A control-theoretical methodology for the scheduling problem

TL;DR

This paper introduces a control-theoretical approach to scheduling, framing it as a control problem to design algorithms that are adaptable, robust, and capable of dynamic performance tuning, demonstrated through real-time benchmarks.

Contribution

It proposes a novel methodology that reduces scheduling algorithm design to controller synthesis, enabling the use of control techniques for more flexible and robust scheduling solutions.

Findings

Feasibility demonstrated on real-time benchmark

Framework allows handling of robustness and dynamic tuning

Reduces scheduling design to controller synthesis

Abstract

This paper presents a novel methodology to develop scheduling algorithms. The scheduling problem is phrased as a control problem, and control-theoretical techniques are used to design a scheduling algorithm that meets specific requirements. Unlike most approaches to feedback scheduling, where a controller integrates a "basic" scheduling algorithm and dynamically tunes its parameters and hence its performances, our methodology essentially reduces the design of a scheduling algorithm to the synthesis of a controller that closes the feedback loop. This approach allows the re-use of control-theoretical techniques to design efficient scheduling algorithms; it frames and solves the scheduling problem in a general setting; and it can naturally tackle certain peculiar requirements such as robustness and dynamic performance tuning. A few experiments demonstrate the feasibility of the approach on a real-time benchmark.