Integrated services packet networks with mobile hosts: architecture and performance

Abstract

This paper considers the support of real-time services to mobile users in an Integrated Services Packet Network. In the currently existing architectures, the service guarantees provided to the mobile hosts are mobility dependent, i.e., mobile hosts experience wide variation in the quality of service and often service disruption when hosts move from one location to another. The network performance degrades significantly when mobile hosts are provided with mobility independent service guarantees. In this paper we have proposed a service model for mobile hosts that can support adaptive applications which can withstand service degradation and disruption, as well as applications which require mobility independent service guarantees. We describe an admission control scheme for implementing this service model and evaluate its performance by simulation experiments. Simulation results show that, if sufficient degree of multiplexing of the mobility dependent and independent services are allowed, the network does not suffer any significant performance degradation and in particular our admission control scheme achieves high utilization of network resources.