A Starvation-free Access Protocol for a Full-duplex Buffer Insertion Ring Local Area Network

Of several existing designs for local area networks, the buffer insertion ring has been shown to provide higher throughputs, lower mean delays, and greater spatial reuse than competing designs such as the token ring and slotted ring networks. However, one disadvantage is that the normally unregulated access scheme of the Insertion Ring allows for the phenomenon of starvation, when a network node has to wait too long before it can access the ring. In our work we demonstrate that starvation is a serious problem and we present a protocol to prevent it. It is shown that the new protocol is correct, stable, and does not substantially degrade the otherwise efficient operation of the ring.

By: Rahul Simha (Dept. of CS, College of William and Mary) and Yoram Ofek

Published in: Computer Networks and ISDN Systems, volume 21, (no 2), pages 108-120 in 1991

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