Resource Allocation in a Multiple-Priority Buffered Link

In this paper we consider a multiple-priority buffered link, with a focus on resource allocation issues; our study was motivated by such issues in Carrier Ethernet, but the applicability of the results is by no means limited to this technology. In our model, the resource is shared by two priority classes. As the high-priority queue — intended for traffic generated by delay-sensitive applications — typically has a small buffer, the low-priority queue can be modelled as a queue with a time-varying service rate; this service rate behaves independently of the input of the low-priority queue. The analysis of the high-priority queue is standard, and we therefore provide an in-depth study of the performance of the low-priority queue. Assuming that all traffic offered to the system is subjected to a leaky-bucket type of policer, one of the approaches that we present borrows elements from the setup of [6], in which the notion of effective bandwidth plays a crucial role.