OVSF codes. An important feature of our protocol is that it can provide a heterogeneous data rate guarantee to each mobile user and fully utilize the system capacity. Moreover, the unreserved bandwidth of the network can be shared fairly among competing mobile users.

This paper presents new research results of the DARPA-funded ONRAMP consortium on the next generation Internet to study efficient WDM-based network architectures and protocols for supporting broadband services in regional access networks. In particular, we present new efficient scheduling algorithms for bandwidth sharing in WDM distribution networks. The current ONRAMP distribution network architecture has a tree topology with each leaf node (e.g., a router or workstation) sharing access to the root node of the tree, which corresponds to an access node in the feeder network. Our model allows a leaf node to use one or more fixed-tuned or tunable transceivers; moreover, different leaf nodes can support different subsets of wavelengths depending on their expected traffic volumes. An important goal of ONRAMP is to support bandwidth-on-demand services with QoS guarantee over WDM. As a first step toward this goal, we have developed several fast scheduling algorithms for flexible bandwidth reservations in a WDM distribution network. The scheduling algorithms can provably guarantee any bandwidth reservations pattern that does not overbook network resources, i.e., bandwidth reservation (throughput) up to 100% network capacity can be supported.

We present several fast, practical linear-complexity scheduling algorithms that enable provision of various quality-of-service (QoS) guarantees in an input-queued switch with no speedup. Specifically, our algorithms provide per-virtual-circuit transmission rate and cell delay guarantees using a credit-based bandwidth reservation scheme. Our algorithms also provide approximate max-min fair sharing of unreserved switch capacity. The novelties of our algorithms derive from judicious choices of edge weights in a bipartite matching problem. The edge weights are certain functions of the amount and waiting times of queued cells and credits received by a virtual circuit. By using a linear-complexity variation of the well-known stable-marriage matching algorithm, we present theoretical proofs and demonstrate by simulations that the edge weights are bounded. This implies various QoS guarantees or contracts about bandwidth allocations and cell delays. Network management can then provide these contracts to the clients. We present several different algorithms of varied complexity and performance (as measured by the usefulness of each algorithm's contract). While most of this paper is devoted to the study of "soft" guarantees, a few "hard" guarantees can also be proved rigorously for some of our algorithms. As can be expected, the provable guarantees are weaker than the observed performance bounds in simulations. Although our algorithms are designed for switches with no speedup, we also derive upper bounds on the minimal buffer requirement in the output queues necessary to prevent buffer overflow when our algorithms are used in switches with speedup larger than one.

We present several fast, practical linear-complexity scheduling algorithms that enable provision of various quality-of-service (QoS) guarantees in an input-queued switch with no speedup. Specifically, our algorithms provide per-virtual-circuit transmission rate and cell delay guarantees using a credit-based bandwidth reservation scheme. The novelties of our algorithms derive from judicious choices of edge weights in a bipartite matching problem. The edge weights are certain functions of the amount and waiting times of queued cells and credits received by a virtual circuit. By using a linear-complexity variation of the well-known stable marriage matching algorithm, we demonstrate by simulations that the edge weights are bounded. This implies various QoS guarantees or contracts about rate and cell delays. Network management can then provide these contracts to the clients. We present several different algorithms of differing complexity and power (as measured by the usefulness of each algorithm's contract). While most of this paper is devoted to the "soft" guarantees demonstrated by simulations, we also list a few "hard" theoretical guarantees for some of our algorithms (proved in our full report). As can be expected, the provable guarantees are weaker than the observed performance bounds in simulations.

Most existing wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) networks employ circuit switching, typically with one session having exclusive use of one entire wavelength. Consequently, they are not suitable for data applications involving bursty traffic patterns. The All-Optical Network (AON) Consortium has developed an all-optical LAN/MAN test bed which provides time-slotted WDM service. We explore extensions of this service to achieve fine-grained statistical multiplexing with different virtual circuits time sharing the wavelengths in a fair manner. We develop a very fast, best effort time-slotted WDM network protocol with very good fairness and throughput characteristics. As an additional design feature, our protocol supports the assignment of guaranteed bandwidths (GBW) to selected sessions. This feature acts as a first step toward supporting integrated services at the optical layer in WDM networks.

This correspondence describes an approach to reducing the computational cost of document image decoding by viewing it as a heuristic search problem. The kernel of the approach is a modified dynamic programming (DP) algorithm, called the iterated complete path (ICP) algorithm, that is intended for use with separable source models. A set of heuristic functions are presented for decoding formatted text with ICP. Speedups of 3-25 over DP have been observed when decoding text columns and telephone yellow pages using ICP and the proposed heuristics.

This paper describes an approach to reducing the computational cost of document image decoding using Markov source models. The kernel of the approach is a type of informed best-first search algorithm, called the iterated complete path (ICP) algorithm. ICP reduces computation by performing full Viterbi decoding only in those regions of the decoding trellis likely to contain the best path. These regions are identified by upper bounding the full decoding score using simple heuristic functions. Three types of heuristics have been explored, based on horizontal pixel projection, adjacent row scores, and decoding a reduced resolution image. Speedup factors of 3-25 have been obtained using these heuristics to decode text pages and telephone yellow page columns, leading to decoding times of about 1 minute per text page and 3 minutes per yellow page column on a four processor machine.>