Message waiting times and delays in ATDM switching elements

The author investigates the delay performance of a switching element to which messages composed of a variable number of fixed-length packets arrive at the rate of one packet per time slot. Results are obtained in connection with the message waiting times and the message delays. The switch uses a separate output buffer for each possible destination. It is assumed that each output buffer operates as an asynchronous time-division multiplexing system, i.e., packets are transmitted from the output buffer asynchronously with respect to their sources in their order of arrival in the buffer, as long as the latter is not empty. Results are obtained in connection with the message waiting times and the message delays