DQDB/sup +/-/: a fair and waste-free media access protocol for dual bus metropolitan networks

A media access protocol that achieves a fair distribution of the bandwidth in one round-trip delay is presented. The protocol is based on a unique solution to a fair and waste-free bandwidth allocation. This bandwidth allocation can be implemented in a distributed manner. A comparison of the new protocol with the DQDB (distributed queue dual bus) protocol shows considerable advantages regarding the transmission delay of messages and the time a station needs to obtain a fair portion of the available bandwidth. The advantages of the protocol become more apparent for large networks and high transmission speeds. In addition, the new protocol can perform nonuniform bandwidth allocations.<
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