Problems Arising from Deflection Routing: Live-lock, Lockout, Congestion and Message Reassembly

Abstract

Deflection routing (in slotted metropolitan area networks):when there are no buffers available in a node, packets of data areforced to take longer paths through the network. This technique usesonly local information at a node. Problems: live-lock (packets aretransmitted continuously, but never reach their destination); sourcelock-out (sources occupy all empty slots); congestion (increased use ofnetwork resources by deflection routing lea