Queueing models for token and slotted ring networks

Currently the end-to-end delay characteristics of very high speed local area networks are not well understood. The transmission speed of computer networks is increasing, and local area networks especially are finding increasing use in real time systems. Ring networks operation is generally well understood for both token rings and slotted rings. There is, however, a severe lack of queueing models for high layer operation. There are several factors which contribute to the processing delay of a packet, as opposed to the transmission delay, e.g., packet priority, its length, the user load, the processor load, the use of priority preemption, the use of preemption at packet reception, the number of processors, the number of protocol processing layers, the speed of each processor, and queue length limitations. Currently existing medium access queueing models are extended by adding modeling techniques which will handle exhaustive limited service both with and without priority traffic, and modeling capabilities are extended into the upper layers of the OSI model. Some of the model are parameterized solution methods, since it is shown that certain models do not exist as parameterized solutions, but rather as solution methods

Modelling adaptive routing in Wide Area Networks

Bibliography: leaves 132-138.This study investigates the modelling of adative routing algorithms with specific reference to the algorithm of an existing Wide Area Network (WAN). Packets in the network are routed at each node on the basis of routing tables which contain internal and external delays for each route from the node. The internal delay on a route represents the time that packets queued for transmission will have to wait before being transmitted, while the external delay on a route represents the delay to other nodes via that route. Several modelling methods are investigated and compared for the purpose of identifying the most appropriate and applicable technique. A model of routing in the WAN using an analytic technique is described. The hypothesis of this study is that dynamic routing can be modelled as a sequence of models exhibiting fixed routing. The modelling rationale is that a series of analytic models is run and solved. The routing algorithm of the WAN studied is such that, if viewed at any time instant, the network is one with static routing and no buffer overflow. This characteristic, together with a real time modelling requirement, influences the modelling technique which is applied. Each model represents a routing update interval and a multiclass open queueing network is used to solve the model during a particular interval. Descriptions of the design and implementation of X wan, an X Window based modelling system, are provided. A feature of the modelling system is that it provides a Graphical User Interface (GUI), allowing interactive network specification and the direct observation of network routing through the medium of this interface. Various applications of the modelling system are presented, and overall network behaviour is examined. Experimentation with the routing algorithm is conducted, and (tentative) recommendations are made on ways in which network performance could be improved. A different routing algorithm is also implemented, for the purpose of comparison and to demonstrate the ease with which this can be affected

Information Switching Processor (ISP) contention analysis and control

Future satellite communications, as a viable means of communications and an alternative to terrestrial networks, demand flexibility and low end-user cost. On-board switching/processing satellites potentially provide these features, allowing flexible interconnection among multiple spot beams, direct to the user communications services using very small aperture terminals (VSAT's), independent uplink and downlink access/transmission system designs optimized to user's traffic requirements, efficient TDM downlink transmission, and better link performance. A flexible switching system on the satellite in conjunction with low-cost user terminals will likely benefit future satellite network users

Analysis of adaptive algorithms for an integrated communication network

Techniques were examined that trade communication bandwidth for decreased transmission delays. When the network is lightly used, these schemes attempt to use additional network resources to decrease communication delays. As the network utilization rises, the schemes degrade gracefully, still providing service but with minimal use of the network. Because the schemes use a combination of circuit and packet switching, they should respond to variations in the types and amounts of network traffic. Also, a combination of circuit and packet switching to support the widely varying traffic demands imposed on an integrated network was investigated. The packet switched component is best suited to bursty traffic where some delays in delivery are acceptable. The circuit switched component is reserved for traffic that must meet real time constraints. Selected packet routing algorithms that might be used in an integrated network were simulated. An integrated traffic places widely varying workload demands on a network. Adaptive algorithms were identified, ones that respond to both the transient and evolutionary changes that arise in integrated networks. A new algorithm was developed, hybrid weighted routing, that adapts to workload changes

Time Driven Priority Router Implementation and First Experiments

This paper reports on the implementation of Time-Driven Priority (TDP) scheduling on a FreeBSD platform. This work is part of a TDP prototyping and demonstration project aimed at showing the implications of TDP deployment in packet-switched networks, especially benefits for real-time applications. This paper focuses on practical aspects related to the implementation of the technology on a Personal Computer (PC)-based router and presents the experimental results obtained on a testbed network. The basic building blocks of a TDP router are described and implementation choices are discussed. The relevant results achieved and here presented can be categorized into two types: qualitative results, including the successful integration of all needed blocks and the insight obtained on the complexity related to the implementation of a TDP router, and quantitative ones, including measures of achievable network utilization and of jitter experienced on a fully-loaded TDP network. The outcome demonstrates the effectiveness of the presented implementation while confirming TDP points of strengt