Modeling queuing dynamics of TCP: a simple model and its empirical validation

Abstract

Understanding queuing dynamics of TCP is important for correct router buffer sizing as well as for optimizing the performance of the TCP protocol itself. However, modeling of buffer content dynamics under TCP has received relatively little attention given its importance. Commonly used queuing models are based on overly simplistic assumptions about the packet arrival process. As a consequence, there are no quantitatively accurate closed loop TCP models capable of predicting performance even for a single link shared by multiple flows. Our present paper aims to close this gap by proposing a simple TCP queuing model, which is based on experimental observations and validated by extensive packet level simulations.