FAST TIME-DEPENDENT EVALUATION OF MULTISERVICE NETWORKS

We present a numerical-analytical method to evaluate multi-service net works with adaptive routing, scheduling and admission controls. We app ly our method to connection-oriented networks supporting different typ es of real-time connections. The network dynamics is described by diff erence equations which can be solved for both transient and steady-sta te performances. Results indicate that our method is computationally m uch cheaper than discrete-event simulation, and yields accurate perfor mance measures. Connection routing algorithms are usually evaluated in dividually in terms of steady-state performance measures. In this pape r, we also use our time-dependent evaluation method to compare several connection routing schemes in terms of instantaneous measures. Our re sults show that a routing scheme which defines the cost of a path as t he sum of measured link utilizations yields more stable behavior and l ower connection blocking probability over a wide range of workload par ameters and network configurations than other traditional schemes. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.