Cognitive radio networks promise more efficient spectrum utilization by leveraging degrees of freedom and distributing data collection. The actual realization of these promises is challenged by distributed control, and incomplete, uncertain and possibly conflicting knowledge bases. We consider two problems in bootstrapping, evolving, and managing cognitive radio networks. The first is Link Rendezvous, or how separate radio nodes initially find each other in a spectrum band with many degrees of freedom, and little shared knowledge. The second is how radio nodes can negotiate for spectrum access with incomplete information. To address the first problem, we present our Frequency Parallel Blind Link Rendezvous algorithm. This approach, designed for recent generations of digital front-ends, implicitly shares vague information about spectrum occupancy early in the process, speeding the progress towards a solution. Furthermore, it operates in the frequency domain, facilitating a parallel channel rendezvous. Finally, it operates without a control channel and can rendezvous anywhere in the operating band. We present simulations and analysis on the false alarm rate for both a feature detector and a cross-correlation detector. We compare our results to the conventional frequency hopping sequence rendezvous techniques. To address the second problem, we model the network as a multi-agent system and negotiate by exchanging proposals, augmented with arguments. These arguments include information about priority status and the existence of other nodes. We show in a variety of network topologies that this process leads to solutions not otherwise apparent to individual nodes, and achieves superior network throughput, request satisfaction, and total number of connections, compared to our baselines. The agents independently formulate proposals based upon communication desires, evaluate these proposals based upon capacity constraints, create ariii guments in response to proposal rejections, and re-evaluate proposals based upon received arguments. We present our negotiation rules, messages, and protocol and demonstrate how they interoperate in a simulation environment.

The most significant challenge for next wireless generation is to work opportunistically on the spectrum without a fixed spectrum allocation. Cognitive Radio (CR) is the candidate technology to utilize spectrum white space, which requires the CR to change its operating channel as the white space moves. In a CR ad-hoc network, each node could tune to a different channel; as a result, it cannot communicate with other nodes. This different tuning is due to the difficulty of maintaining Common Control Channel (CCC) in opportunistic spectrum network, and keeping the nodes synchronized in ad-hoc network. The CR ad-hoc network requires a protocol to match tuning channels between ad-hoc nodes, namely, rendezvous channels. In this thesis, two distributed Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols are designed that provide proper rendezvous channel without CCC or synchronization. The Balanced Incomplete Block Design (BIBD) is used in both protocols to provide our protocols a method of rendezvous between CR ad-hoc nodes. In fact, the BIBD guarantees there is at least one common element between any two blocks. If the channels are assigned to the BIBD elements and the searching sequence to the BIBD block, there is a guarantee of a rendezvous at least in one channel for each searching sequence. The first protocol uses a single-BIBD sequence and a multi-channel sensing. Alternatively, the second protocol uses a multi-BIBD sequence and a single-channel sensing. The single-sequence protocol analysis is based on the discrete Markov Chain. At the same time, the sequence structure of the BIBD in a multi-sequence protocol is used to define the Maximum Time to Rendezvous (MTTR). The simulation results confirm that the protocols outperform other existing protocols with respect to Time to Rendezvous (TTR), channel utilization, and network throughput. In addition, both protocols fairly distribute the network load on channels, and share the channels fairly among network nodes. This thesis provides straight forward and efficiently distributed MAC protocols for the CR ad-hoc networks.

The most significant challenge for next wireless generation is to work opportunistically on the spectrum without a fixed spectrum allocation. Cognitive Radio (CR) is the candidate technology to utilize spectrum white space, which requires the CR to change its operating channel as the white space moves. In a CR ad-hoc network, each node could tune to a different channel; as a result, it cannot communicate with other nodes. This different tuning is due to the difficulty of maintaining Common Control Channel (CCC) in opportunistic spectrum network, and keeping the nodes synchronized in ad-hoc network. The CR ad-hoc network requires a protocol to match tuning channels between ad-hoc nodes, namely, rendezvous channels. In this thesis, two distributed Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols are designed that provide proper rendezvous channel without CCC or synchronization. The Balanced Incomplete Block Design (BIBD) is used in both protocols to provide our protocols a method of rendezvous between CR ad-hoc nodes. In fact, the BIBD guarantees there is at least one common element between any two blocks. If the channels are assigned to the BIBD elements and the searching sequence to the BIBD block, there is a guarantee of a rendezvous at least in one channel for each searching sequence. The first protocol uses a single-BIBD sequence and a multi-channel sensing. Alternatively, the second protocol uses a multi-BIBD sequence and a single-channel sensing. The single-sequence protocol analysis is based on the discrete Markov Chain. At the same time, the sequence structure of the BIBD in a multi-sequence protocol is used to define the Maximum Time to Rendezvous (MTTR). The simulation results confirm that the protocols outperform other existing protocols with respect to Time to Rendezvous (TTR), channel utilization, and network throughput. In addition, both protocols fairly distribute the network load on channels, and share the channels fairly among network nodes. This thesis provides straight forward and efficiently distributed MAC protocols for the CR ad-hoc networks.