Network calculus and queueing theory: two sides of one coin: invited paper

Network calculus is a theory dealing with queueing type problems encountered in computer networks, with particu- lar focus on quality of service guarantee analysis. Queueing theory is the mathematical study of queues, proven to be applicable to a wide area of problems, generally concerning about the (average) quantities in an equilibrium state. Since both network calculus and queueing theory are analytical tools for studying queues, a question arises naturally as is if and where network calculus and queueing theory meet. In this paper, we explore queueing principles that underlie net- work calculus and exemplify their use. Particularly, based on the network calculus queueing principles, we show that for GI/GI/1, similar inequalities in the theory of queues can be derived. In addition, we prove that the end-to-end per- formance of a tandem network is independent of the order of servers in the network even under some general settings. Through these, we present a network calculus perspective on queues and relate network calculus to queueing theory.