Analysis of HTTP Performance
Joe D. Touch, John Heidemann, Katia Obraczka · 1999
Abstract 1 We discuss the performance effects of using pertransaction TCP connections for HTTP access, and the proposed optimizations of avoiding per-transaction reconnection and TCP slow-start restart overheads. We analyze the performance penalties of the interaction of HTTP and TCP. Our observations indicate that the proposed optimizations do not substantially affect Web access for the vast majority of users, who typically see end-to-end latencies of 100-250 ms and use low bandwidth lines. Under these conditions, there are only 1-2 packets in transit between the client and server, and the optimizations reduce the overall transaction time by only 11%. Rates over 200 Kbps are required in order to achieve at least a 50 % reduction in transaction time, resulting in a user-noticeable performance enhancement. Note: This document first appeared on the web in June 1996, and was revised to its current form in August 1996, as