Abstract

High-bandwidth communication platforms, where transmission rates well exceed 100 Mb/s, are currently the focus of various research, development, and standardization efforts. However, issues related to the design and implementation of complete communication systems capable of efficiently using the full potential of these platforms are not well understood. Consequently, it is essential to develop realistic and complete models for such systems, considering the characteristics of the new environment in which they will be used. The vast majority of the performance studies of communication systems are related to specific protocols and, therefore, do not reach general conclusions about the systems analyzed. Most existing models do not consider end-to-end issues but, rather, concentrate on either independent layer implementations or a set of two or three layers forming just a subset of a larger system. Finally, multiprocessing platforms have not been considered in currently available communication-systems models.

© 1991 Optical Society of America