Buffer overflow management in QoS switches

Abstract

We consider two types of buffering policies that are used in network switches supporting QoS (Quality of Service). In the FIFO type, packets must be released in the order they arrive; the difficulty in this case is the limited buffer space. In the bounded-delay type, each packet has a maximum delay time by which it must be released, or otherwise it is lost. We study the cases where the incoming streams overload the buffers, resulting in packet loss. In our model, each packet has an intrinsic value; the goal is to maximize the total value of packets transmitted