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An Experimental Study of New and Known Online Packet Buffering Algorithms

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Abstract

We present the first experimental study of online packet buffering algorithms for network switches. We consider a basic scenario in which m queues of size B have to be maintained so as to maximize the packet throughput. For this model various online algorithms with competitive factors ranging between 2 and 1.5 were developed in the literature. We first develop a new 2-competitive online algorithm, called HSFOD, which is especially designed to perform well under real-world conditions. In our experimental study we have implemented all the proposed algorithms, including HSFOD, and tested them on packet traces from benchmark libraries. We have evaluated the experimentally observed competitiveness, the running times, memory requirements and actual packet throughput of the strategies. The tests were executed for varying values of m and B as well as varying switch speeds. It shows that greedy-like strategies and HSFOD perform best in practice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, University of Freiburg, Georges Köhler Allee 79, 79110, Freiburg, Germany

    Susanne Albers & Tobias Jacobs

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  1. Susanne Albers
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  2. Tobias Jacobs
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Correspondence to Tobias Jacobs.

Additional information

A preliminary version of this paper has appeared at the 15th European Symposium on Algorithms, 2007.

Work supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, projects AL 464/4-1, 4-2 and 5.1.

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Albers, S., Jacobs, T. An Experimental Study of New and Known Online Packet Buffering Algorithms. Algorithmica 57, 725–746 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00453-008-9230-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00453-008-9230-y

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