Mean waiting time evaluation of packet switches for centrally controlled PBX''s

The performance analysis of packet switched networks usually does not account for the loss of transmission bandwidth caused by the switch processing time. In wide area networks, where transmission channels are of the order of 64 kbps or less, this is a valid approach since switch processing time is negligible compared to average transmission times for packets. However, in Local Area Networks (LANs), the transmission channels are usually of the order of 1 mbps or greater and thus when evaluating the performance of a LAN that is based on a packet switch, it is necessary to consider the effect of the switch processing time which is now comparable to that of the average packet's transmission time. This paper investigates the effect of this processing time on network performance, and an exhaustive cyclic queueing algorithm to minimise this effect on overall network performance is discussed. An approximate analytical technique for evaluating the performance of such a LAN is derived. This technique makes it possible to do interactive calculations which can be used in the provisioning and configuring of such networks.