Further Results on Coding for Reliable Communication over Packet Networks

TL;DR

This paper extends previous coding schemes for reliable communication over packet networks by generalizing the network traffic model and deriving error exponents for Poisson traffic with i.i.d. losses, enhancing understanding of error decay rates.

Contribution

It broadens the network model to include general packet arrival processes and provides error exponent analysis for Poisson traffic with i.i.d. losses.

Findings

Extended network model to arbitrary packet arrival processes.

Derived error exponents for Poisson traffic with i.i.d. losses.

Improved understanding of error decay rates with coding delay.

Abstract

In "On Coding for Reliable Communication over Packet Networks" (Lun, Medard, and Effros, Proc. 42nd Annu. Allerton Conf. Communication, Control, and Computing, 2004), a capacity-achieving coding scheme for unicast or multicast over lossy wireline or wireless packet networks is presented. We extend that paper's results in two ways: First, we extend the network model to allow packets received on a link to arrive according to any process with an average rate, as opposed to the assumption of Poisson traffic with i.i.d. losses that was previously made. Second, in the case of Poisson traffic with i.i.d. losses, we derive error exponents that quantify the rate at which the probability of error decays with coding delay.