Analysis of ATM network access

A problem of growing interest is the analysis of cell loss and waiting times in buffers located at the edge of the network. Here the problem of adequate dimensioning is complicated by the fact that the buffers will be part of a multi-queueing (or `polling´) system. Consequently they will have a non-constant transmission rate, able to transmit cells only when given permission by the access control mechanism of the network. The paper concentrates on the problem of buffer dimensioning, and analysis of waiting times, in a buffer in such a system; in particular the steady state waiting time, cell state and loss probabilities are evaluated using an analytical model