Improved fairness algorithm for multiple TCP connections
Ke Xu · Journal of Tsinghua University(Science and Technology) · 2003
Transmission control protocol (TCP) is the most widely used transmission protocol currently in the Internet. However, various tests have shown that TCP connections are unfair in some situations, such as multiple congested gateways, different round trip times and different packet sizes. An explicit fairness control (EFC) algorithm was developed to provide fairness over a wide range of conditions. The algorithm improves fairness by adding mechanisms at end systems and gateways. A RateTag added to the TCP header to indicate the current sending rate is used by the gateways to vary treatment of the packets. Test results show that the EFC algorithm improves fairness in situations where TCP connections are unfair. The gradual deployment of the EFC algorithm in the Internet is also considered.