Evaluating TCP/IP performance over satellite networks
Richard A. Thompson · SUNScholar (Stellenbosch University) · 2004
Interest in TCP/IP as a communication protocol for use in space communication has increased substantially with the growth of the world wide web (WWW).TCP/IP is a relevant communication protocol for space based communication systems that need to access the broader terrestrial communication network.Low Earth Orbit(LEO) satellites have very short delay times between themselves and the ground, and correspondingly very short connection times.Staying in contact with a LEO satellite continuously through a space-based network requires large constellations of satellites and complex routing strategies.Connectivity with the world wide web using a widely accepted protocol such as TCP/IP is desirable because it would make communication with the satellite over a terrestrial station possible, were it to route communication onto the WWW.This thesis looks at the expected TCP/IP performance over satellite network links, identi fies problem areas for current TCP/IP technologies, and makes suggestions for optimizing TCP/IP over such links.The thesis also introduces a new performance benchmark, the equivalence level, allowing for the simplified description of TCP throughput behaviour over a broad range of network parameters.The performance of the Linux kernel release 2.4.18TCP/IP stack is also evaluated.