Performance of the media resource controller

The media resource controller (MRC) provides for packetized least-cost routing in heterogeneous media networks where the network topologies and conditions may be highly dynamic. Previous work has discussed the MRC and its approach to the routing problem when using multiple parameters obtained from radio links. The authors discuss the results of this strategy when applied to a real network operating under laboratory conditions. A brief review of the MRC and its routing principles is first presented. The effects of varying key parameters in the link cost determination are then shown. Results are discussed in terms of classical performance measures of delay and throughput. It is concluded that the MRC link cost assignment process allows multiple cost function parameters to be combined into a single estimate of link cost. By performing this combination, the overall throughput of the network can be increased significantly. For the same level of throughput, end-to-end delay can be decreased. By including an estimate of radio quality as an additional cost function parameter, the MRC network can rapidly route traffic around any poorly performing or jammed links