The Design of a Station-Centric Network Model for Evaluating Changes to the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet Standard

Abstract

Local area networks allow multiple computers to communicate within a single building or area. The IEEE 802.3 standard defines Ethernet, the most widely used LAN technology. The IEEE 802.3 working group is reviewing possible additions to the standard. The Binary Logarithmic Arbitration Method (BLAM) defines an enhanced medium access control (MAC) algorithm that reduces packet delays, improves fairness and better supports multimedia applications. Gigabit Ethernet defines another set of changes to the MAC algorithm to support operation at 1000-Mbps rates. In both cases, careful simulation modeling studies were needed since the behavior of Ethernet can be sensitive to minor changes in the algorithm. This paper presents a station-centric Ethernet model that is now being used to evaluate the performance of BLAM and a proposed collision-truncating repeater for Gigabit Ethernet. This allows for detailed modeling of station behavior to accurately model heterogeneous station types and traffic sources within an Ethernet. It is also possible to model a mix of BEB and BLAM stations within a single Ethernet. This model, when used with a CSIM18 simulation engine, can simulate transmission of a million packets in a five-station Ethernet with 25% offered load in less than 30 seconds on a 200-Mhz Pentium Pro Personal Computer.

A simulation study of the predictive p-persistent CSMA protocol

“…A centralized control structure is used to model the global network behavior, such as identifying collisions and informing the stations (i.e., nodes) of the channel status. However, when propagation delay effects are taken into consideration, there will be no way for a centralized algorithm to maintain the global network state variables that will be consistent with the differing views of all stations [9]. Additionally, this type of model lacks the appearance similarity with the real system.…”

Comparison of the Gigabit Ethernet full-duplex repeater, CSMA/CD, and 1000/100-Mbps switched Ethernet

“…Simulation models of a Gigabit FDR and an Ethernet switch were constructed using the process-oriented, station-centric method described in [2]. The CSIM18 function library (see [15]) was used to implement the models.…”