Performance analysis of End-to-End Go-Back-N ARQ protocols over tandem links

We analyze the performance of two types of Positive-ACK Go-Back-N ARQ protocols (with and without time-out-control) considering packet loss as end-to-end error control over tandem links. The packet error or loss process on each link is modeled by two-state Markov chain. The analysis is exact. However, it is extremely complicated, increasing number of links since the error state becomes many-state Markov chain. Thus, we also propose an approximated analysis in which end-to-end packet error or loss process is presented by single two-state Markov model at the view point of decay-factor. From numerical results, we show that the approximation is valid, and clarify the characteristics of throughput and average packet delay of the protocols.