Multi‐layer task scheduling and resource allocation schemes considering idle resource and task priority in IoT networks

Abstract

AbstractWith more and more interconnected smart devices (ISDs) accessing the Internet of Things (IoT), massive and diverse tasks need to be transformed and computed. Mobile edge computing enables the offloading of tasks to nearby servers to enhance processing efficiency, which makes ISDs idle, causing resource waste and failing to satisfy the high real‐time requirements of tasks. Besides, when tasks with different priorities are processed in the order they are generated, it will be difficult for IoT to guarantee a timely response to high‐priority tasks. To address the aforementioned issues, we establish an edge‐terminal‐local architecture by software‐defined networking to centrally manage idle ISD resource (2ISDR). Then the proposed two‐step scheduling mechanism with preemptive priority queue ensures the real‐time responses to high‐priority tasks, and the minimum resource allocation coefficients make offloading effective. Finally, we also propose a modified NSGA‐III algorithm named MNSGA‐III, which is designed to make decisions about offloading and solve resource allocation for tasks, and we correct infeasible solutions by a two‐step correction function to ensure the feasibility of MNSGA‐III. Experimental results show that the method can ensure a timely response to high‐priority tasks and optimize processing time, energy consumption, and economic cost through the utilization of 2ISDR.