QoS-aware heterogeneous networking using distributed multiagent schemes

This study achieves Quality-of-Service (QoS) management in heterogeneous networking using a distributed multi-agent scheme (DMAS) based on the concept of cooperation and the awareness algorithm. The proposed scheme is developed for supporting QoS management in a user-accepted and cost-effective fashion, which consists of a collection of problem-solving agents with three modules: the knowledge source, the in-cloud blackboard system, and the control engine built into the scheme. A set of problem-solving agents autonomously process local tasks and cooperatively interoperate via an in-cloud blackboard system to guarantee QoS. An awareness algorithm, called the Q-learning algorithm, calculates the exceptive rewards of a handoff to all access networks. These rewards are then used by these problem-solving agents to determine what to do. Through operations and cooperation among the active agents, a policy is selected and a user-accepted schedule that meets the specified QoS is generated. Compared with traditional QoS management mechanisms, the proposed DMAS scheme has a 36% lower packet loss ratio in video streaming applications and a 34% lower average delay in VoIP applications with only a minor sacrifice in system computational complexity.