Variational Bounds and Sensitivity Analysis of Traffic Processes in Continuous Flow Models

This paper is concerned with functional variations in processes associated with Continuous Flow Models (CFMs). The considered CFMs are characterized (defined) by their inflow-rate process, service-rate process, and buffer size, and have associated with them various derived processes such as the workload (buffer contents), outflow and overflow processes. The paper's main result is comprised of Lipchitz continuity of the mappings between the defining processes and the derived processes. This result is extended from single-flow CFMs to multi-flow CFMs, where it is used to establish the unbiasedness of IPA for workload-related and loss-related performance functions