Criticality avoidance: A new paradigm for congestion control based on science of phase transition

Network QoS control is generally difficult due to the complexity, dynamism, and limited measurability of networks. As an alternative, we seek a network phenomenon that is simple, universal and consequential to control. The result is a framework for proactive dynamic network congestion control that is based on the science of continuous phase transition. Key beneficial properties of continuous phase transition are its early onset warning signs and universality. The former allows the detection of proximity to congestion before its occurrence; while the latter implies that any criticality-based network control would likely be insensitive to network details and, in particular, not require any a-priori knowledge of the values of critical loads. Preliminary experimental results demonstrating these promises are presented.