Method for link buffer size and queue length estimation for bandwidth-varying mobile data networks

摘要

A sum-of-delays algorithm in a digital mobile communication bandwidth-varying network is employed to estimate link buffer size and queue length in an undying network connection. In particular, mechanisms associated with the process compensate for link bandwidth variations. In a particular embodiment, passive estimation are employed to implement the process by simply measuring the in-band data packet timings to perform estimation, thus eliminating the need for transmission of extra measurement packets. This method enables the integration of the link buffer size estimation algorithm into existing transport protocols such as TCP to optimize flow and congestion controls. As part of the invention, a new congestion control method called TCP Queue-length-Adaptive (TCP-QA) is developed to employ the sum-of-delays algorithm in the TCP sender computer to control the data flow in a TCP connection. Compared to existing TCP variants, TCP-QA can achieve significantly better network bandwidth utilization in bandwidth-varying networks.

主权项

1. A method operative in a digital computer comprising:
estimating packet transmission delays of packets sent via a wireless network subject to variable bandwidth; estimating queuing delays of packets sent via the wireless network between a sender and a receiver, with compensation for variations in packet transmission delays; and estimating network queue length from a sum of the packet transmission delays and the queuing delays, wherein said sum of packet transmission delays comprises a measurement of in-band data and ACK packet timings in passive estimation to eliminate need for transmission of extra measurement packets.