Forward acknowledgement: refining TCP congestion control

ABSTRACT

We have developed a Forward Acknowledgment (FACK) congestion control algorithm which addresses many of the performance problems recently observed in the Internet. The FACK algorithm is based on first principles of congestion control and is designed to be used with the proposed TCP SACK option. By decoupling congestion control from other algorithms such as data recovery, it attains more precise control over the data flow in the network. We introduce two additional algorithms to improve the behavior in specific situations. Through simulations we compare FACK to both Reno and Reno with SACK. Finally, we consider the potential performance and impact of FACK in the Internet.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.2 COMPUTER-COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
      C.2.2 Network Protocols

          Nouns: TCP/IP

Additional Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.2 COMPUTER-COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
      C.2.1 Network Architecture and Design
          Subjects: Network topology

General Terms:
Algorithms, Design, Performance