The cost of radio network broadcast for different models of unreliable links

Abstract

We study upper and lower bounds for the global and local broadcast problems in the dual graph model combined with different strength adversaries. The dual graph model is a generalization of the standard graph-based radio network model that includes unreliable links controlled by an adversary. It is motivated by the ubiquity of unreliable links in real wireless networks. Existing results in this model [11, 12, 3, 8] assume an offline adaptive adversary - the strongest type of adversary considered in standard randomized analysis. In this paper, we study the two other standard types of adversaries: online adaptive and oblivious. Our goal is to find a model that captures the unpredictable behavior of real networks while still allowing for efficient broadcast solutions. For the online adaptive dual graph model, we prove a lower bound that shows the existence of constant-diameter graphs in which both types of broadcast require Ω(n/ log n) rounds, for network size n. This result is within log-factors of the (near) tight upper bound for the offline adaptive setting. For the oblivious dual graph model, we describe a global broadcast algorithm that solves the problem in O(Dlog n + log[superscript 2] n) rounds for network diameter D, but prove a lower bound of Ω(√n= log n) rounds for local broadcast in this same setting. Finally, under the assumption of geographic constraints on the network graph, we describe a local broadcast algorithm that requires only O(log[superscript 2] n logΔ) rounds in the oblivious model, for maximum degree Δ. In addition to the theoretical interest of these results, we argue that the oblivious model (with geographic constraints) captures enough behavior of real networks to render our efficient algorithms useful for real deployments.