Packet switch engineering procedures when customer characteristics are uncertain

A method for packet-switch provisioning which accounts for the effects of uncertainty in estimating customer characteristics is demonstrated. The method models the traffic parameters of the customers as random variables. It is used to calculate the maximum number of customers that can be accommodated while controlling the probability that their traffic control is beyond the nominal capacity of the system. It is shown that, depending on the degree of uncertainty in estimating parameters for the arrival process, the application of the method can have a substantial impact on the provisioning of the switch. Examples in which the effects of uncertainty on engineering are quantified are given