A Simulation - Based Performance Study

SUMMARY Functional standardization activities in ISO and in regional workshop are currently addressing network layer relays for the interconnection of several types of subnetworks. In this paper the authors present a simulation-based study of two different approaches-the service relay approach and the protocol relay approach-for LAN/WAN interconnection. The study draws some attention on several aspects of network layer relays, and can be used as a basis to predict and evaluate their general performance characteristics. In order to study and compare the two different relay types, a number of simulation studies were carried out, using several traffic conditions and relay models. The obtained results show, on one hand, that both relay types are useful, and that more attention should be given to the service relay approach by standards developers and relay implementors. On the other hand, the results highlighted the weight of the relays internal architecture in their overall performance, and pointed out the need to carefully study relay configurations for high speed networks interconnection, that can be used without being the limiting element of internetworking solutions.