Pool-based traffic generation model for SONET/SDH

In a SONET/SDH transmission environment, the switching systems must accommodate a hierarchy of traffic and bandwidth. In the design of SONET/SDH cross-connect switching hardware and switching algorithms, it is necessary to evaluate the switching system performance on this hierarchy through simulations. These simulations require the generation of realistic connection requests so that the switching system performance may be evaluated. Parameters which are required in such a model include the total load on the switching system, the mix of the various traffic types involved in the connection requests, as well as the active and idle times for each of the connections. This paper presents a traffic connection request model that meets these goals in a SONET/SDH environment. The traffic generated by this model may be used in an evaluation of SONET/SDH switching architectures and algorithms.