TCP-LP: A Distributed Algorithm for Low Priority Data Transfer

— Service prioritization among different traffic classes is an important goal for the future Internet. Conventional approaches to solving this problem consider the existing best-effort class as the low-priority class, and attempt to develop mechanisms that provide “better-than-best-effort” service. In this paper, we explore the opposite approach, and devise a new distributed algorithm to realize a low-priority service (as compared to the existing best effort) from the network endpoints. To this end, we develop TCP Low Priority (TCP-LP), a distributed algorithm whose goal is to utilize only the excess network bandwidth as compared to the “fair share” of bandwidth as targeted by TCP. The key mechanisms unique to TCP-LP congestion control are the use of one-way packet delays for congestion indications and a TCP-transparent congestion avoidance policy. Our simulation results show that: (1) TCP-LP is largely non-intrusive to TCP traffic; (2) both single and aggregate TCP-LP flo...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2003
• Where: INFOCOM
• Authors: Aleksandar Kuzmanovic, Edward W. Knightly
• Keywords: Communications, Excess Bandwidth, Excess Network Bandwidth, INFOCOM 2003, Low-priority Class