Response-time evaluation of transaction-oriented applications in VSAT networks

The authors present modeling of an integrated terrestrial-satellite network using very small aperture terminals (VSATs), for transaction-oriented computer applications. They address the analytical and simulation modeling techniques used to study the network performance. More specifically, these models are used to obtain network response times for an integrated terrestrial-VSAT network for inquiry-response applications under various load conditions at the cluster controller units. The major result obtained through this analytical and simulation modeling suggests that communications satellite channels can be used efficiently for the interactive inquiry-response traffic at an acceptable response time, provided that the system parameters including the link transmission rates are chosen appropriately