When heavy-tailed and light-tailed flows compete: The response time tail under generalized max-weight scheduling

Abstract

Abstract-This paper focuses on the design and analysis of scheduling policies for multi-class queues, such as those found in wireless networks and high-speed switches. In this context, we study the response time tail under generalized max-weight policies in settings where the traffic flows are highly asymmetric. Specifically, we study an extreme setting with two traffic flows, one heavy-tailed, and one light-tailed. In this setting, we prove that classical max-weight scheduling, which is known to be throughput optimal, results in the light-tailed flow having heavytailed response times. However, we show that via a careful design of inter-queue scheduling policy (from the class of generalized max-weight policies) and intra-queue scheduling policies, it is possible to maintain throughput optimality, and guarantee lighttailed delays for the light-tailed flow, without affecting the response time tail for the heavy-tailed flow.

A simulation framework for priority scheduling on heterogeneous clusters

“…Our proposed framework differentiates from current energy-efficient solutions by providing task level analysis with the existence of evictions. Other designs which focus on priority scheduling are mainly working with two priority classes only in order to simplify the model [14][15][16] as opposed to the multi-class priority scheduling considered here.…”