Scheduling in Wireless Networks with Connection Arrivals and Departures

We consider wireless ad hoc networks in which each connection (file) traverses only one hop. We assume that files arrive for service at each link and a file departs when all its packets have been transmitted. The file size distribution can be arbitrary, but the file sizes are assumed to be bounded. We assume that a window flow control protocol regulates the injection of packets from each file into a MAC layer queue. The only assumption we make about the window flow control protocol is that the window size is always greater than zero. For this model, we show the following result: for an appropriately chosen MAC layer scheduling protocol, the network is stable for all file arrival rates within the capacity region. In other words, the MAC layer protocol can achieve throughput optimality independent of the window flow control protocol used.