Performance Evaluation in Terms of Congestion and Flow Control of Interconnected Token Ring Local Area Networks

Book excerpt: In an interconnected network, if user demands are allowed to exceed the system capacity, unpleasant congestion effects occur which rapidly neutralize the delay and efficiency advantages. Congestion can be eliminated by using an appropriate set of traffic monitoring and control procedures called flow control procedures. This thesis first investigates the major technical concepts underlying the token-ring technology; performance and flow control issues and then gives an approximate analytical solution in terms of mean end-toned delay in a system of token-ring local area network interconnected through bridges. The analytical solution is based on an approximation of the mean end-to-end delay in a stand alone LAN and then extended by approximating the arrival rates at the bridges as a function of the throughput of each sub network. Besides throughput and delay, a more compact form of performance measure called power has also been in the study.