TCP Quick-Adjust by Utilizing Explicit Link Characteristic Information

This paper investigates the utilization of explicit bottleneck link characteristic information in order to enhance TCP behaviors. We propose the TCP Quick-Adjust algorithm as an extension of TCP Quick-Start, to allow end nodes to quickly adjust their sending rate for ongoing connections according to the reported bottleneck link bandwidth. Our scheme is considered to be especially suitable to use in a mobile operator´s controlled network domain, where it is possible to provide a subscribed mobile node with reasonably accurate access link and path information. The link characteristic information is piggybacked in IP mobility signaling in this paper. Using simulations, we show that TCP Quick-Adjust provides good performance in terms of link capacity utilization in the scenarios where vertical handovers can happen between two links with very different characteristics.