Dimensioning Links for IP Telephony

Packet loss is an important parameter for dimensioning network links or traffic classes carrying IP telephony traffic. We present a model based on the Markov modulated Poisson process (MMPP) which calculates packet loss probabilities for a set of superpositioned voice input sources and the specified link properties. We do not introduce another new model to the community, rather try and verify one of the existing models via extensive simulation and a real world implementation. A plethora of excellent research on queuing theory is still in the domain of ATM researchers and we attempt to highlight it’s validity to the IP Telephony community. Packet level simulations show very good correspondence with the predictions of the model. Our main contribution is the verification of the MMPP model with measurements in a laboratory environment. The loss rates predicted by the model are in general close to the measured loss rates and the loss rates obtained with simulation. The general conclusion is that the MMPP-based model is a tool well suited for dimensioning links carrying packetized voice in a system with limited buffer space. Keywords—Link Dimensioning, Markov Process, IP Telephony, MMPP/D/1/K