Guaranteed bandwidth transport service in multihop networks

This paper deals with the feasibility of a Guaranteed Bandwidth Transport Service (GBTS), usually employed for the handling of isochronous and/or data services with real time requirements, on Multihop Networks (MHNs). A Resource Allocation Protocol (RAP) for the set-up of GB calls is proposed. This protocol allows the low cost requirements of a LAN/MAN node to be satisfied, together with a high flexibility in bandwidth allocation. In the paper a performance study is carried out to verify the response of the MHNs to GB traffic. In particular, the path blocking probability has been evaluated by means of an analytical model in the cases of balanced and unbalanced loads. Moreover, a comparison with the performance of similar LAN/MAN structures, i.e. simple ring and ring with spatial reuse is carried out. Finally, a methodology to manage the resources in order to make the grade of service independent of the physical location of the network nodes is proposed and its impact on the network performance is evaluated.