Static priority scheduling for ATM networks

Static priority scheduling is popular for traffic scheduling in ATM switches because it is less costly than dynamic priority scheduling while being sensitive to the delay constraints of connections. We study delay computation and priority assignment problems in an ATM network with static priority scheduling. Given an ATM network with arbitrary topology, it is possible that the traffic on it may become unstable (i.e., packet delays become unbounded) due to the potential cyclic dependency of the traffic. An unstable network is definitely unacceptable for many delay sensitive applications. We start by formally deriving a simple condition under which the network is guaranteed to be stable. We then develop a numerical method to compute worst case end to end delays in an ATM network with arbitrary topology. Convergence of the method is formally proved and a closed form for the computing error is obtained. Despite its advantages, static priority scheduling remains sensitive to proper priority assignment. We describe two simple priority assignment methods, which we show to outperform other commonly used methods.