An Innovative Technique for Analyzing Network Performance and Congestion in a Hybrid Network Topology

Abstract

The need for an effective network for business operation have been the driving force for most institutes globally. It is however noted that most networks face different levels of poor performance. An aspect is network congestion that hinders the smooth flow of data or information anticipated by users of a network. The ability to predict the quality of experience in our network performance to avoid congestion so as to render quality services to a client is very paramount. This paper investigates an innovative approach to analyze the performance of a network using an appropriate techniques. The methodology used a simulation tool IxChariot version 7.10 SP4 simulator for this study which allowed for the emulation of key performance metrics, such as throughput, packet loss, jitter, delay etc. within a hybrid network topology of 35 nodes. The congestion that occurred leading to packet loss during the test run was curtailed by the application of Quality of Service (QoS) techniques such as the increase in bandwidth, the use of playout buffers as well as prioritizing certain packets.