Store-and-Forward Buffer Requirements in a Packet Switching Network

Previous analytic models for packet switching networks have always assumed infinite storage capacity in store-store-and-forward (S/F) nodes. In this paper, we relax this assumption and present a model for a packet switching network in which each node has a finite pool of S/F buffers. A packet arriving at a node in which all S/F buffers are temporarily filled is discarded. The channel transmission control mechanisms of positive acknowledgment and time-out of packets are included in this model. Individual S/F nodes are analyzed separately as queueing networks with different classes of packets. The single node results are interfaced by imposing a continuity of flow constraint. A heuristic algorithm for determining a balanced assignment of nodal S/F buffer capacities is proposed. Numerical results for the performance of a 19 node network are illustrated.