A near optimal algorithm for generating broadcast programs on multiple channels.pdf

A Near Optimal Algorithm for Generating Broadcast Programs on Multiple Channels Chih-Hao Hsu Guanling Lee Arbee L.P. Chen Department of Computer Science Department of Computer Science Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering National Tsing Hua University National Dong Hwa University National Tsing Hua University Hsinchu, Taiwan 300, R.O.C. Hualien, Taiwan 973, R.O.C. Hsinchu, Taiwan 300, R.O.C. guanling@csie.ndhu.edu.tw alpchen@cs.nthu.edu.tw ABSTRACT In a wireless environment, the bandwidth of the channels and the energy of the portable devices are limited. Data broadcast has become an excellent method for efficient data dissemination. In this paper, the problem for generating a broadcast program of a set of data items with the associated access frequencies on multiple channels is explored. In our approach, an expected average access time of the broadcast data items is first derived. The broadcast program is then generated, which minimizes the expected average access time. Simulation is performed to compare the performance of our approach with two existing approaches. The result of the experiments shows that our approach outperforms others and is in fact close to the optimal. Keywords: Wireless Environment, Multiple Broadcast Channels, Data Allocation, Broadcast Program 1. Introduction With the development of wireless technologies, people can now access in format ion any t ime, any where via wireless communications. However, different from traditional wired networks, some issues should be considered in the wireless environment. First, the bandwidth of the wireless network and the energy needed for portable devices are limited. Second, the environment is asymmetry, that is, from the power consumption point of view, s