Steady-state performance analysis of MPLS label switching

In this paper we propose a close-loop queueing model of MPLS switch under d ifferent label-setup and release policies, supporting both traffic-driven a nd topology-driven connection setup procedures. This model can emulate the behavior of TCP tinder the MPLS switch when the maximum window size is sust ained and the packet loss rate is negligible. Front the proposed flow-based MPLS switch model, one can clearly observe the competition of multiple IP flow for limited number of labels. and how the label-setup policy and the l abel-release policy affect the system performance. We find that Norton's th eorem can be applied to solve this sophisticated queueing model. Therefore. with very limited computational complexity with respect to the number of I P flows or labels. the proposed mathematical model and the approximation of label competition can be used to obtain the desired performance metrics:, such as the throughput, the label-setup rate. and the channel utilization. Finally, the trade-off among performance metrics can be observed as well.