Performance Aware Design of Communication Systems

In this paper we present a methodology for a performance aware design of communication systems including protocols and devices. The goal is to evaluate the performance already in early stages of the design process to avoid costly re-designs of bottlenecks in finished products. From protocol specifications given as sequence diagrams, we derive multiclass queueing networks as a means to estimate the performance of the system architecture before any executable prototype exists. This makes queueing theory accessible to system and protocol designers even if the designer is not familiar with details of queueing network theory. The methodology supports an easy evaluation of design alternatives without affecting the functional model. To achieve this, it incorporates the performance information into the system model in a non-invasive fashion, such that the system model remains meaningful without this information