Broadband Island interconnection via satellite—performance analysis for the race II—catalyst project

Abstract

Abstract The use of communication satellites as a possible way of offering broadband island interconnectivity appears to be a very attractive option, as it will enable the provision of an all‐digital, transparent service to a number of ATM islands spanning a wide area, accommodating efficiently a variety of traffic demands. The CATALYST Project (RACE II/R2074) is an attempt to demonstrate the applicability and compatibility of satellite technology with the terrestrial BISDN. In this paper we present an overview of the project and focus on an initial study of the expected user performance through the CATALYST network. Our analysis is based upon mathematical and simulation models and describes the end‐system to end‐system transfer delay for given message lengths. The protocol profiles assume a mix of Novell NetWare and Network File System client/server architectures, which are supported by either the IEEE 802.3/Ethernet or fibre distributed data interface LANs, which are themselves linked via LAN/ATM/satellite interface units. Areas of further investigation, and the implication of our analysis on the actual network architecture, are discussed.