Determining the updating interval of a round robin sequence for token passing mobile networks

The optimal token passing sequence for a round robin token passing protocol depends on node spatial configuration (it is the sequence that minimizes the sum of token passing times). When a network contains mobile nodes, a once optimal sequence can, after some time, yield poor performance due to changes in node configuration. The sequence must then be updated. Performance deterioration is a function of node speeds, type of motion, and time. We evaluate this deterioration (by means of theoretical analysis and simulation experiments) for the purpose of determining an inter-update interval that allows the network to maintain good performance.