Abstract
Network load control mechanisms have become important due to merging towards IP-packet switched networks, Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC) and the growing diversity of Internet applications. These applications vary in terms of size, content, time duration, and Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. These current advancements require new design criteria for traffic control mechanisms to cope with the growing complexity of future networks and the increasing diversity of network applications. Previous work on the design and performance evaluation criteria of Call Admission Control (CAC) algorithms has taken link utilization as a measure of efficient allocation of available network resources while enhancing QoS. We believe that considering only link utilization to evaluate the performance of CAC algorithms is not an accurate criterion. In this paper, we propose a simple and robust method for evaluating the performance and design considerations of CAC algorithms. The proposed approach is based on flow parameters such as call admission rate, call rejection rate, average call duration and provided QoS parameters with respect to link utilization level. This flow-based evaluation method is particularly important for optimal resource allocation, efficient service management and content-based pricing.