Stability Evaluation and Enhancement in Switched Networks: Detailed Delay Jitter Analysis Through Flow Interference

The stability of flow transmission is critical in real-time switched networks with deterministic traffic, such as avionics Ethernet, industrial control systems, and Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN). Delay jitter, as a key indicator of stability, captures the variability in packet arrival times that can affect temporal predictability. Traditional methods relying solely on worst-case delay evaluations often neglect finer delay variations within each flow. To address this gap, we propose a novel approach based on delay jitter variance to more precisely capture detailed delay fluctuations. This is achieved through comprehensive interference analysis, identifying two primary contributors to delay variability: interference value and time interval. Together, these factors determine the magnitude of delay jitter and its distribution over time. The stability evaluation can then be refined from bounded delay jitter to detailed jitter variance, which also offers guidance for stability enhancement. Based on these insights, we develop a heuristic routing optimization algorithm to improve stability in large scale networks. Experimental results demonstrate significant improvements in network stability without sacrificing real-time performance.