IPA for loss volume and buffer workload in tandem SFM networks

This paper considers congestion-related performance metrics in tandem networks of Stochastic Fluid Models (SFMs), and derives their IPA gradient estimators with respect to buffer sizes. Specifically, the performance metrics in question are the total loss volume and the cumulative buffer workload (buffer contents), and the control parameter consists of buffer limits at both the node where the performance is measured and at an upstream node. The IPA estimators are unbiased and nonparametric, and hence can be computed on-line from field measurements as well as off-line from simulation experiments. The IPA derivatives are applied to packet-based networks, where simulation results support the theoretical developments. Possible applications to congestion management in telecommunications networks are discussed.