Networking sheet- Solutions
Problem 1
Consider two hosts, A and B, connected by a single link of rate R bps. Suppose that the two
hosts are separated by m meters, and suppose the propagation speed along the link is s
meters/sec. Host A is to send a packet of size L bits to Host B.
a. Express the propagation delay, dprop, in terms of m and s:
The propagation delay is the time it takes for a signal to travel from one end of the link to
the other. It is given by:
dprop = m / s
b. Determine the transmission time of the packet, dtrans, in terms of L and R:
The transmission time is the time it takes to push all bits of the packet onto the link. It is
given by:
dtrans = L / R
c. End-to-end delay:
The end-to-end delay is the sum of the propagation delay and the transmission time. Hence:
dend-to-end = dprop + dtrans = (m / s) + (L / R)
d. At time t = dtrans, where is the last bit of the packet?
At t = dtrans, the last bit of the packet has just been transmitted by Host A. Therefore, the
last bit is just beginning to propagate and is still at Host A.
e. If dprop > dtrans, where is the first bit at time t = dtrans?
The first bit is in link not reached host B
f. If dprop < dtrans, where is the first bit at time t = dtrans?
The first bit has already reached Host B
g. Find m so that dprop equals dtrans:
Given s = 2.5 x 10^8, L = 1500 bytes, R = 10 Mbps, find m such that dprop = dtrans:
L (in bits) = 1500 * 8 = 12000 bits
m / s = L / R => m = (12000 * 2.5 x 10^8) / (10 x 10^6) = 300,000 meters = 300 km
Problem 2
You would like to urgently deliver 50 terabytes of data from Boston to Los Angeles using
either a 100 Mbps dedicated link or FedEx overnight delivery. Which is faster?
Total data = 50 TB = 50 x 10^12 bytes = 50 x 8 x 10^12 bits
Data transfer rate = 100 Mbps = 100 x 10^6 bits per second
Time to transfer over the link = (50 x 8 x 10^12) / (100 x 10^6) = 4000,000 seconds ≈ 46.3
days
FedEx overnight delivery takes 1 day, which is faster.
Problem 3
Consider a packet of length L that travels over three links to a destination end system. These
links are connected by two packet switches.
a. Total end-to-end delay expression:
The total end-to-end delay is the sum of the propagation delays, transmission delays, and
processing delays:
dend-to-end = Σ (di / si + L / Ri) + 2 * dproc
b. Calculate end-to-end delay with given values:
Given L = 1500 bytes, si = 2.5 x 10^8 m/s, Ri = 2.5 Mbps, dproc = 3 ms, d1 = 5000 km, d2 =
4000 km, d3 = 1000 km:
1. Transmission time for each link: dtrans = 12000 / 2.5 x 10^6 = 4.8 ms
2. Propagation delay for each link: dprop1 = 20 ms, dprop2 = 16 ms, dprop3 = 4 ms
3. Total delay = (20 + 16 + 4) + 3 + 4.8 * 3 = 60.4 ms
Problem 4
If the packet switch transmits each bit immediately (bit-level forwarding), the total delay is
the sum of the propagation delays and the time to transmit the first bit across all links:
dend-to-end = Σ (di / si) + L / R
Problem 5: Generalize the End-to-End Delay for P Packets over N Links
Problem:
Generalize the formula of the end-to-end delay for sending one packet of length L over N
links of transmission rate R, for sending P such packets back-to-back over the N links.
Solution:
For one packet of length L, the end-to-end delay over N links consists of the transmission
time and the propagation delay for each link. The total delay is:
D_end-to-end = Σ( (L/R) + (d_i / s) ), for i = 1 to N.
For P packets sent back-to-back, the first packet experiences the full end-to-end delay. Each
subsequent packet will be delayed by the transmission time of the previous packet over the
first link. Hence, the generalized formula for P packets is:
D_end-to-end total = D_end-to-end for first packet + (P - 1) × (L/R).
Thus, the total delay for P packets is:
D_end-to-end total = Σ( (L/R) + (d_i / s) ) + (P - 1) × (L/R).
Problem 6: Bandwidth-Delay Product and Bit Width
Two hosts A and B are separated by 20,000 kilometers and are connected by a direct link of
R = 5 Mbps. The propagation speed is s = 2.5 × 10^8 meters/sec.
a. Bandwidth-Delay Product
The bandwidth-delay product (BDP) is given by the product of the transmission rate R and
the propagation delay d_prop.
d_prop = m / s = (20,000 × 10^3) / (2.5 × 10^8) = 0.08 seconds.
The BDP is:
BDP = R × d_prop = 5 × 10^6 × 0.08 = 400,000 bits.
b. Maximum Bits in the Link
The maximum number of bits in the link at any given time is equal to the bandwidth-delay
product, which is 400,000 bits.
c. Interpretation of Bandwidth-Delay Product
The bandwidth-delay product represents the maximum amount of data that can be 'in-
flight' on the link at any given time. It is the number of bits that can occupy the link during
the time it takes for a signal to propagate from one end of the link to the other.
d. Width of a Bit
The width of a bit (in meters) is the distance that one bit occupies on the link. It can be
calculated as:
Bit width = s / R = (2.5 × 10^8) / (5 × 10^6) = 50 meters.
Yes, the bit is longer than a football field (which is around 100 meters).
e. General Expression for Bit Width
The width of a bit in terms of the propagation speed s, transmission rate R, and the length of
the link m is:
Bit width = s / R.
Problem 7: Circuit-Switched Network with Multiple Switches
Problem:
Given four switches A, B, C, and D in a circuit-switched network, each link has 4 circuits.
a. Maximum Number of Simultaneous Connections
The maximum number of simultaneous connections that can be in progress at any one time
in the network is determined by the total number of circuits available on the links. There
are 4 circuits on each link and 4 links in the network, so the total number of simultaneous
connections is:
Maximum connections = 4 × 4 = 16.
b. Maximum Connections between A and C
If all connections are between switches A and C, the number of circuits available for these
connections is limited to 4, since each link can only carry 4 circuits.
c. Routing 8 Connections (A-C and B-D)
We want to make 4 connections between A and C, and another 4 between B and D. Since
there are 4 circuits available on each link, we can route these connections through different
links, accommodating all 8 connections. The connections between A and C can use two links
(A-B and B-C), while the connections between B and D can use the remaining links (B-A and
A-D).
Problem 8: General Expression for Throughput in a Client-Server Network
Problem:
There are M client-server pairs. The server links have a rate R_s, the client links have a rate
R_c, and the network link has a rate R.
Solution:
The throughput of the network is determined by the bottleneck link, which can be either the
server link, client link, or network link. The general expression for throughput is:
Throughput per pair = min( (R_s / M), R_c, R ).
This expression accounts for the fact that each client-server pair shares the server link
bandwidth and is also limited by the client and network link bandwidth. If the server link is
the bottleneck, the throughput will be (R_s / M), as it is shared by M pairs.
