A performance model of packet switched networks with bursty traffic

Transport of bursty traffic is becoming increasingly in demand in telecommunication networks for still image transfer, facsimile, electronic mail and other file transfer services. End-to-end delay is an important performance criterion for this traffic, particularly in real time application such as when it is an accompaniment to a telephone conversation or the response to a data base query. Packetized transport of this traffic is desirable from the viewpoint of bandwidth efficiency so long as it meets the end-to-end delay requirements. This paper presents a new, computationally efficient, analytical modelling technique for performance analysis of bursty traffic in a packet switched network which allows estimation of end-to-end delay. A comparison of the analytical results with a simulation shows that the analytical model is within the 90 per cent simulation confidence intervals for a large range of parameter values. The model is based on approximate mean value analysis of a closed network in conjunction with a new bursty arrival queue, the analysis of which is presented in this paper.