A processor scheduling design for gateways in heterogeneous data networks

The performance of the limited-k policy for processor scheduling in gateways is analyzed. For bilateral gateways handling inbound and outbound traffic between a subnetwork and the backbone, this policy limits the number of messages served by the processor in one direction before switching to the other direction. The limited-k policy provides two tunable parameters for controlling the message delay, even under overload conditions in one direction. The applicable bounds on delays are discussed, and a throughput analysis is given. Simulation results are presented which provide guidance on how the parameters should be chosen based on relative traffic intensities. Also included are performance bounds for fixed parameter settings but arbitrary traffic intensities including overload in one direction