Connection-orientated and connectionless communications protocols-a performance comparison

Recent addenda to the ISO 7 layer model also known as Open Systems Interconnection (OSI), and its associated service/protocol specifications have illustrated two distinct approaches to the design of protocols. Original definitions were mainly based on the existence of a connection, or virtual circuit, which is explicitly established prior to data transfer, and terminated when data transfer has ceased. However, as Chapin (1983) explains, it was realised that the restriction of OSI to connection-orientated protocols excluded those applications which are essentially connectionless. Chapin specifically identifies local area networks (LANs) as a major growth area for the use of the connectionless approach. The paper describes the results of a series of performance tests conducted to evaluate the differences in behaviour of protocols which exhibit either connection-orientated or connectionless characteristics