Implementations and Performance of Two RPC-based LAN Gateway Applications

A predominant (‘base’) scheme currently used in many circuit-switched LAN–WAN gateway applications is based on device-driver LAN redirections. Various functional and performance deficiencies associated with the LAN redirection (base) scheme and an RPC programming interface are described. This RPC definition supports the base scheme, as well as another (‘enhanced’) scheme. The enhanced scheme overcomes the various outlined functional deficiencies associated with the cited implementations of the base scheme. Implementations of these two client–server application schemes on top of the IEEE portable operating-system interface and the Open Software Foundation RPC are described for both schemes. Performances of these two schemes are compared, both based on a simplified Markov chain model and on actual implementations and long-duration experiments. Some of the similarities between the predictive simple-model behaviors and the actual experienced results for the applications are encouraging. This experience shows that the described RPC programming interface is a reasonable candidate for immediate practical implementations on heterogeneous systems.