Auction protocols for decentralized scheduling (Q5938627)

Decentralized scheduling is the problem of allocating resources to alternative possible uses over time, where competing uses are represented by autonomous agents. Market mechanisms use prices derived through distributing bidding protocols to determine schedules. The authors investigate the existence of equilibrium prices for some general classes of scheduling problems, the quality of equilibrium solutions, and the behavior of an ascending auction mechanism and bidding protocol. To remedy the potential nonexistence of price equilibria due to complementarities in preference they introduce additional markets in combinations of basis goods. Finally, they consider direct revelation mechanisms and compare to the market-based approach.