This paper studies timed token protocols with respect to real-time packet traffic in local area networks (LANs), such as FDDI and token bus, employed in distributed control systems. Typically, in such systems, three classes of packet traffic are encountered. The first class consists of packets cyclically generated by data acquisition tasks. The second traffic class is represented by packets generated in a random manner by control tasks and sporadic events. Finally, the third traffic class represents nonreal-time packet streams such as, for example, file transfers. To evaluate protocol performance, three performance measures are taken into account with respect to randomly generated real-time traffic: the mean waiting time, the blocking probability, and the probability that accepted packets will wait for service no longer than a specified time limit. In order to determine the last performance measure, a two-moment approximation of the waiting time distribution is applied. All three performance measures are evaluated at the beginning of the heavy network load region. Two examples of numerical calculations compared with computer simulations done for FDDI-II and token bus networks are given.
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