Fair Packet Scheduling in Network on Chip

Abstract

Interconnection networks of parallel systems are used for servicing traf- fic generated by different applications, often belonging to different users. When multiple traffic flows contend for channel bandwidth, the scheduling algorithm regulating the access to that channel plays a key role in ensur- ing that each flow obtains the required quality of service. Fairness is a highly desirable property for a scheduling algorithm. We show that using the Relative Fairness Bound as a fairness measure may lead to decrease in throughput and increase in latency. We propose an alternative metric to evaluate the fairness and avoid the drawback of Relative Fairness Bound.