This course introduces the techniques that can be used to predict the performance of a computer system in general, and of networks in particular.
These techniques enable the evaluation of response time, transfer rates, transmission delays, using models of the considered systems.
This may be crucial, for example, for the dimensioning of a new network, or to compare two protocols, to study the effects of a future change in traffic characteristics, ...
In this course, we introduce some different means of studying the performance of a system, mainly focusing on the use of simulators and of analytic techniques. The pros and cons of each approach are evoked, and among them their applicability to different communication systems.