ARQ with Sequential Decoding of Packetized Data: Queueing Analysis

The operation of a sequential decoder in a packet-switching environment is considered. Packets arrive randomly at the decoder, and a packet is stored in a buffer if the decoder is busy upon its arrival. The decoder devotes no more than a time-out period of predetermined length to the decoding of any single packet. If packet decoding is completed within that period, the packet leaves the system. Otherwise, it is retransmitted and its decoding starts anew. While a packet is retransmitted, the decoder decodes another packet that resides in its buffer. An upper bound on the maximum rate of packets that can be supported by the channel-decoder combination is derived, and the optimum time-out that maximizes that rate is determined. A discrete-time model of the decoder's queue is presented, and the average queue length and throughput are evaluated.