A Stochastic Petri Net Model for the Simulation Analysis of the IEEE 802.11e EDCA Communication Protocol

The paper proposes a simulation model which enables the evaluation of IEEE 802.11e EDCA networks, focusing in the behavior of the enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) function associated to quality of service (QoS) stations. When compared with currently used simulation models, the proposed model provides a more accurate implementation of some aspects (timeouts, EIFS), a flexible implementation, and an easiness of use. Besides, a large number of different types of performance measures can be obtained. The model is based on a high level stochastic Petri net formalism referred as stochastic activity networks (SAN), able to produce very compact and efficient models, and which is supported by the Mobius tool.