A comparative study of the switching performance of connection-mode network layer relays

This paper presents a simulation-based comparative study of two different approaches for connection-mode network layer relays-the service relay approach and the protocol relay approach-for LAN/WAN interconnection, that are currently the subject of standardization activities. In order to evaluate the relative performance characteristics of the two different relay types, a number of simulation studies were carried out, using several traffic conditions and relay models. In spite of the architectural overhead associated with service relays, the obtained results show that this type of relay behaves well even under considerable load, and so more attention should be given to the service relay approach by standards developers and relay implementors