Modeling and generating TCP application workloads

Abstract — In order to perform valid experiments, traffic generators used in network simulators and testbeds require up to date models of traffic as it exists on real network links. Ideally one would like a model of the combined use of TCP by the full range of applications running on clients and servers on the Internet today. Unfortunately, at best, all that is available to the research community are a small number of rather antiquated (by “Internet-time” standards) workload models for single applications such as the web. We present a method for generating a model of the full TCP application workload corresponding to the traffic flowing on a network link. From this model, synthetic TCP traffic can be generated in a simulation that is statistically similar to the traffic observed on the real link. The model is generated automatically using only a simple packet-header trace and requires no knowledge of the actual identity or mix of TCP applications on the network. We present the mo...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2007
• Where: BROADNETS
• Authors: Félix Hernández-Campos, Kevin Jeffay, F. Donelson Smith
• Keywords: BROADNETS 2007, Computer Networks, Network Link, Tcp Application Workloads, Traffic Generator