An experimental methodology for integrated services systems

The authors introduce an experimental methodology which can be used for analyzing systems with periodic structure integrating two types of services. This paper applies the new methodology to the performance modeling of voice and data integration on Ethernet-type local area networks. The authors consider the analysis of an existing, Ethernet compatible, voice protocol based on a periodic assignment of the channel to voice users. The data users’ bandwidth requirements are, in this system, provided by the existing random access CSMA/CD protocol. This paper demonstrates the application of the proposed method to providing the analysis of the CSMA/CD protocol with truncated binary exponential backoff constrained by a periodic time frame environment imposed by the voice service. The analysis presented in this paper is unique by permitting a realistic evaluation of operational networks through an experimentally developed, accurate, model.