Analysis of fairness on the Metaring gigabit/s network

The Metaring High speed local area network (HSLAN) is based on a full-duplex slotted ring using spatial reuse, which allows throughputs several times higher than the medium capacity. The Metaring access protocol includes a simple and reliable global fairness mechanism which prevents a station from any starvation. By means of simulations, the fairness of the Metaring gigabit/s network is analyzed. Both symmetrical and asymmetrical traffic, as well as underload and overload traffic conditions, are investigated. It is shown that dimensioning the global fairness mechanism parameters strongly influences equity between nodes and the medium utilization ratio.