Comparative performance evaluation of TCP over input-queued and output-queued ATM switches using scheduling algorithms

ATM is a layer-2 switching technology that has gained widespread use in both Wide Area Networks and Local Area Networks. The potential advantages that it offers include better throughput, scalability and reduced latency. In order to realize these advantages on the Internet where TCP traffic dominates, a high performance ATM switch needs to take data arriving on an input link and send it quickly onto the output link with minimized cell-loss ratio. ATM cells are buffered inside the switch queues. The scheduling policy, used for queuing these cells, is an important parameter that affects the throughput of the switch.; This thesis presents a comparative analysis of four major scheduling policies for the queuing disciplines. It evaluates the performance of the network from the perspective of a realistic model rather than a mathematical model. The TCP over ATM network is simulated to implement these policies under varied buffer capacity and traffic patterns.