Performance analysis of online and adaptive assignment strategies for wireless data users in hierarchical overlay networks

One of the crucial problems in hierarchical overlay networks is the assignment of users to the different layers of the overlay architecture. In an earlier paper [T.E. Klien and S.J. Han, March 12-14, 2003], we have investigated the system-wide performance of assignment strategies based on the users' profile information of velocity and amount of data to be transmitted. The optimal assignment strategies that minimize the average number of users in the system rely on knowledge of the cell capacities, the call arrival rates and the statistical description of the users' profiles. In realistic operating conditions, this knowledge may not be available and would typically be time-varying. In this paper, we propose adaptive and online assignment strategies that do not require any a priori knowledge, but still achieve the same performance as if such knowledge were available.