A New Estimation Scheme for the Effective Number of Users in Internet Congestion Control

Many congestion control protocols have been recently proposed in order to alleviate the problems encountered by TCP in high-speed networks and wireless links. Protocols utilizing an architecture that is in the same spirit as the ABR service in ATM networks require estimates of the effective number of users utilizing each link in the network to maintain stability in the presence of delays. In this paper, we propose a novel estimation algorithm that is based on online parameter identification techniques and is shown through analysis and simulations to converge to the effective number of users utilizing each link. The algorithm does not require maintenance of per-flow states within the network or additional fields in the packet header, and it is shown to outperform previous proposals that were based on pointwise division in time. The estimation scheme is designed independently from the control functions of the protocols and is thus universal in the sense that it operates effectively in a number of congestion control protocols. It can thus be successfully used in the design of new congestion control protocols. In this paper, to illustrate its universality, we use the proposed estimation scheme to design a representative set of Internet congestion control protocols. Using simulations, we demonstrate that these protocols satisfy key design requirements. They guide the network to a stable equilibrium that is characterized by high network utilization, small queue sizes, and max-min fairness. In addition, they are scalable with respect to changing bandwidths, delays, and number of users, and they generate smooth responses that converge quickly to the desired equilibrium.